It’s time to down the mint juleps for the 149th Preakness Stakes. It looks set to be one of the most wide-open runnings of the iconic race in recent history.
After a dramatic three-horse photo-finish triumph at the Kentucky Derby earlier this month, Mystik Dan now stands in line for a shot at a historic Triple Crown triumph.
The thoroughbred’s chances of becoming only the 14th horse to pull off the feat have likely been enhanced by the withdrawal of early favorite Muth due to fever, with the inexperienced but well regarded Tuscan Gold and the expert late runner Catching Freedom likely to provide strong opposition.
You can see all of the Preakness Stakes odds here.
Here are the best ways to watch the race live.
Legendary in Europe, jockey Frankie Dettori is aiming for his first ever American Triple Crown victory on Saturday, with the Italian rider aboard Imagination for this year’s Preakness Stakes.
When does the Preakness Stakes start?
The Preakness Stakes takes place today, Saturday, May 18, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. TV coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. ET on CNBC and Peacock, then shifts to NBC (while staying on Peacock) at 4:30 p.m ET.
Post time is set for approximately 6:57 p.m. ET (3:57 p.m. PT), which is 11:57 p.m. BST on Saturday night in the UK and 8:57 a.m. AEST on Sunday morning for those watching live in Australia.
How can I watch the Preakness Stakes on TV in the US?
If you don’t have cable, you still have plenty of options. The least expensive that doesn’t require streaming is to connect an over-the-air antenna to your TV and tune in to your local NBC station.
If you’re streaming on a PC, phone or tablet, you can watch on NBCSports.com, Peacock Premium or the NBC Sports app.
You could also check out a live TV streaming service, all of which offer free trials. Not every service carries your local NBC station, however, so check the links below to make sure.
Peacock, owned by NBC, offers some live sports to go along with its on-demand entertainment. The $6-a-month Premium tier gives you access to the Preakness Stakes, English Premier League soccer, the Olympics, Sunday Night Football, select WWE events, Indy Car races and some PGA golf tournaments. The service also airs a few other less popular sports, such as rugby, figure skating, track and field and cycling.
YouTube TV costs $58 a month for the first three months for new customers and $73 a month thereafter and includes NBC in most markets. Plug in your ZIP code on its welcome page to see which local networks are available in your region.
Hulu with Live TV costs $77 a month and includes NBC in most markets. Click the “View channels in your area” link on its welcome page to see which local channels are offered in your ZIP code.
Read our Hulu with Live TV review.
How to watch the Preakness Stakes 2024 online from anywhere using a VPN
If you find yourself unable to view the Preakness Stakes locally, you may need a different way to watch the race — that’s where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and it’s also a great idea if you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.
With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. Most VPNs, like our Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.
Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you’re streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.
Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.
ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It’s normally $13 a month, and you can sign up for ExpressVPN and save 35% — the equivalent of $8.32 a month — if you get an annual subscription.
Livestream the Preakness Stakes 2024 in the UK
Horse racing fans in the UK can watch all of the action live from Pimlico via Sky and its Sky Sports Racing channel. If you already have Sky Sports as part of your TV package, you can stream the Preakness Stakes via its Sky Go app, but cord-cutters will want to get set up with a Now account, and a Now Sports membership, to stream the race.
Sky subsidiary Now (formerly Now TV) offers streaming access to Sky Sports channels with a Now Sports membership. You can get a day of access for £12, or sign up to a monthly plan from £25 per month right now.
Livestream the Preakness Stakes in Canada for free
The great news for Canadian horse racing fans is that Citytv is airing this year’s Preakness Stakes live.
As well as via its linear channel, you can also stream the race on Citytv.com — you just need to log in using your cable TV provider credentials.
If you’re not a cable customer, the Citytv Plus channel is available via Amazon Prime. It’s free to new subscribers for the first seven days and then CA$5 per month thereafter.
Livestream the Preakness Stakes in Australia for free
Sports fans Down Under can watch this year’s event for via Freeview channel Racing.com. Coverage kicks off at 10:30am AEDT on Sunday morning.
Quick tips for streaming the Preakness Stakes 2024 using a VPN
- With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming the race may vary.
- If you don’t see your desired location as a default option, try using the “search for city or country” option.
- If you’re having trouble getting the race after you’ve turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
- All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network’s sports app, you’ll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.
- And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you’re using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.
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