Touring Old Hilltop at Sunrise

Without a doubt, one of the coolest aspects of Preakness week is Sunrise at Old Hilltop. It’s an opportunity for the public to get a behind-the-scenes look at the historic Pimlico Race Course on its busiest week of the year.
Sunrise at Old Hilltop has become so popular in recent years that the Maryland Jockey Club added another day this year (Tuesday) to allow more groups, mostly school children, to visit. The tours run every 30 minutes, beginning with a stop on the grandstand apron to - you guessed it - watch the sun rise over Pimlico. At the same time, Preakness contenders, along with other horses, can often be seen galloping or working out on the track. The tours feature a visit to the stakes barn where a throng of media and other onlookers try to catch glimpses of horses like Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome.
Here are some of the scenes we saw during sunrise tours on Wednesday morning.

Fans of all ages press up against the grandstand rail to try to be the first to spot and identify the next horse headed their way. Moments after this photo was taken, they figured out that horse they were eyeing was none other than Preakness contender Social Inclusion.

The second choice on the morning line for Saturday’s Preakness, also thought of as the most likely horse to win if California Chrome doesn’t, Social Inclusion made a big impression on the track. He looked physically imposing and almost outright scary - scary good, that is. Here’s another shot of him, on the way back.

Meanwhile, another group of students headed to the stakes barn for a look at some of the other horses.

Although a few of the students might appear a bit grumpy here - perhaps from having to wake up a little extra early - I can assure you they were overflowing with excitement a few moments later when they saw …

… Clydesdales! I wasn’t the only one who had my cell phone camera in hand, snapping pictures. Suttler Farm has a handful of Clydesdales at Pimlico, who will be paraded on the track this weekend. The cute looking fella above is “Charlie Brown.”
Just around the corner were several more horses. These were racehorses whose audience included many members of the media.

General a Rod poked his head out of his stall for a while.

Ride On Curlin had no problem stopping and posing for the cameras. He and his trainer “Bronco” Billy Gowan have been media favorites since arriving at Pimlico on Monday.
By this time, Social Inclusion was back in the stakes barn and cooling down with a walk.

His owner, Ron Sanchez, of Rontos Racing Stable, spoke to the media nearby.

As the tours went on there were many more horses that caught the eye.

But there was only one who had a steady crowd outside his stall all morning long. I’ll give you one guess.

Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome and trainer Art Sherman (below) during an interview.

If you’re in the Baltimore area but haven’t been to a sunrise tour yet, make it a priority to get out to one this week. They run every 30 minutes from 6 - 9 a.m. until Friday morning. The best part? It’s totally free and open to everyone. For more information, click here.