(Photo by Heather Diehl) Getty ImagesThree of the last five Kentucky Derby winners, including the last two, skipped the Preakness Stakes amid concerns about the two-week turnaround, intensifying pressure on horse racing to modernize the Triple Crown. Conspicuously left out of the plan was the crown’s middle jewel, the Preakness Stakes. Why Racing Struggles To Coordinate The competing announcements reflect the challenging structure of American horse racing. That structure makes coordination difficult, even with the Derby, Preakness and Belmont dependent on one another to preserve national relevance of the Triple Crown, the sports’ most recognizable product. Maryland’s Plan While Churchill Downs and NYRA were building their series, Maryland was actively pursuing its own strategy.