Preakness Diaries: Storming to the Triple Crown

Preakness Stakes day started very auspiciously: the skies were bright, the birds were chirping, and Baltimore woke up to a perfect morning. I actually debated bringing my rain gear to Pimlico, since the weather was so perfect when I was leaving the press hotel. Fortunately, I decided that it would be better to have precipitation preparation and not need it than the other way around; so the giant rain boots of doom went on and my faithful Gore-Tex coat went around my waist.
When I arrived at Pimlico at about 9 a.m., the track was already filling up; I would find out on Saturday evening that the crowd was a record for Old Hilltop, with 131,680 fans in attendance for the middle jewel of the Triple Crown. It was a sensationally stunning morning, and after I deposited my gear in the photo room I wandered out to see what people were up to before the major races of the day kicked off.
I was treated to a visual feast of people who had brought their style A-game to Pimlico for the Preakness Stakes. From outfits that showed off Maryland pride to spectacularly glamorous ensembles to fantastic costumes celebrating the Preakness Stakes runners, it was a treat to check out the fashion at Pimlico on Saturday. 

After taking in the style scene, I made my way to the Preakness infield, where people were congregating to take in the races, check out some concerts, indulge in some fair food and just have a good time. There were droves of fans pouring in even at the relatively early hour, and I was excited to see what the infield would hold. 

One of the first things I saw when I got to the infield was this group of Marines who were using their Armed Forced Day to pose for photos with fans at the Preakness. They were amazing: charming, friendly, helpful, and more than willing to pose with any and all comers. They even lifted people on and off of the giant jeep!

Well, you know I can’t resist such things, so I asked if I could take a photo as well. It. Was. Awesome!

After my moment with the Marines, I meandered further into the fray of the infield, and who did I stumble upon but American Pharoah himself!

OK, maybe not the actual American Pharoah, but this guy was awesome. My favorite part of his costume? His shower shoes, which cleverly converted into costume-appropriate footwear.

Well played, sir. Well played. 
At this point, the infield was really filling up, and I decided to see what was happening near the concert stages.

On my way, a few groups of friends stopped and asked me to take their photos; I was more than happy to oblige!

I was momentarily distracted by this stand, which offered up the intriguing-sounding Crab Pretzel. Tragically, I forgot to bring cash with me, so I’ll have to put that on my list of things to consume at next year’s Preakness. 

When I got to the second stage, A Thousand Horses was just wrapping up their set and Trampled By Turtles was about to start. I managed to catch a bit of both acts, and loved what I was hearing. 

I wasn’t the only one – fans in attendance were having a blast, dancing and singing throughout both performances.

The first major concert of the afternoon was Childish Gambino. Donald Glover, the frontman, is an amazing talent: not only is he a musician, but he used to be one of the writers for NBC’s “30 Rock” and he starred in “Community,” one of my favorite TV shows of all time. When he came on the main stage, people flocked to hear him.

I decided to join them; while I don’t know his music, I’m a fan of his other work and also he was not wearing a shirt.

It was totally worth it. His music was very good, the atmosphere was electric and it was the perfect way to get excited for the second half of my day, which would be spent watching some of the best Thoroughbreds in the nation compete.
The fastest way to get back to the racetrack side of Pimlico is to take one of the elevated walkways that crosses the grass and dirt courses; to get there, I got to walk near the winner’s circle, where a woman was creating the most beautiful American Pharoah paintings with an Egyptian theme.

As I was admiring the artwork, I was treated to a wonderful surprise: the arrival of the Woodlawn Vase, the most expensive prize in sports. I took a closer look at the incredible silver creation on Thursday’s blog so it was magical to see it arrive at the Preakness Stakes winner’s circle.

As a B-2 Bomber flew overhead, I hustled to the racetrack to see my first big race of the afternoon: the Gallorette, a test for fillies and mares (aka female horses) three-year-old and up racing a mile and a sixteenth on the grass 

As the Galorette kicked off, it was still anybody’s race with Oscar Party leading the field into the first turn. 

But as the horses neared the finish line and it was looking like Watsdachances would take the lead, I heard such a tremendous cheer coming from the grandstand behind me that I had to turn around to see what it was happening. It was her team of human connections rooting home their filly, and I love this photo that shows the joy of cheering for your winning horse:

Watsdachances seemed pretty proud of herself, too!

Up next was the Chick Lang Stakes, a test for three-year-olds going 3/4 of a mile on the main track. This one was an easy victory for Holy Boss, a handsome colt who made this his third victory in a row. 

At this point the sky was starting to cloud over; I checked the radar on my phone and noticed that the apocalypse was apparently coming exactly at Preakness time, so I took the opportunity to run back to the photo room to grab my raincoat and some plastic bags and rubber bands to wrap my cameras. I’d already been rocking the rain boots all day (much to the dismay of my feet) so at least I was set there!
The next major race of the afternoon was also the last before the Preakness: the Longines Dixie Stakes. This is a grass race run at a mile and a sixteenth for three-year-olds and up, and it had attracted a large and competitive field. Talk Show Man led the pack to the first turn as the heavens darkened, but it was the steel gray Ironicus who brought them all home, winning the Dixie with ease.

Then it was Preakness time! American Pharoah was the first of the competitors of the middle leg of the Triple Crown to grace the track in front of a packed house; he was followed by his fellow runners as the Baltimore sky turned ever more ominous.

After the three-year-old Thoroughbreds were saddled, they all made their way to the turf course so trainers and jockeys could exchange last minute words before the Preakness Stakes. This is when things got interesting. The sky turned bottom-of-the-kettle black, and the clouds just split open.

