Preakness Stakes ? Race Details:
When:	Third Saturday in May
Track Location:	Pimlico Racecourse, Maryland
Race Distance:	1 3/16 miles (1911 metres)
Race Status:	Group 1
Race Conditions:	Three-year-olds at Set Weights
Set Weights:	Colts & Geldings ? 57kg / Fillies 55kg
Stakes:	US $1 million
Inaugurated:	1873

The Preakness Stakes is the middle leg of the prestigious United States Triple Crown series. The quality three-year-olds who contest this Group 1 event must run a distance of 1 3/16 miles down a left-handed dirt track under set weight conditions. Worth US $1 million, the Preakness Stakes are held on the third Saturday in May annually at the Pimlico racecourse in Baltimore, Maryland.

This is one of the most anticipated and important stakes races in America and crowd attendance at the event is second only to the Kentucky Derby. The Preakness Stakes begun in 1873 as a 1 ? mile event and is named in honour of Preakness, the colt that won the Dinner Party Stakes on the Pimlico racecourse?s opening day in 1870.

A top class field of competitors are always drawn to the Preakness, many of which have just contested the Kentucky Derby. The Kentucky Derby is the best guide to this race and any contenders who have not run in the Derby stand a slim chance of success. Only two horses in recent years have claimed victory at the Preakness Stakes without running in the Kentucky Derby first and they are Red Bullet (2000) and Bernardini (2006). Other key lead-up races that are important to watch for an insight into the runners? chances at the Preakness are those that form the Derby Prep Schedule, including the Santa Anita Derby (1 1/8miles), and the Arkansas Derby (1 1/8miles). These two races have provided the most Preakness Stakes winners out of any other prep events.

There have only been five mares in the history of the race to win the Preakness Stakes, they are Flocarline (1903), Whimsical (1906), Rhine Maiden (1915), Nellie Morse (1924) and Rachel Alexandra (2009). Rachel Alexandra is also the only horse, either gender, to win from the 13th post, which is the farthest outside position.

Many of the Preakness Stakes? runners will go on to compete in the third and final leg of the American thoroughbred racing?s Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes held three weeks after. It is an intense and exciting time for horses that have won the first two races in the series as they go on in hopes of being the next Triple Crown winner, breaking the three decade drought.

The Preakness Stakes has been run over seven different distances:

1 ? miles (2.41km): 1873-1888, 1890
1 ? miles (2.01km): 1889
1 1/16 miles (1.71km): 1894-1900, 1908
1 mile 70 yards (1.67km): 1901-1907
1 mile (1.61km): 1909, 1910
1 1/8 miles (1.31km): 1911-1924
1 3/16 miles (1.91km): 1925 onwards.

Preakness Stakes ? Records:
Race Record:	At the current 1 3/16mile distance the time record is 1:53.25 set by Tank?s Prospect in 1985 and matched by Louis Quartorze (1995) and Curlin (2007).
Largest Winning Margin:	11 ? lengths set by Smarty Jones in 2004.
Most Successful Jockey:	Eddie Arcaro has won the Preakness Stakes six times with Whirlaway (1941), Citation (1948), Hill Prince (1950), Bold (1951), Nashua (1955) and Bold Ruler (1957).
Most Successful Trainer:	R. Wyndham Walden had seven wins in the Preakness with Tom Ochiltree (1875), Duke of Magenta (1878), Harold (1879), Grenada (1880), Saunterer (1881), Vanguard (1882), Refund (1888).

Preakness Stakes ? Recent Race Results:

Year	Winner	Runner-Up	Third	Winner’s Time
2009	Rachel Alexandra	Mine That Bird	Musket Man	1:55.08
2008	Big Brown	Macho Again	Icabad Crane	1:54.86
2007	Curlin	Street Sense	Hard Spun	1:53.46
2006	Bernardini	Sweetnorthernsaint	Hemingway?s Key	1:54.65
2005	Afleet Alex	Scrappy T	Giacomo	1:55.04
2004	Smarty Jones	Rock Hard Ten	Eddington	1:55.59
2003	Funny Cide	Midway Road	Peace Rules	1:55.61
2002	War Emblem	Magic Weisner	Proud Citizen	1:56.40
2001	Point Given	A P Valentine	Congaree	1:55.40
2000	Red Bullet	Fusaichi Pegasus	Impeachment	1:56.00