When: May 21, 2011
Track: Pimlico Race Course
Distance: 1 3/16 miles
Purse: $1 million
Record: 1:53 2/5 (Louis Quatorze, 1996,
Tanks's Prospect, 1985)
TV: NBC
The Preakness Stakes is a classic 1 3/16 mile (1.91 km) thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds, held on the third Saturday in May of each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds (57 kg); fillies 121 lb (55 kg).
Like its preceding Triple Crown race, the Preakness Stakes
have been termed "The Run for the Black-Eyed Susans" because a
horseshoe of black-eyed susans is traditionally placed around
the winner's neck.
Two years before the Kentucky Derby was run for the first time, Pimlico introduced its new stakes race for three-year-olds,
the Preakness, during its first-ever spring race meet in 1873.
Governor Bowie had named the then mile and one-half (2.41 km)
race in honor of Dinner Party Stakes-winner, Preakness, from the
Preakness Stables, Wayne, New Jersey.
The first Preakness drew seven starters; John Chamberlain's
three-year-old, Survivor, galloped home easily by ten lengths, the largest margin of victory until 2004, winning a purse of
$2,050.
On a late summer evening dinner party in 1868 in Saratoga, an agreement among sportsmen to stage a special race became
the foundation for the establishment of both the Pimlico
Racetrack and the Preakness Stakes.
Governor Oden Bowie of Maryland, a horseman and racing
entrepreneur, pledged to build a new racetrack for a proposed
stake race to be run in the fall of 1870 for three-year old
colts and fillies at two miles. John Hunter, a prominent
citizen of New York, proposed that it be known as the Dinner
Party Stakes in honor of the evening. The governor then
perked up the gathering by offering a purse of $15,000, a
staggering sum in those days.
Thus, with Governor Bowie's help, the Maryland Jockey Club
negotiated for the acreage known as Pimlico Racetrack that
same year. The new course, engineered by Gen. John Elliott,
opened on October 25, 1870 and the Dinner Party Stakes was
run. It was won by the colt Preakness who beat among others,
Governor Bowie’s fillie, My Maryland.
Nevertheless, Bowie had the satisfaction of putting Baltimore on
the thoroughbred racing map with the Dinner Party Stakes
and naming the eventual second jewel of the Triple Crown as the
Preakness. The Dinner Party Stakes went on to become the
Dixie Handicap (now known as the Early Times Dixie), the eighth
oldest stakes in America, run annually at Pimlico Racetrack.
Pimlico Race Track Facts:
The Pimlico Race Track is home of the Preakness Stakes.
It first opened its doors on October 25, 1870. Did you know that
Pimlico Race Track is the second oldest racetrack in the nation?
It is only second to the famous Saratoga Race Track. Saratoga
opened just six years earlier, in 1864. The Pimlico Race Track
has
been serving up high quality horse racing action to Baltimoreans
for well over a century now. The track has been home to
countless races that featured legendary horses such Sir Barton,
Cigar, Man o' War, Secretariat, Citation and Seabiscuit.
The Pimlico Race Track was a modest track that is constructed on
70 acres of land. Back in those days, the land was
only $23,500. In fact, the entire racetrack was constructed for
$25,000. Back in those days, this was a pretty hefty sum,
still small compared to today's real estate prices. Soon after,
the Pimlico Race Track became a staple in the world of
horse racing. As it grew, the Pimlico Race Track developed its
own nickname "Old Hilltop". The name came from a small
rise in the infield, which was a favorite gathering point for
trainers and horse racing fans alike. Today, the Pimlico
Race Track operates on 140 acres of land, entirely in Baltimore
and the Old Hilltop has been removed as it obstructed
view of those in the stands.
The stable area at Pimlico Race Track can hold 800 horses plus
tack, feed and it has sleeping rooms. The Main Grandstand
can seat 5,691 horse racing fans, while the Old Grandstand can
accommodate 5,926 more. The famous Clubhouse holds 1,269
attendees, the Sports Palace 160 and the Dining area holds 1,806
more. All in all, the capacity of the Pimlico Race Track
is now at 14,852. Think that is a lot of horse racing fans?
Well, the Pimlico Race Track also has additional seating for
the Preakness Stakes, which raises its total capacity to 108,636
horse racing fans-that's a lot of attendees!
Preakness Stakes Betting at
Pimlico Race Track
The Preakness
Stakes horse betting has been a part of the horse racing since,
the gates opened for its first race, all the way back in the
year 1873. Three-year-old thoroughbreds have been making the
journey to Maryland for the Preakness Stakes on the third
Saturday in May annually ever since Survivor won the pot in the
first race. The Preakness Stakes has seen prize money skyrocket
as fast as the attendance in recent years.
Come bet on the
Preakness Stakes at Pimlico racetrack and watch your favorite
horse win at the Preakness. The second of the prestigious Triple
Crown races, the 133rd Preakness Stakes will continue its legacy
as one of the word's finest horse races. But the early odds are
hard to come by, so stop horsing around and get your Preakness
stakes horse betting lines at
Gamblers Palace Racebook.
section provides the latest updated horse odds, account history
and lets you place a horse bet from anywhere at anytime, plus
information you would ever need to
bet on Preakness Stakes
by Cell Phone. Gamblers palace Racebook offers many
different mobile cell phones to bet with. Just Click on ourmobile cell phone selection
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