2011 PREAKNESS STAKES PREVIEW:
This race for the Black-Eyed Susans (the name of the flowers adorning the blanket given to the winner) is the middle leg of the American triple-crown of horse racing. Even older than the Kentucky Derby (the Preakness is running its 136th race), the 1-3/16 mile track is such a draw for the three-year olds running the race that the Derby winner will invariably make its way to Maryland, and this year is no exception.
Animal Kingdom—who won the Derby with a time of 2:02.04—is slated to be there, along with other top-notch horses like Dialed In, Mucho Macho Man and Midnight Interlude. Kingdom’s chances are good, as in the last decade, four Derby winners have followed up wins in Kentucky with Maryland victories—War Emblem (2002), Funny Cide (2003), Smarty Jones (2004) and Big Brown (2008).
Winners abound in the slated field, however, with dark-horse candidates by the stableful. Hopefuls that are scheduled to run include Conceled Identity, which won the Frederico Tesio Stakes at Pimlico; Dance City, which showed in the Arkansas Derby; and Prime Cut, which placed at the Lexington Stakes.
With this kind of amazing field, it’s going to be a great day, and one you don’t want to miss. With so much on the line, it’s going to be an exciting race for everyone at the Pimlico Race Course.
PREAKNESS STAKES EXPERIENCE:
Founded: 1873
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Venue: Pimlico Raceway
Track Info: A mile and 3/16
Nicknames: The Run for the Black-Eyed Susans
Notable Winners: Smarty Jones
Leading Preakness Winning Jockeys: Eddie Arcaro (6)
See Also: Triple Crown Horse Racing Tickets
The Preakness Stakes is a thoroughbred horse race held yearly at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The race is an American Grade I stakes race and makes up the second leg of American thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown. The other two legs are the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes. The Preakness Stakes has been nicknamed “the Run for the Black-Eyed Susans” because of the horseshoe-shaped wreath of flowers normally hung around the winner’s neck. The race takes its name from a colt named Preakness who won another Baltimore race the same day Pimlico first opened. Visitors to this historic event will be swept up in the pageantry of the setting and excitement of the race.
The Preakness Stakes was first inaugurated in 1873 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The race actually predates the Kentucky Derby by two years and is held on the 3rd Saturday in May every year. It is the shortest of the Triple Crown races and usually attracts the winner of the Kentucky Derby, many of the other horses that ran in the Derby, as well as other horses that didn’t run. If a horse wins both the Kentucky Derby an the Preakness, speculation and excitement instantly swirl around the horse and jockey about whether or not the Triple Crown will be won at Belmont.
Traditions at Preakness abound. Along with the horseshoe of black-eyed susans, the winner’s colors are painted on the large weather vane on the building in the course’s infield. The winner also receives a replica of the “Woodlawn Vase”, one of the oldest trophies in American sports. This is an awe-inspiring experience for any sports fan and a must-see for fans of thoroughbred racing. Buy Preakness Stakes tickets today and don’t miss the American tradition that is the Preakness!