"It happens all the time," said Little. "Most people don't realize that's part of the industry."
Steve Pessagno, 38, organized a trip to the Preakness for about 20 of his friends in Philadelphia. The group has come every year for the past decade. Taking their seats in the shade of the grandstand, they sketched finish orders for the races on napkins. But after the high-profile racing deaths in recent years, they said they're just happy to see all the horses finish.
"Some people were saying if it happens again, is this a sport we want to support?" Pessagno said. "The horses are well taken care of, but they are fallible."
The other hot topic yesterday was a new rule prohibiting fans from bringing alcohol into the grandstand. In the infield, fans are allowed to carry in beer but not liquor. Some found a way around that rule, though, filling Franzia wine boxes with decidedly harder stuff. In the grandstand, though, spectators resorted to paying $9 for each Black-Eyed Susan (which includes rum, vodka, orange juice and pineapple juice) or other means.
"I think it's unfortunate," Pessagno said of the ban, "but there are ways to get around it, if you know what I mean. We've come up with new strategies to make sure we have the most fun possible."
While the Preakness is more casual than the dandified Derby, women in wide-brimmed sun hats and 4-inch heels and men in plaid blazers and pink pants strolled the Pimlico grounds yesterday. On the infield, the attire, what there was of it, consisted largely of T-shirts advertising either colleges (Loyola, Navy) or alcoholic beverages (Southern Comfort, Patron).
The lines at the betting windows were modest. Some wondered if the racing industry in Maryland would be able to survive without slot machines. Maryland voters will decide this fall whether 15,000 machines will be permitted at five locations. Pimlico is not one of them, but Laurel Park - like Pimlico, owned by Magna Entertainment Corp. - is.
"If the revenue supports racing in Maryland, I'm for it," said M.L. Faunce, 63, of southern Anne Arundel County. "Racing has a long tradition in Maryland, and this is the one thing that could help the sport."
Kerry Alexa, 51, said she was undecided on the question of slots. Her mind yesterday was on the more immediate concern of the safety of the horses. She and her husband were in their usual seats near the finish line two years ago when Barbaro broke his leg. They said you could feel the life leave the crowd. "They say the horses love to run," Alexa said, "but at what cost?"
stephen.kiehl@baltsun.com
Sun reporter Gadi Dechter contributed to this article.
