Sixteen Fun Facts About the Preakness

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Known as the middle jewel of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes is held two weeks after the Kentucky Derby, but that hasn’t always been the case. Continue reading to learn when exactly the Preakness has been run in the past in addition to other interesting and off-the-wall facts about the shortest race in the Triple Crown series.
1. Pimlico opened its doors in 1870. The Maryland Jockey Club purchased the land that the track rests on for $23,500 and built the track for $25,000.
2. The first Preakness in 1873 drew a field of seven, a purse of $2,050, and had 12,000 fans in attendance. Saturday, we’re expected to see a larger field, a purse of $1.5 million, and more 120,000 fans cheering on the three-year-olds. Talk about solid investment growth.
3. For many of its early years, the place to see and be seen was the infield. Yep, that’s right. What is now home to the “cheap seats,” was once a prime area at the track. Originally, a small rise in the infield allowed for the ultimate sightlines around the track. The “Old Hilltop,” as it’s affectionately known, eventually was leveled to allow for simulcasting cameras to track the action. The spirit lives on with the Preakness week “Sunrise at the Old Hilltop” event.

Photo by Eclipse SportsWire.
4. We’re accustomed to the Preakness being run on Saturday. That’s understandable, considering it’s been that way since 1931. However, before that, it had been run on a Monday (six occasions), Tuesday (14), Wednesday (5), Thursday (4), and Friday (13). The Preakness has yet to be run on a Sunday, and I’d venture to say it never will be.
5. “My Old Kentucky Home” is old news now. This week we revel in the poetics of “Maryland, My Maryland.” While only the fourth verse of the original lyrics is sung at the Preakness, there are nine verses in total. 
6. The last Maryland-bred horse to capture the Second Jewel of the Triple Crown was Deputed Testamony in 1983. 
7. The Black-Eyed Susan - quite the buzz word around the Preakness - doesn’t bloom until June! Yet, tradition is as tradition does. That doesn’t, and shouldn’t, stop anybody from celebrating the beauty that is Maryland’s state flower.

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8. Sir Barton won the Preakness on four days rest, following his victory in the Kentucky Derby. And here we are, discussing whether two weeks is too quick of a turn around for California Chrome.
9. Stuck working on Saturday? Drop this fact on the boss man and see if this convinces him otherwise: The United States House of Representatives adjourned for the first and only time in 1877 to watch the Preakness.
10. Smarty Jones holds the record for the largest margin of victory, with an 11 ½-length romp in 2004. The record he broke was set in the original Preakness. Survivor claimed the first title in 10-length fashion.
11. The Preakness is more famous for its close finishes than wide-margin victories, with six races being decided by a nose and 11 being won by a head.
12. It’s all about the hardware in sports and I’m not sure any other trophy sits in an Art Museum full time. That’s right, the winning owner on Saturday will go home with a replica of the original Woodlawn Vase. The Woodlawn Vase was crafted in 1860 by Tiffany and Co. The most recent appraisal value? $4 million. Yeah, you probably don’t want to have that just resting on the mantle.

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13. As if the trophy wasn’t enough, the owner has his/her silks painted on the iconic jockey atop the weather vane on the Old Clubhouse at Pimlico. This makes for one of the most unique traditions of horse racing.
14. The etymology of “Preakness” can be traced back to the translation term for a New Jersey Native American tribe, meaning “Quail Woods.” 
What the heck does “Quail Woods” have to do with horse racing? Well, it all started at a dinner party in 1868. It seems like every cool tradition starts over a dinner conversation. Anyway, a race was born over the friendly banter instigated by then-Maryland Gov. Oden Bowie and it was tabbed the “Dinner Party Stakes” (now the Dixie Stakes). The winner of that first Dinner Party Stakes was a 3-year-old by the named Preakness. Thus, a legend was born and a new race was created to honor the achievement.

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15. Now, the race is commonly known as the “Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown,” but on 11 occasions the Preakness was held before the Kentucky Derby. Since 1931, the Derby-Preakness-Belmont order of the Triple Crown has been set in stone.
16. The highest trifecta payout in Preakness history was in 2006, when a $2 ticket of Bernardini first, Sweetnorthernsaint second, and Hemingway's Key third paid a whopping $3,912.80.