PREAKNESS STAKES--PIMLICO RACE COURSE--BALTIMORE, MARYLAND
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat thoroughbred horse race held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade Irace run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs (1 3⁄16 miles (1,900 m)) on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds (57 kg); fillies 121 lb (55 kg). It is the second jewel of the Triple Crown, held two weeks after the Kentucky Derby and three weeks before the Belmont Stakes.
First run in 1873, the Preakness Stakes was named by a former Maryland governor after a winning colt at Pimlico. The race has been termed "The Run for the Black-Eyed Susans" because a blanket of yellow flowers altered to resemble Maryland's state flower is placed around the winner's neck. Attendance at the Preakness Stakes ranks second in North America among equestrian events, only surpassed by the Kentucky Derby.
Just after the horses for the Preakness are called to the post, the audience is invited to sing "Maryland, My Maryland", the official state song of Maryland. Traditionally, the Baltimore Colts' Marching Band led the song from the infield. Today, the United States Naval Academy Glee Club leads the song.
As soon as the Preakness winner has been declared official, a painter climbs a ladder to the top of a replica of the Old Clubhouse cupola. The colors of the victorious owner's silks are applied on the jockey and horse that are part of the weather vane atop the infield structure. The practice began in 1909 when a horse and rider weather vane sat atop the old Members' Clubhouse, which was constructed when Pimlico opened in 1870. The Victorian building was destroyed by fire in June 1966. A replica of the old building's cupola was built to stand in the Preakness winner's circle in the infield.
A blanket of yellow flowers daubed with black lacquer to recreate the appearance of a black-eyed Susan (see Winning) is placed around the winning horse's neck at this time, and a replica of the Woodlawn Vase is given to the winning horse's owner. Should that horse have also won the Kentucky Derby, speculation and excitement immediately begin to mount as to whether that horse will go on to win the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing at the Belmont Stakes in June. (Wikipedia)