I’ve never seen a place clear out so quickly; people pretty much evacuated under the brunt of the storm.

Bob Baffert himself sprinted across the track with his wife Jill not far behind.

So, of course, my fellow photographers and I decided that this was our cue to wade out (literally) into the mess to get photos of the post parade. Journalism!

But we weren’t alone; there were some die-hard fans across the track from us who weren’t going to let a spot of rain stop their Preakness Stakes fun!

At this point, however, the rain got so bad that I had to take cover because I was seriously worried about my cameras. I beat tracks to the only covered area of the winner’s circle: the scale where the jockeys weigh in before and after each race. There were three of us cowering on that poor scale, and we all had at least two cameras each. That’s a big day for a piece of equipment that usually only has to handle a single jockey tipping the scale at about 110 pounds, equipment and all!
But races are run hell or – in this case – high water, so after about 10 minutes, it was Preakness time! The gates sprang open and the eight contenders were off in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown. Derby winner American Pharoah rocketed to the lead, but Mr. Z decided to make a run at him. In response, American Pharoah literally bared his teeth at his competition and dug in harder, leading his field into the first turn of the Preakness with mud jettisoning twenty feet into the air behind them.

A mile and three sixteenths later, it was American Pharoah on the lead all alone and clean as a whistle, having never been passed during the entire running of the Preakness.

His win by seven lengths was so commanding that his jockey Victor Espinoza turned around after the wire to see where the competition went:

After the race, Justin Zayat, who is the racing manager for winning owner Zayat Stables, literally skipped across the sloppy track to make his way to the winner’s circle:

And as American Pharoah returned to get his photo taken as the 140th winner of the Preakness, jockey Victor Espinoza waved to fans in acknowledgement of the pair’s remarkable victory:

American Pharoah and Victor were escorted onto the turf course on their way to the trophy presentation; as I was taking photos, I felt someone brush by my elbow and was greeted with the sight of Pharoah’s trainer Bob Baffert, with son Bode’s hand in his, running to congratulate their horse and jockey.

The Preakness’s traditional garland of black-eyed Susans was then draped over American Pharoah’s back, and then the horse was circled a few times in preparation to enter the winner’s circle. Someone handed Victor a bottle of water, which was maybe a mistake because he’s kind of a prankster. Indeed, Victor snagged the opportunity and happily doused American Pharoah’s already soaking wet caretakers as they made one final turn for the cameras:

Gotta love it! With a final wave at fans in the crowd, Victor and American Pharoah were led into the winner’s circle and the history books to immortalize their place as the Preakness Stakes’ 140th winners.

The Preakness is a special race not only for the amazing athletes who compete, but for the traditions it’s inspired over the years. One of these is the Preakness afterparty that takes place in the Stakes barn near the entrance to the track. Everyone is welcome, and it’s not unusual to see celebrities mingling with fans or winning connections cracking a beer with event staff. To me, it’s one of the coolest events in all of racing just for the sheer fun and relaxed attitude; I mean, when football teams win the Super Bowl, the quarterback doesn’t usually have a drink with the fans in the nosebleed seats right after the game. But that’s exactly what happens at the Preakness; in fact, trainer Bob Baffert arrived, got right behind the bar, helped mix a few drinks and then signed some autographs. 

All the while, fans and stars in the sport mingled with press and industry insiders as the rain died down and night drew in over Pimlico Race Course.

I headed over to where American Pharoah was stabled, and got there just in time to catch jockey Victor Espinoza taking a selfie with his trusted steed. 

When he was finished petting and praising his horse, I was lucky enough to catch him for a quick interview: 

I knew that Bob Baffert was giving a press conference and that American Pharoah was supposed to come out to have a bath at about 8 a.m. on Sunday, so I set my alarm and made sure I was there for all of the action. When I arrived at Pimlico, I was greeted by the happy sight of Dortmund having his bath; his groom spent the entire time giving him face and ear scratches, which the colt was clearly delighted with.

Moments later, trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Victor Espinoza arrived, and they were mic’d up and placed in chairs for an interview with the “Today Show” about American Pharoah’s victory. 

After that, Bob led the Pharoah out of the barn to get the poultice washed off of his legs. That’s the white stuff you see caking his limbs in the photo below. Think of it as kind of a face mask for horses’ extremities: it cools and tightens the tendons and ligaments in the legs and acts as a soothing purifier. In other words, it’s really expensive mud.

American Pharoah let us all know what he thought of us obsessively taking photos of his shower time: he stuck his tongue out, of course!

He looked great, too; when American Pharoah wasn’t relaxing under the pats of Bob Baffert, he was striking a pose for the phalanx of press taking photos of him.

He also was frisky and playing what seems to be every horse’s favorite game, ‘let’s cut the hose’s water pressure off by standing on it.’ It’s not a complicated game, of course, so American Pharoah was disappointed when he wasn’t allowed to win it.

When bath time was over, trainer Bob Baffert held a very well attended press conference to talk about his horse. 

Meanwhile, his son Bode showed that he’s going to be a horseman, too, by quietly helping out with barn chores as his dad fielded questions about the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner. 

All the while, Lawrence Jones worked in the background, changing the colors of the Pimlico lawn jockey to those of Zayat Stables, owner of your 2015 Preakness Stakes winner American Pharoah. 

With that, my Preakness Stakes odyssey came to a conclusion. Thank you so much for joining me, and please let me know in the comments what you thought of Saturday’s race and whether you think American Pharoah can win the Belmont.