Will the Preakness Stakes Stay at Pimlico?

With tomorrow marking the running of the 144th Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course, one of the inevitable questions arises:  Will the Preakness Stakes continue to be run at Old Hilltop in Baltimore, Maryland?

   Baltimore is not receiving good press these days, and the local city government has a lot to do with it.  While other cities are growing, Baltimore has lost almost 25% of its' population over the past 20 years or so.  Pimlico Race Course, once one of the foremost thoroughbred race courses in the United States, is now only open for 12 days of racing each year.  The income generated in those 12 days is not enough to meet the up-keep expenditures.  Indeed, structural problems have caused thousands of grandstand seats to be closed for this years' race.  Closing those seats because the structure is unsafe loses more income.

   A recent example of the city of Baltimore's almost hostile approach to property rights relates to the Preakness Stakes itself.  Pimlico Race Course has thrilled racing fans since 1873, but due to very little usage, the grounds and buildings have deteriorated (as in the case of the grandstand), until it seems that Pimlico's useful life as a thoroughbred race track is over. Pimlico's owners have wanted to relocate the Preakness to Laurel Park, the suburban race track in Laurel, Maryland, and Baltimore city officials are grumbling and complaining about the proposed move and the closure of the grandstand.
  Laurel Park currently has 159 days of racing each year.  It is located on a train line between Washington, D. C. and Baltimore.  Attendance at race tracks and revenue at tracks have been declining for several years, as rival entertainment and gambling options have grown exponentially.  Regarding the condition of Pimlico Race Course and its' buildings, the Maryland Stadium Authority has reported that an almost total demolition and rebuilding would be necessary to bring everything up to current building and crowd control standards.  They estimate the cost would be $424 million for the renovations deemed absolutely necessary.
  The owners of Pimlico (51% is owned by the Stronach Group and 49% by Penn National) would be wise in business if they prefer not to pay that cost up front, or even a significant part of it, since they would be operating two competing facilities (yes, they own Laurel, also) in the same area, while facing shrinking revenue.  So the owners have commenced lobbying the state for subsidies to enhance Laurel Park, and Baltimore city officials are fighting them.  The political tug-of-war is interesting to observe.

  Most recently, the city has unsheathed what it considers to be its ultimate weapon: a lawsuit threatening to use eminent domain to seize both Pimlico Race Course and the Preakness Stakes itself in order to keep the second jewel of the Triple Crown with the city limits of Baltimore.  That lawsuit comes on top of a 1987 law asserting that the Preakness may not be legally shifted out of the city of Baltimore except "in case of emergency."
   This seems extremely reminiscent of what happened back in the early-to-mid 1980s, when the city of Baltimore wanted to seize the NFL team, the Baltimore Colts, to prevent them from moving away from town.  Then owner Robert Irsay packed up all of the teams' belongings and moved them to Indianapolis overnight.....
   What will happen to the Preakness Stakes might be just as eye-opening.

The 1978 Preakness (and Triple Crown) winner, Affirmed (#6)

