LAUREL, Md. – With the Preakness Stakes temporarily relocating from Pimlico to Laurel Park in 2026, much has been made of the effect the move will have on configurations for the 1 3/16-mile race. With a much shorter run to the first turn and slightly shorter stretch, some experts have said the changes could have a massive impact on the race, but local jockeys aren’t panicking. While several riders mentioned tactical adjustments they have made between the old Pimlico track and Laurel, apprentice Yedsit Hazlewood was completely unfazed by the change. The 18-year-old tied Irad Ortiz Jr. and Jaime Rodriguez for the second-most wins at the Preakness meet last year. In 2026, Hazlewood has ridden nearly twice as many winners as any other jockey at Laurel. “The track is pretty good,” Hazlewood said. “It’s a big track. Everything is perfect, the condition and everything. This track is ready for this race.” Though the mythic status of Pimlico’s tight turns around the one-mile oval has been disputed nearly as many times as it has been propagated, it remains true that the turns are wider around the 1 1/8-mile track at Laurel. Hazlewood was not the only one to note this difference, as Jevian Toledo said the Laurel turns could be a blessing and a curse, providing more space at the potential expense of track position. :: Get ready for Preakness with DRF past performances, picks, and betting strategies! “Laurel is way more wide. Pimlico is more tight,” Toledo said. “It’s more wide for sure. You’ve got more room. In those 2-year-old races, you basically break right into the turn at 4 1/2 [furlongs]. You’ve got to break pretty good to make sure you cut the corner.” Just as short sprints offer a tight window into the far turn at Laurel, jockeys will have to negotiate a relatively short run into the first turn at 1 3/16 miles in the Preakness. Instead of the nearly 1,200-foot run in front of the grandstand at Pimlico, the field will have just less than 700 feet to gain position into the first turn at Laurel. Laurel also has two finish lines, with the second wire being used for turf sprints and one-turn miles on dirt. The Preakness will conclude at the first wire, meaning that the stretch run will be 1,089 feet. While that is shorter than Pimlico’s 1,152-foot stretch, as Daily Racing Form handicapper David Aragona noted, it is longer than those at Santa Anita, Gulfstream, and other notable tracks. “The length of stretch at Laurel to the finish line used for the Preakness is just slightly shorter than the stretch length at Pimlico and almost exactly the same as the stretch length at the old Belmont Park,” Aragona wrote on X. “It is not a short stretch.” :: Get Preakness Betting Strategies for exclusive wagering insights, contender analysis, and more Raul Mena, who rode Pay Billy in the Preakness last year, said he expects the move to Laurel to help Maryland-based runners. Because Pimlico has only been open a handful of weekends in recent years, it was hard for any horse to claim home-track advantage. Many of the local contenders train at Laurel every day. If Mena is right, the stars could align for Taj Mahal, the local hope who has become a serious Preakness contender for trainer Brittany Russell. In the $150,000 Federico Tesio at 1 1/8 miles last month, the 3-year-old colt had to negotiate an even shorter run into the first turn from post 10, gunning it all the way in a wild, front-running ride to win by 8 1/4 lengths. He drew the rail in the Preakness, presenting a different and universal challenge for jockey Sheldon Russell. “He broke so sharp last time,” Russell said. “I’m not really worried. Hopefully, we get a good break. He’s a good horse and he’s going to have to overcome a few things. We’re excited.” Since the Maryland Million Classic was moved back from 1 3/16 miles to 1 1/8 miles in 2009, only two races have been run at the unique distance at Laurel, most recently when the 2022 edition of the Bald Eagle Derby was taken off the turf. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.