This year, the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown carries a different flavor. With the 151st Preakness Stakes shifting its stage to Laurel Park, the traditional blueprints have been tossed aside. For most of the race’s history, Old Hilltop has set the stage for the battle for the garland of black-eyed susans, but as the historic home of the Preakness starts its rebirth, the sprawling oval of Laurel Park introduces a new set of variables – a track that asks different questions of a horse – providing yet another puzzle for handicappers to figure out.

Just two week’s removed from the Kentucky Derby, the entire industry feels different. While Golden Tempo and Cherie DeVaux were on top of the world under the Twin Spires of Churchill Downs, Maryland has another year with a Middle Jewel without its first part of the crown – no Derby winner making the trip to Maryland. In fact, almost all of the key horses from the Derby preps are missing – making this an intriguing race to figure out. The winner of this race could be one that won the local prep, the Federico Tesio, or is trying to come through the Virginia Derby or Wood Memorial, or from the win and your in for the Preakness Bath House Row Stakes, or perhaps one that raced at Zia Park – the winner is sure to be a horse that had a unique road to getting here.

But with all the question marks surrounding the future of the Preakness on the calendar, one thing is for sure – the position of this race makes it one of the most interesting betting challenges, something not often found when so many Derby runners reel-back in two weeks. The Triple Crown hasn’t been itself the last few years, with the Belmont Stakes at 1 1/4 miles at Saratoga – which the shorter distance and growing purse make it easy for trainers to pass the Preakness for the Third Leg. But with the Triple Crown becoming normal again in 2027 – the Preakness should see a boost in elite power, and a revitalized Pimlico and Maryland Jockey Club will be leading the way.

Take a look through my entire preview of the racing weekend, including my analysis of each horse in the Preakness, and picks for all stakes races on Friday and Saturday, in the file below.