How to watch Preakness Stakes: live stream the race online, TV channel, weather, Frankie Dettori debut

Are we going to get a Triple Crown winner this year? If Mystik Dan crosses the line first at Pimlico Race Course today, it could be on, and his hopes have been massively boosted by the withdrawal of Bob Baffert's pre-race favorite Muth. However, the forecasted scattered showers could wreak havoc. Here's where to watch 2024 Preakness Stakes live streams online for free – from anywhere.

There have only ever been 13 Triple Crown winners, the most recent being Justify six years ago. So if Mystik Dan, who shocked punters by taking glory at the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago, is able to repeat the feat in Baltimore, it'll set up a must-watch Belmont Stakes in three weeks' time.

Trainer Ken McPeek has won the Preakness before, with Swiss Skydiver four years ago, and the news of the fever that led to Muth's scratching would have certainly come as a relief, seeing as Baffert's horse has got the better of Mystik Dan before.

Baffert, an eight-time Preakness winner, is hanging his hopes on Imagination instead, who'll be mounted by a legendary race debutant in Frankie Dettori. Catching Freedom, of Brad Cox's stable, has a good shot too, and jockey Flavien Prat has won this race before, atop Rombauer three years ago. 

Read on as we explain how to watch a free 2024 Preakness Stakes live stream from anywhere with a VPN. We've also listed the full Preakness schedule below and the runners and riders at the bottom of this page.

How to watch Preakness Stakes for FREE

Another great thing about the Preakness Stakes is that it's completely FREE to watch in some places. For example:

Australia – Racing.com

Ireland – Virgin Media Player

If you're from either of the countries listed above but you're abroad right now, don't worry about missing out on that free coverage. All you need to do is subscribe to a VPN to watch your usual free Preakness Stakes live stream and re-connect to your home streaming coverage.

Unblock any stream with a VPN

If you're keen to watch the 2024 Preakness Stakes but you're away from home and the coverage is geo-blocked, then you could always use a VPN to access it (assuming you're not breaching any broadcaster T&Cs, of course). You may be surprised by how simple it is to do.

Use a VPN to live stream Preakness Stakes from anywhere:

NordVPN – get the world's best VPN
We regularly review all the biggest and best VPN providers and NordVPN is our #1 choice. It unblocked every streaming service in testing and it's very straightforward to use. Speed, security and 24/7 support available if you need – it's got it all.

The best value plan is the two-year deal which sets the price at $3.99 per month, and includes an extra 3 months absolutely FREE. There's also an all-important and there's a 30-day no-quibble refund if you decide it's not for you.

- So, try NordVPN 100% risk-free for 30 days

Using a VPN is as easy as one-two-three...

1. Download and install a VPN – as we say, our top choice is NordVPN.

2. Connect to the appropriate server location – open the VPN app, hit 'choose location' and select your home location, eg: 'Ireland' for Virgin Media Player.

3. Go to the broadcaster's stream – head to your home broadcaster's site or app and watch as if you were at home - so that might be Virgin Media Player for Irish citizens abroad.

How to watch a Preakness Stakes live stream in Ireland

Horse racing fans in Ireland are among the luckiest in the world, as the Preakness Stakes will be shown live for FREE both on TV and online.

Coverage of the event starts at 9.30pm IST, with the race itself beginning at 12.01am. It will be shown live in its entirety on Virgin Media Two and its streaming service Virgin Media Player, which works across a wide range of devices.

Outside of Ireland right now? Watch Preakness Stakes 2024 online just like you would at home with the help of a quality VPN.

How to watch Preakness Stakes live streams in the US without cable

Horse racing fans can watch Preakness Stakes live streams across Peacock TV, Sling and NBC in the US.

Remember, if you're outside of the States right now and want to watch Preakness Stakes 2024 online just like you would at home, you'll need a quality VPN, and we recommend NordVPN.

How to watch Preakness Stakes 2024 on Sling

Alternatively, OTT streaming service Sling TV is reasonably priced and includes NBC in select markets, as part of its Sling Blue bundle. The usual cost is $45 a month, but if you're new to the service you can get your first month for half-price.

PREFERRED PARTNER

How to watch Preakness Stakes 2024 on Peacock
Peacock costs $5.99 a month for an ad-supported version of the service that also offers live coverage of every big WWE event, plus the NFL and plenty more live sports, including Premier League soccer. You also have the option of paying $12 a month for commercial-free coverage.

How to watch Preakness Stakes 2024 in the UK

Good news, horse racing fans in the UK. You can keep up-to-date with all the Preakness Stakes 2024 action by tuning into Sky Sports or RacingTV. Both of these are available to live stream with a Now pass, with prices starting from £11.98

Remember, if you're not in the UK at the moment and want to watch Preakness Stakes 2024 online just like you would at home, you'll need a quality VPN like NordVPN.

How to watch Preakness Stakes 2024 on Sky

If you want to sign up to Sky Sports, you can check out our dedicated guide to Sky TV deals and packages for today's best prices.

Don't fancy being locked in to a long, expensive contract? Consider the more flexible streaming option, Now, (formerly Now TV). Now sports passes start at £11.99.

Meanwhile, Sky customers with a Sky Sports subscription can also live stream the Preakness Stakes on the go on mobile devices via the Sky Go streaming service, which has dedicated apps for iOS, iPadOS and Android devices, along with Xbox and PlayStation consoles.

Watch Preakness Stakes with HDR and Dolby Atmos

Those looking to watch Preakness Stakes 2024 in the UK with the optimum viewing experience are well served by all three broadcasters.

Sky is offering broadcasts of its sports coverage in Ultra HD and with Dolby Atmos sound to Sky Q subscribers, and it's also added HDR to live broadcasts.

How to watch a Preakness Stakes live stream in Canada

In Canada, Citytv is airing Preakness Stakes 2024, with the race set to begin at 7.01pm ET / 4.01pm PT on Saturday.

If you get Citytv as part of your cable plan, you can also stream the Preakness on demand via Citytv.com using your provider login credentials.

For cord cutters, there's the Citytv Plus channel via Amazon Prime. It’s free to new subscribers for the first seven days and then CA$4.99 per month thereafter.

And if you're out of the country, simply grab a VPN as described above, and you'll be able to watch Preakness Stakes 2024 online as if you were right at home.

How to live stream Preakness Stakes FREE in Australia

Fans of the horses can watch Preakness Stakes 2024 for FREE in Australia, courtesy of Racing.com.

Available on Freeview, live coverage runs from 10.30am AEDT to 11.30am on Sunday morning. Post time for the Preakness Stakes is scheduled for 9.01am on Sunday morning. Away from home?

Use a VPN to watch free on Racing.com from abroad.

You can also stream the Preakness Stakes live on the Racing.com website, though you'll have to register for an account first.