Pimlico Race Course is currently undergoing major renovations, which means that the 2026 Preakness Stakes will be hosted by neighboring Maryland track Laurel Park.

As a result of this temporary relocation of the second jewel of the Triple Crown some horseplayers might be at a bit of a disadvantage handicapping a familiar race at an unfamiliar track.

So perhaps it’s time for an introduction or refresher to handicapping at Laurel Park in preparation for the big weekend ahead.

The 2026 Preakness Stakes will be run on Saturday, May 16th at its normal distance of 1 3/16 miles.

Hence, bettors should take a look at the statistics for various types of races at Laurel to try and gain an advantage for Preakness weekend.

Preakness-Relevant Handicapping Trends at Laurel:

The 1 3/16-mile Preakness distance has almost never been used at Laurel, therefore there are almost no apples-to-apples statistics to go on for this year’s race.

For a hint at preferred running styles at the Preakness distance at Laurel, the best one can do is look at statistics for races run at the next-closest distance of 1 1/8 miles on the main track.

Dating back to the start of 2024, there have been a total of 65 races run at Laurel at the 1 1/8-mile distance.

In terms of running styles, both speedsters on or close to the lead and late runners rallying from four or more lengths off the pace did well in those races with speed horses winning 24 of the 65 races (37%) and closers winning an equal 24 times.

Stalkers racing between 1-4 lengths off the pace won a lesser 17 of the 65 races (26%). The 1 1/8-mile races at Laurel use the main Finish Line, while the 1 3/16-mile distance uses the alternate Finish Line in the stretch.

So, one could surmise that that chances for front-runners at the Preakness distance would skew much more in favor of speed than the 1 1/8-mile raw figures would suggest.

For a running style angle specific to the Preakness (run at 1 3/16 miles at Pimlico), it may be worth noting that the trend the last two decades has tilted toward horses with speed or at least tactical speed.

Only five Preakness winners the last 21 years have come from more than four lengths off the pace.

In regard to Post Positions, the inside three post positions have had a strong advantage in Laurel in two-turn route races run at 1 1/8 miles the past two-plus years with starters from posts 1-3 winning 36 of the 65 races to account for 55% of the races at the distance.

However, the relevance of that stat in the Preakness is debatable since 1 1/8-mile routes at Laurel have had an average field size of just 6.36 horses per race while this year’s Preakness will have a full gate of 14 horses.