2017 Cloud Computing, J, Castellano
2016 Exaggerator, K. Desormeux
2015 American Pharoah, V. Espinoza
2014 California Chrome, V. Espinoza
2013 Oxbox, G. Stevens
2012 I'll Have Another, M. Guiterrez
2011 Shackleford, J. Castanon
2010 Lookin At Lucky, M. Garcia
2009 Rachel Alexandra, C. Borel
2008 Big Brown, K. Desormeaux
2007 Curlin, R. Albarado
2006 Bernardini, J. Castellano
2005 Afleet Alex, J. Rose
2004 Smarty Jones, S. Elliott
2003 Funny Cide, J. Santos
2002 War Emblem, V. Espinoza
2001 Point Given, G. Stevens
2000 Red Bullet, J. Bailey
1999 Charismatic, C. Antley
1998 Real Quiet, K. Desormeaux
1997 Silver Charm, G. Stevens
1996 Louis Quatorze, P. Day
1995 Timber Country, P. Day
1994 Tabasco Cat, P. Day
1993 Prairie Bayou, M.E. Smith
1992 Pine Bluff, C.J. McCarron
1991 Hansel, J.D. Bailey
1990 Summer Squall, P. Day
1989 Sunday Silence, P.A. Valenzuela
1988 Risen Star, E. Delahoussaye
1987 Alysheba, C.J. McCarron
1986 Snow Chief, A. Solis
1985 Tank's Prospect, P. Day
1984 Gate Dancer, A. Cordero Jr.
1983 Deputed Testamony, D.A. Miller Jr.
1982 Aloma's Ruler, J.L. Kaenel
1981 Pleasant Colony, J. Velasquez
1980 Codex, A. Cordero
1979 Spectacular Bid,
1978 Affirmed, S. Cauthen
1977 Seattle Slew, J. Cruguet
1976 Elocutionist, J. Lively
1975 Master Derby, D.G. McHargue
1974 Little Current, M.A. Rivera
1973 Secretariat, R. Turcotte
1972 Bee Bee Bee, E. Nelson
1971 Canonero II, A. Avila
1970 Personality, E. Belmonte
1969 Majestic Prince, W. Hartack
1968 Forward Pass, I. Valenzuela
1967 Damascus, W. Shoemaker
1966 Kauai King, D. Brumfield
1965 Tom Rolfe, R. Turcotte
1964 Northern Dancer, W. Hartack
1963 Candy Spots, W. Shoemaker
1962 Greek Money, J.L. Rotz
1961 Carry Back, J. Sellers
1960 Bally Ache, R. Ussery
1959 Royal Orbit, W. Harmatz
1958 Tim Tam, I. Valenzuela
1957 Bold Ruler, E. Arcaro
1956 Fabius, W. Hartack
1955 Nashua, E. Arcaro
1954 Hasty Road, J. Adams
1953 Native Dancer, E. Guerin
1952 Blue Man, C. McCreary
1951 Bold, E. Arcaro
1950 Hill Prince, E. Arcaro
1949 Capot, T. Atkinson
1948 Citation, E. Arcaro
1947 Faultless, D. Dodson
1946 Assault, W. Mehrtens
1945 Polynesian, W.D. Wright
1944 Pensive, C. McCreary
1943 Count Fleet, J.Longden
1942 Alsab, B. James
1941 Whirlaway, E. Arcaro
1940 Bimelech, F.A. Smith
1939 Challedon, G. Seabo
1938 Dauber, M.Peters
1937 War Admiral, C.Kurtsinger
1936 Bold Venture, G.Woolf
1935 Omaha, W. Saunders
1934 High Quest, R. Jones
1933 Head Play, C. Kurtsinger
1932 Burgoo King, E. James
1931 Mate, G. Ellis
1930 Gallant Fox, E. Sande
1929 Dr. Freeland, L. Schaefer
1928 Victorian, S. Workman
1927 Bostonian, W. Abel
1926 Display, J. Maiben
1925 Coventry, C. Kummer
1924 Nellie Morse, J. Merimee
1923 Vigil, B. Marinelli
1922 Pillory, L. Morris
1921 Broomspun, F. Coltiletti
1920 Man o' War, C. Kummer
1919 Sir Barton, J. Loftus
1918 War Cloud, J. Loftus
1918 Jack Hare Jr, C.Peak
1917 Kalitan, E. Haynes
1916 Damrosch, L. McAtee
1915 Rhine Maiden, D. Hoffman
1914 Holiday, A. Schuttinger
1913 Buskin, J. Butwell
1912 Colonel Holloway,C. Turner
1911 Watervale, E. Dugan
1910 Layminster, R. Estep
1909 Effendi, W. Doyle
1908 Royal Tourist, E. Dugan
1907 Don Enrique, G. Mountain
1906 Whimsical, W. Miller
1905 Cairngorm, W. Davis
1904 Bryn Mawr, E. Hildebrand
1903 Flocarline, W. Gannon
1902 Old England, L. Jackson
1901 The Parader, F. Landry
1900 Hindus, H. Spencer
1899 Half Time, R. Clawson
1898 Sly Fox, W. Simms
1897 Paul Kauvar, T. Thorpe
1896 Margrave, H. Griffin
1895 Belmar, F. Taral
1894 Assignee, F. Taral
1893 NO RACE
1892 NO RACE
1891 NO RACE
1890 Montague, W. Martin
1889 Buddhist, W. Anderson
1888 Refund, F. Littlefield
1887 Dunboyne, W. Donohue
1886 The Bard, S. Fisher
1885 Tecumseh, J. McLaughlin
1884 Knight of Ellerslie, S. Fisher
1883 Jacobus, G. Barbee
1882 Vanguard, T. Costello
1881 Saunterer, T. Costello
1880 Grenada, L. Hughes
1879 Harold, L. Hughes
1878 Duke of Magenta, C. Holloway
1877 Cloverbrook, C. Holloway
1876 Shirley, G. Barbee
1875 Tom Ochiltree, L. Hughes
1874 Culpepper, W. Donohue
1873 Survivor, G. Barbee
PREAKNESS WINNERS
PREAKNESS TRADITIONS
The Woodlawn Vase
Created by Tiffany and Company in 1860 as a trophy for the now defunct Woodlawn Racing Association, the Woodlawn Vase is presented each year to the winning Preakness owner. An assessment in 1983 of $1 million easily makes its silver design the most valuable trophy in American sports. Until 1953, winners were awarded possession of the vase until the following Preakness. That all changed when A. G. Vanderbilt’s Native Dancer won it but his wife did not want to take on the immense responsibility of the vase’s safekeeping. Now the winning owner is awarded a $30,000 sterling replica on a permanent basis while the perpetual is on display at The Baltimore Museum of Art and brought to Pimlico under guard for the annual running of the Preakness.
