Why Preakness Stakes is not taking place at Pimlico Race Course in 2026

The 2026 Preakness Stakes will not be held at its traditional home of Pimlico Race Course for the first time in 150 years, due to a major construction and renovation project at the Baltimore venue requiring an investment of hundreds of millions of dollars. The race is temporarily relocating while renovations, expected to take over a year, are carried out. This follows a similar situation with the Belmont Stakes, which moved venues beginning in 2024 for its own renovations, leaving Churchill Downs as the only Triple Crown venue to have continuously hosted its race for over 150 years.