Tech Talk

The 2020 Triple Crown comes to an end this weekend with the 145th running of the Preakness Stakes and we have all the details on how you can watch the race online or on TV.

Under normal circumstances, the Preakness Stakes is the second leg of the American Triple Crown of horse racing. However, this year as a result of the pandemic, the event will conclude the three-race series which began with the Belmont Stakes in June and was followed by the Kentucky Derby in September. The 2020 Preakness Stakes was originally scheduled to be held on Saturday, May 16 but the race will now take place on Saturday, October 3rd.

The Preakness Stakes is run on the dirt track at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. Just like the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes, it is a Grade 1 Thoroughbred stakes race and the track at Pimlico is 9.5 furloughs or 1 3/16th miles long. The first Preakness Stakes was run in 1873 at Pimlico but the race moved to the Bronx and then to Coney Island before returning to Baltimore in 1909 where it has been run ever since.

Authentic, who won this year's Kentucky Derby, is expected to run in this year's Preakness even though there isn't a Triple Crown on the line as Tiz the Law won the Belmont Stakes back in September. Louisville-based Art Collector will likely be Authentic's biggest competitor though Authentic is currently the betting favorite for the 2020 Preakness Stakes.

Whether you're a long-time horse racing fan looking to see the conclusion to the 2020 Triple Crown or you just want to tune in to watch something a bit different this weekend, we'll show you how to watch the 2020 Preakness Stakes from anywhere in the world.

Preakness Stakes 2020 - When and where?

This year's Preakness Stakes will be held at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland on Saturday, October 3. The race will kick off at 5:40pm ET / 2:40pm PT though NBC's coverage of the event will begin at 4:30pm ET / 1:30pm PT.

How to watch the Preakness Stakes from anywhere

We have all the details on how you can watch the 2020 Preakness Stakes in the U.S., Canada and the UK further down in this guide. However, if you're currently traveling or live in a country without an official broadcast option you won't be able to watch this weekend's horse racing.

That's where a VPN (Virtual Private Network) can really come in handy. They allow you to virtually change the IP address of your laptop, tablet or mobile to one that's back in your home country which will let you watch as if you were back there.

VPNs are incredibly easy to use and have the added benefit of providing you with an additional layer of security when surfing the web. There are also a lot of options but we recommend ExpressVPN as our top pick due to its speed, security and ease of use. The service can even be used on a wide array of operating systems and devices (e.g. iOS, Android, Smart TVs, Fire TV Stick, Roku, game consoles, etc). Sign up for ExpressVPN now and enjoy a 49% discount and 3 months FREE with an annual subscription. You can even test it out for yourself thanks to the service's 30-day money back guarantee. Looking for more options?

Here are some other VPNs that are on sale right now.

How to watch the Preakness Stakes in the U.S.

If you live in the US and have a cable subscription, you'll be able to watch the 2020 Preakness Stakes on NBC and the network's coverage of the event will begin at 4:30pm ET / 1:30pm PT. You can also stream the race online via the NBC Sports website or app but you will need to login with the credentials from your cable provider to do so.

Don't want to sign up for cable just to watch the Preakness Stakes this weekend? Don't worry as there are a number of streaming services, all at different price points, that will give you access to NBC so you can watch the race online. We've listed a few of our favorites below to make things easier for you.

• Hulu with Live TV - $54.99 per month - As well as giving you access to NBC, the service also includes its own Hulu Originals and supports a wide variety of streaming devices.
• Sling TV - $30 per month - In order to get access to NBC, you'll have to sign up for Sling TV's Sling Blue package. The service also lets you watch on three screens simultaneously and record live TV with its Cloud DVR.
• YouTube TV - $65 per month - YouTube TV gives you access to NBC as well as over 70 other TV channels and a free 14-day trial available.
• AT&T TV Now - $55 per month - AT&T TV Now's plus plan gives you access to NBC as well as over 45 other live TV channels and you can also record up to 20 hours of content using its cloud DVR.

Live stream the Preakness Stakes in Canada

Canadian horse racing fans will be able to watch this year's Preakness Stakes on TSN and the network's coverage of the race will begin at 4:30pm ET / 1:30pm PT on TSN 4 and 5.

If you're not a TSN subscriber yet, you can get access to the network's content for as little as $4.99 for a TSN Direct Day Pass or $19.99 for a monthly streaming subscription.

How to watch the Preakness Stakes in the UK

UK viewers will be able to watch the 2020 Preakness Stakes on Sky Sports beginning at 9:30pm BST on Saturday evening. You can also stream the full race on your smartphone or tablet with the Sky Go app.

If you don't want commit to a lengthy Sky Sports subscription, don't worry as you can watch the network's coverage of the 2020 Preakness Stakes on NOW TV with a Sky Sports Day Pass for £9.99 or a Sky Sports Month Pass for £33.99. NOW TV will also let you stream the race on your computer, smartphone, smart TV or other streaming devices.

2020 Preakness Stakes post positions

1. Excession
2. Mr. Big News
3. Art Collector
4. Swiss Skydiver
5. Thousand Words
6. Jesus' Team
7. NY Traffic
8. Max Player
9. Authentic
10. Pneumatic
11. LiveYourBeastLife