Standing 34 inches tall and weighing 29 pounds, 12 ounces, the Woodlawn vase has a colorful history as rich as the classic race at which it is presented. Moving from winner to winner since its creation in 1860, its passage was put to an abrupt halt with the outbreak of the Civil War. While the war was on, racing was put on hold and the vase had to be kept safe, lest it be discovered and melted into shot. To keep it out of harm’s way it was buried at Woodlawn with others of the Moore family plate and then dug up again for the next competition in 1866.
Party in the Infield
Tailgating and sporting events are a natural combination and Baltimore’s largest tailgate party happens every third Saturday in May in the Pimlico infield at the Preakness. Around 60,000 revelers pour into the infield by 8 am for a full day of racing and libations. The infield festivities include live music, bikini contests, sun tanning or mud wrestling depending on the weather and the requisite large consumption of alcoholic beverages. The creativity and intensity of the Preakness tailgaters over the years have prompted several changes; including banning kegs to now no outside beverages of any kind. The latter change was the result of a frat party-style innovation known as the “Port-O-Potty Run”. A video of the running went viral; showing young men running across the top of the lengthy rows of port-o-potties while those on the ground tried to pelt them with beer cans (full or otherwise). Now infield tailgaters pay a flat fee for a special Preakness mug with unlimited refills.
The Black-Eyed Susan Blanket
It remains a long-standing tradition to present the winner of the Preakness a blanket of Black-Eyed Susans, which is draped across the shoulders of the winning horse. Colonel Edward R. Bradley’s Bimelech in 1940 was the first winner to wear the floral blanket of Black-Eyed Susans. Construction of the blanket has varied in method from a loosely intertwined garland of flowers tied with hemp rope, to the current blanket type of presentation.
The Black-Eyed Susan blanket is created shortly before Preakness Day. It takes about eight hours for four people to make the blanket. The first step is to cut out a piece of black matting and a piece of green felt into the form of a blanket. The matting is spread out and Ruscus is placed on top. Two people are assigned the duty of cutting Viking Poms about an inch from the flower and inserting a wire into the stem. The second pair of workers attach each flower through the matting by poking a wire through the flower to secure it into position. This process is repeated 4,000 times until the matting is completely covered. Then the green felt is sewn by hand to the back of the matting so that the wires are protected from touching the horse and so that the blanket will lay softly on the winner’s withers.
The blanket is 18 inches wide and 90 inches in length. Upon completion, the center of the daisies are daubed with black lacquer to recreate the appearance of a Black-Eyed Susan. The blanket is then sprayed with water and refrigerated until Preakness Day, when it is delivered to the track, to be worn by the Preakness winner. Black-Eyed Susans, declared the state flower by the Maryland legislature in 1918 and the Preakness flower in 1940, do not bloom until June in Maryland. It is said the Susan’s flower usually has 13 petals, which is taken to symbolize the 13 original colonies, of which Maryland was one. The flower reproduces the state’s black and yellow colors.
The Painting of the Weather Vane
As soon as the Preakness winner has been declared official, a painter climbs to the top of the replica Old Clubhouse copula to paint the weather vane. He applies the colors of the winner’s silks to the jockey and horse, which will remain there until a new winner is declared in the next year’s Preakness. The practice began in 1909 after the original building’s arrow-shaped weather vane was struck down by lightening. To replace it, the Maryland Jockey Club commissioned an ornamental ironworker to forge a vane in the form of a horse and rider. It was christened that spring by coating it with the colors of the silks of that year’s winner, Effendi, and has continued ever since.
