The first Preakness Stakes was run in 1873 at Pimlico Race Course. It is named for the colt, Preakness, who won the first race held at Old Hilltop in 1870. The inaugural Kentucky Derby did not occur until two years after the first Preakness. Curiously, 2009 was the 135th Kentucky Derby, but the 134th Preakness. This discrepancy arises because no Preakness occurred in 1891, 92 or 93. Neither is the oldest thoroughbred contest in the United States. That renowned race is the Travers Stakes held in Saratoga Springs, NY.
The Preakness has not always been held in Baltimore. In 1890, it was run in the Bronx. Coney Island hosted the race from 1894 to 1908. It returned to Pimlico in 1909 where it has stayed. Regretfully, the 2010 home of the Preakness is uncertain.
My favorite arcana about the Preakness concerns the flowers that drape the winning horse. Each Triple Crown Race has its flower. The Kentucky Derby is the Run for the Roses. White carnations grace the winner of the Belmont Stakes. Being the state flower of Maryland, the Black-Eyed Susan represents the Preakness. That poses one problem. This flower blooms between late June and early July. However, the race occurs in May. The solution - a florist paints the center of daisies black. Presto - Black-Eyed Susans! - as ever BB
"Horse sense is the thing a horse has that keeps it from betting on people." - W.C. Fields
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