under the confident ride of Steve Cauthen

The Preakness Stakes 2019 - The 144th Black-Eyed Susans

On Saturday, 18 May, the 144th running of the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown races will once again be run at Pimlico Race Course, Old Hilltop, outside of Baltimore, Maryland.  This year, the Race for the Black-Eyed Susans has a post time of 6:48 EDT, and a field of 13 colts will race for a guaranteed purse of $1,650,000.00.  The race is 1 and 3/16 miles long (9.5 furlongs), and all entries will be carrying 126 pounds.  The race record was set in 1973 by Secretariat, who won the distance in 1:53 flat.
   After the Kentucky Derby controversy, Maximum Security is not running in the other Triple Crown races.  Country House, who was declared the winner, is being treated for virus and will also miss both races.  War of Will, who was shown to have run up into Maximum Security, kicking and cutting his hind legs for five strides - and finally placing a knee in the leader's testicles, causing him to run out - will be there. (See my blog from May 11, and look at the video embedded in the news story.)
   So twelve colts and one gelding are entered to run in the Preakness.  Ten were bred in Kentucky, Win Win Win and Warrior's Charge were bred in Florida, and Alwaysmining was bred in Maryland. Alwaysmining is the only gelding entered.  Eleven of the horses are bays or dark bay-browns, and there are two chestnuts - Improbable and Laughing Fox.  The thirteen entries represent twelve stallions - two are sons of Into Mischief.  And four of the colts ran in the Kentucky Derby - Improbable, who finished 4th; War of Will, who finished 7th; Win Win Win, who finished 9th; and Bodexpress, who finished 13th.*  All of the horses in the Kentucky Derby actually finished one place farther back than listed, since Maximum Security, who was the horse that was actually fouled, was moved back to 17th place. *
   Listed below are the post positions drawn by the entrants; the entry's name; the morning line betting odds;  (1) the sire; (2) the trainer; and (3) the jockey:
  1.   War of Will          4 to 1     (1) War Front     (2) Mark Casse     (3) Tyler Gaffalione
  2.   Bourbon War      12 to 1    (1) Tapit            (2) Mark Hennig   (3) Irad Ortiz Jr
  3.   Warrior's Charge   12 to 1    (1)Munnings    (2) Brad Cox      (3) Javiar Castellano
  4.   Improbable           5 to 2     (1) City Zip       (2) Bob Baffert     (3) Mike Smith
  5.   Owendale            10 to 1     (1) Into Mischief   (2) Brad Cox    (3) Florent Geroux
  6.   Market King       30 to 1     (1) Into Mischief   (2) D Wayne Lukas   (3) Jon Court
  7.   Alwaysmining      8 to 1      (1) Stay Thirsty  (2) Kelly Rubley   (3) David Centeno
  8.   Signalman           30 to 1      (1) General Quarters   (2) Kenny McPeek  (3) Brian Hernandez Jr
  9.   Bodexpress          20 to 1      (1) Bodemeister   (2) Gustavo Delgado  (3) John Velasquez
 10.  Everfast               50 to 1      (1) Take Charge Indy  (2) Dale Romans  (3) Joel Rosario
 11.  Laughing Fox      20 to 1      (1) Union Rags    (2) Steve Asmussen   (3) Ricardo Santana
 12.  Anothertwistafate   6 to 1     (1) Scat Daddy    (2) Blaine Wright   (3) Jose Ortiz
 13.  Win Win Win       15 to 1     (1) Hat Trick (JPN)  (2) Michael Trombetta   (3) Julian Pimentel

Today's Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico

I remember when the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes got as much publicity as the Kentucky Oaks - but that was quite a few years ago.  These days, the second race in the Triple Tiara for Fillies is only a Grade II, with a total purse of $250,000.  It still covers a distance of 1 and 1/8 miles, or 9 furlongs, but it no longer has a luster to it's image.  All the fillies who ran carried 122 pounds; now it depends upon their race experience and wins....
   At any event, the post time for this year's running of the female counter-part of the Preakness Stakes is at 4:48 EDT in the afternoon.   Originally, there were ten entries, but Midnight Disguise, the only New York-bred filly was scratched with a bruised foot.  Of the nine fillies who enter the gate, all were bred in Kentucky, except Goodonehoney, who is from Maryland.  All of the fillies are bays, dark bays or browns, except for Red Ruby, who is registered as a grey or roan.
  Here is a listing of the post positions, the weight each filly will carry, her sire, and her morning-line betting odds:
1.     Tell Your Mama  116#      Blame         20 to 1
2.     Midnight Disguise    120#    Midnight Lute        4 to 1
3.     Coach Rocks    120#      Oxbow      7 to 2
4.     Red Ruby     118#      Tiznow      5 to 1
5.     Mihrab       116#       Tiznow       30 to 1
6.     C. S. Incharge     116#     Take Charge Indy     15 to 1
7.     Goodonehoney     118#      Great Notion       5 to 1
8.     Indy Union      116#       Union Rags       10 to 1
9.     Sara Street      116#       Street Sense       4 to 1
10.   Stakes On a Plane      116#      Run Away And Hide      20 to 1


The first running of the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes took place in 1919, with Milkmaid winning.  The race was then run at the distance of 1 and 1/16 miles - where it stayed until 1988, when the distance was lengthened to 9 furlongs.
   The third leg of the fillies Triple Tiara is the Mother Goose Stakes, at Belmont Park, the day before the Belmont Stakes.