BALTIMORE, Md. — Churchill Downs today announced a new "Thoroughbred Championship Series," set to begin in 2027, in partnership with the New York Racing Association.
It includes six races between May and September at three racetracks. None of those racetracks are here in Maryland.
The series will include both the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Racetrack and the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park.
Additional races are expected to take place at Saratoga Race Course.
The announcement did not address what the series could mean for the future of the Triple Crown.
"A unified points system is designed to encourage the nation’s leading three-year-olds to compete against one another more frequently," Churchill Downs stated in a press release. "In addition to individual race purses, a $5 million prize pool will be awarded based on the final standings, which will also provide owners and trainers with meaningful financial incentives to remain active throughout the championship series."
Maryland recently intervened to secure the rights to the Preakness Stakes and Black-Eyed Susan Stakes for $85 million, matching an offer from Churchill Downs.
Pimlico is also undergoing renovations, with the Preakness Stakes and Black-Eyed Susan Stakes taking place in Laurel earlier this year.
The Maryland Stadium Authority told WMAR-2 News recently that while the bulk of the heavy lifting will be done at Pimlico for the 2027 Preakness, the clubhouse will not be finished.
Senate Minority Leader Stephen Hershey called it 'unfortunate.'
“For months, the Governor claimed he had ‘saved the Preakness.’ But this announcement makes clear that owning the trademark isn’t the same as owning the future of the sport. I warned that Maryland wasn’t buying certainty, we were buying risk... Today, Churchill Downs and NYRA have shown exactly where they believe the future of Thoroughbred racing lies, and Maryland was on the outside looking in,” Hershey said. "The long-term financial implications remain to be seen, but any development that diminishes the prestige or commercial value of the Preakness should concern those responsible for repaying the bonds issued to acquire those rights."
