Get Your Preak On
It’s the time
of year for
the greatest
horse racing
on earth
For horse racing fans, the third Saturday in May—May 19 this year—means one thing: the run- ning of the Preakness Stakes at
“Old Hilltop,” Baltimore’s Pimlico Race
Course. This legendary race is the second
leg in the Triple Crown, with a proud history that is all its own.
This year marks the 137th running of the
Preakness, in which 3-year-old thoroughbreds compete for the Woodlawn Vase and
the Black-Eyed Susan Blanket that is the
Preakness’ answer to the garland of roses
draped over winners of the Kentucky Derby.
As those who follow the sport of kings
know, the Derby is run at Kentucky’s
Churchill Downs t wo weeks before the
Preakness. And that sets the stage for
yearly excitement at Pimlico, as the sporting world waits to see if the Derby winner
can make a legitimate Triple Crown run by
adding a first-place finish at the Preakness.
Although no horse has won all three
Triple Crown races (the third being the
Belmont Stakes) since A;rmed managed
the feat in 1978, the last 15 years have seen
seven horses ratchet up the anticipation by
winning the Derby and the Preakness.
“You have an opportunity to have a
Triple Crown winner,” says Tom Chuckas,
president of the Maryland Jockey Club,
which operates Pimlico, “but that horse is
going to have to be a very rare and distin-
guished horse. Not only will he have to be
the class of the class, but he’s going to need
some luck. ... The stars will have to align.”
Preakness day at Pimlico means more
than just one race, with a number of
undercard races leading up to the main
event. It also means more than just racing:
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