First running of the Preakness Stakes

Background. Pimlico Race Course opened in October 1870, with the colt Preakness winning the inaugural Dinner Party Stakes. Three years later, during Pimlico's first spring race meet, a new stakes race for three-year-olds was introduced. Maryland Governor Oden Bowie named this race in honor of the colt Preakness, linking the event to the track's founding history.

Race Details. The first Preakness Stakes was held in May 1873, with the specific day disputed between sources: one passage gives May 27, 1873, while the legacy record indicates May 23. The race carried a value of $1,000 and drew seven starters. It was run over a distance of one and one-half miles (2.41 km) at the time of its naming.

Winner. Survivor won the first Preakness Stakes in 1873. The race was named after the colt Preakness, who had won the Dinner Party Stakes at Pimlico's opening in 1870, creating a direct link between the winner and the race's namesake.