After what was one of the most exciting Kentucky Derby finishes in history, horse racing fans are eagerly awaiting the second leg of the coveted Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes. Who will take home the prize come Saturday, May 18th? While we don’t have that answer yet, this post will provide you with all the information you need to watch the Preakness Stakes live at home.
When is the Preakness Stakes?
The middle jewel of the coveted Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes, is traditionally run on the third Saturday in May, two weeks after the Kentucky Derby and three weeks before the final leg, the Belmont Stakes.
This year, the 2024 Preakness Stakes takes place on Saturday, May 18. In addition to the main event, the lesser-known Grade II race for fillies, the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes, will take place ahead of the Preakness on Friday, May 17.
Where is the Preakness Stakes held?
Since its inception in 1873, the Preakness has taken place at Pimlico Racecourse in Baltimore, Maryland.
How to Watch the Preakness Stakes Live
The entire Preakness Weekend is one of the biggest and most exciting events in thoroughbred horse racing every year. And while it would be great to be there watching live in the stands, you can still have a great watch experience with DIRECTV.
This year, Preakness coverage can be viewed on the NBC Universe family of networks, namely CNBC (channel 355) and NBC. FanDuel TV (channel 602) will also have all day coverage for both the Black-Eyed Susan and Preakness. Spanish-language coverage will also be available during the main event.
To find your local NBC affiliate channel number, check out this post.
Preakness Weekend TV Schedule
Here is a breakdown of the TV coverage for the entire weekend:
Friday, May 17, 2024
- All Day: Black-Eyed Susan coverage, FanDuel TV
- 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. ET: Black-Eyed Susan coverage, Peacock
Saturday, May 18, 2024
- All Day: Preakness Stakes coverage, FanDuel TV
- 1:30 – 4:30 p.m. ET: Preakness Stakes coverage, CNBC
- 4:30 – 7:30 p.m. ET: Preakness Stakes coverage, NBC & Peacock
- 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. ET: Spanish-language Preakness coverage, Universo & Telemundo
Who is competing in the Preakness Stakes?
After a Kentucky Derby finish that had fans in the stands and at home on the edge of their seat, it appears the underdog winner, Mystik Dan, may grace the Preakness with his presence, too. Just Steel is another Derby racer fans can expect in the upcoming races.
The rest of the lineup won’t be official until right before the race, but experts have a pretty good idea of who to expect – and who is likely to come out on top. Overall, the predictions seem to point to Muth and Mystik Dan, with these horses following behind:
- Tuscan Gold
- Imagination
- Just Steel
- Seize the Gray
- Copper Tax
- Uncle Heavy
- Mugatu
Preakness Stakes Watch Party Ideas
If you had a great time at a Derby Day party and are ready for more, check out these ideas on how to host the best Preakness Stakes watch party imaginable.
- Decorations: Set the mood for your Preakness Stakes watch party by decorating your space in the colors of the race, which are black and yellow. Hang up black and yellow banners (the Maryland state flag works, too!), use black and yellow tablecloths and consider incorporating some horse-themed decorations such as horseshoes and jockey hats.
- Dress code: Encourage your guests to dress up for the occasion by donning their best race day attire. Extravagant hats are a popular choice, but feel free to get creative as well!
- Betting games: Get your guests involved in the excitement of horse racing by organizing some friendly betting games. All you have to do is set up a betting sheet with the names of the participating horses and their odds, and have your guests place bets on which horse they think will win. You can offer small prizes for the guests who make the most accurate predictions.
- Signature cocktails: Create a signature cocktail for your Preakness Stakes watch party that reflects the excitement and spirit of the event. Consider serving drinks like Black-Eyed Susan cocktails, which are the official drink of the Preakness Stakes. You can also incorporate the traditional mint julep, which is most well known as the official drink of the Kentucky Derby.
Previous Preakness Winners
While we don’t know who will take the prize this year, here is a look at the previous Preakness Stakes winners going back to 2010.
| Year | Horse | Jockey | Trainer |
| 2023 | National Treasure | John Velazquez | Bob Baffert |
| 2022 | Early Voting | Jose Ortiz | Chad Brown |
| 2021 | Rombauer | Flavien Prat | Michael McCarthy |
| 2020 | Swiss Skydiver | Robby Albarado | Kenny McPeek |
| 2019 | War of Will | Tyler Gaffalione | Mark Casse |
| 2018 | Justify | Mike Smith | Bob Baffert |
| 2017 | Cloud Computing | Javier Castellano | Chad Brown |
| 2016 | Exaggerator | Kent Desormeaux | J. Keith Desormeaux |
| 2015 | American Pharoah | Victor Espinoza | Bob Baffert |
| 2014 | California Chrome | Victor Espinoza | Art Sherman |
| 2013 | Oxbow | Gary Stevens | D. W. Lukas |
| 2012 | I’ll Have Another | Mario Gutierrez | Doug O’Neill |
| 2011 | Shackleford | Jesus Castanon | Dale Romans |
| 2010 | Lookin At Lucky | Martin Garcia | Bob Baffert |
Watch Horse Racing on DIRECTV
As we gear up for the second jewel of the Triple Crown, now’s the time to make sure you have a way to watch the races live. With DIRECTV, you can watch the Preakness Stakes live on Saturday, May 18 from 1:30 p.m. ET – 7:30 p.m. ET, with the main event set to be run at around 6:45 p.m. ET.
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