Pimlico

Sunrise at Old Hilltop, an event which offers fans a chance to take a behind-the-scenes walking tour of Pimlico Race Course, will once again be part of the Preakness week lineup in 2024, it was announced via presser Friday. Admission is free to the tours--which run on a first-come, first-served basis between 6:00 and 9:00 a.m. from Tuesday, May 14 through Friday, May 17--and patrons can sign up at the registration tent on the track apron. It will not be required to register ahead of time in order to take...

Kenny McPeek's final decision on GI Kentucky Derby-winner Mystik Dan (Goldencents)'s Preakness appearance should come Saturday after training at Churchill Downs and post-discussion with the owners. The Derby hero went through a second day of galloping beneath the Twin Spires Friday morning under Robby Albarado and will likely pick up the pace Saturday morning. Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. will have other mounts Preakness weekend and will be riding at Pimlico regardless of the final choice. "Another steady day, another good day. Robby was happy. [Mystik Dan] ate up. We'll discuss...

Each slated for a tilt in Preakness 149 May 18, MGISW Muth (Good Magic) and GSW & GISP Imagination (Into Mischief) worked six furlongs in company Friday morning at Santa Anita. Officially clocked in 1:11.90, Bob Baffert liked what he saw from the pair and mentioned he was still deciding if any other horses would join his Preakness hopefuls on the trip over to Pimlico, but that he'd wait until entry day to make a final decision. If everything goes to plan, both are scheduled to ship to Baltimore Tuesday,...

Edited Press Release Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) will be on-site this year at Pimlico Race Course for the week leading up to Preakness 149 on Saturday, May 18, 2024. With the combined efforts from 1/ST RACING, Maryland Jockey Club, America's Best Racing, and Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, accredited aftercare will be promoted with several on-site activations throughout the week. The ninth annual America's Best Racing (ABR) Pre-Preakness Party to benefit Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation will be held at Mt. Washington Tavern in Baltimore, Maryland on...

Albaugh Family Stable's Catching Freedom (Constitution) is being considered for a start in the GI Preakness S. at Pimlico a week from Saturday, Jason Loutsch, co-owner and racing manager for the operation, told the Pimlico media office. Settled far off the strong early pace of the GI Kentucky Derby by Flavien Prat, the $575,000 Keeneland September yearling made a long run into contention, sneaking through inside in upper stretch before staying on into fourth, beaten two lengths behind the three-horse photo. Loutsch said the GII Louisiana Derby winner, trained by...

Longtime horsewoman and lifetime philanthropist Ellen Charles, who has bred or owned some of Maryland's most popular and successful horses of recent years, will be recognized with the Special Award of Merit May 16 during the Alibi Breakfast at historic Pimlico Race Course, 1/ST Racing said in a Wednesday release. The Special Award of Merit is given to those who have made a positive impact on the racing industry. Past recipients have included Jim McKay, Hall of Fame trainers D. Wayne Lukas and King Leatherbury and the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance....

Beverly Strauss, co-founder and Executive Director of the Chesapeake City, M.D.-based Mid-Atlantic Horse Rescue, has been named as the Honorary Postmaster for Preakness 149, the Maryland Jockey Club announced Monday. Strauss will be recognized during the Alibi Breakfast Thursday, May 16 at Pimlico Race Course. A graduate of the U.S. Pony Club, Strauss helped launch MAHR in 2002 with the goal of helping to find and transition former racehorses to new homes. A federal 501(c)3 non-profit organization, MAHR buys ex-racehorses and, after quarantine and careful evaluation, adopts them into good...

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas confirmed both Seize the Grey (Arrogate) and Just Steel (Justify) would go on to Baltimore with an eye on the GI Preakness S. after runs this past Saturday at Churchill Downs, the Maryland Jockey Club announced Monday. Seize the Grey won the GII Pat Day Mile S. while Just Steel wound up 17th in the GI Kentucky Derby. "We'll bring both of ours," Lukas confirmed to the Maryland Jockey Club media Monday. "We will be there Monday." Meanwhile, Derby hero Mystik Dan (Goldencents),...

For an eighth straight year, the Maryland Jockey Club is offering bonus money totaling $100,000 to trainers who run a minimum of five horses in the 15 Thoroughbred stakes races during Preakness weekend, May 17 and 18, at Pimlico Race Course. The blockbuster weekend includes a total of 16 stakes, nine graded, worth $4.4 million in purses. The trainer with the most points will receive $50,000, second is worth $25,000, third $12,000, fourth $7,000, fifth $4,000 and sixth $2,000. Points are accumulated for finishing first (10 points), second (seven), third...

Daily Racing Form (DRF) writer Dan Illman has been named recipient of the 2024 Old Hilltop Award for covering Thoroughbred racing with excellence and distinction and will be honored May 16 at Pimlico's Alibi Breakfast in the buildup to the GI Preakness S. "I am very honored to receive the Old Hilltop Award from the Maryland Jockey Club," said Illman, who also serves as executive producer for DRF's video productions. "I fell in love with racing the first time I went to Belmont Park as a child, snuck the Daily...

7th-Aqueduct, $84,000, Alw (NW2$X)/Opt. Clm ($62,500), 4-20, 4yo/up, 1m, 1:34.55, ft, 1 length. BLAZING SEVENS (c, 4, Good Magic--Trophy Girl, by Warrior's Reward) made a name for himself in his juvenile season through the spring of his sophomore one, earning 'TDN Rising Star'-dom, winning the GI Champagne S., and hitting the board in three other Grade I events, including coming a head short of claiming the second jewel of the Triple Crown--the GI Preakness S. to MGISW National Treasure (Quality Road)--before going on the shelf after an even third-place finish...

Preak Weeks initiative in partnership with Heidi Klotzman of HeidnSeek Entertainment returns for its second season, 1/ST and The Maryland Jockey Club announced Tuesday. Preak Weeks shines a spotlight on Baltimore-based businesses in the lead up to the Preakness, the second jewel in the US Triple Crown. Each day from Apr. 26 through May 17, one of 22 participating businesses will give away to a set of customers the "Ultimate Preakness Experience," a four-pack of tickets to Preakness 149 that includes access to this year's Preakness Live festivities. In addition,...