Kegasus

You take your good news where you get it and here's mine: the Preakness sent Kegasus packing. You remember Kegasus. Sleaze-ball centaur with the biker haircut and beer gut? Budweiser-swilling centerpiece of the Infield Fest ad campaign the past two years? Gone. Got the proverbial pink-slip. You won't see him Saturday for the 138th Preakness Stakes. "He went back to the islands and I haven't seen him since," Maryland Jockey Club president Tom Chuckas joked the other day. Good thing.

You take your good news where you get it and here's mine: the Preakness sent Kegasus packing. You remember Kegasus. Sleaze-ball centaur with the biker haircut and beer gut? Budweiser-swilling centerpiece of the Infield Fest ad campaign the past two years? Gone. Got the proverbial pink-slip. You won't see him Saturday for the 138th Preakness Stakes. "He went back to the islands and I haven't seen him since," Maryland Jockey Club president Tom Chuckas joked the other day. Good thing.

Rappers Pitbull and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis will headline this year's Preakess InfieldFest May 18 at Pimlico Race Course, organizers announced Monday morning. In recent years, Pitbull has become one of Top 40's most consistent acts, both in the U.S. and Latin America. "Back in Time," his single for "Men in Black 3," has sold two million copies, and he recently performed as part of New Year's Rockin' Eve. "Pitbull is young and energetic," said Maryland Jockey Club president Tom Chuckas on Monday morning outside by Pimlico Race Course's finish line.

Rappers Pitbull and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis will headline this year's Preakess InfieldFest May 18 at Pimlico Race Course, organizers announced Monday morning. In recent years, Pitbull has become one of Top 40's most consistent acts, both in the U.S. and Latin America. "Back in Time," his single for "Men in Black 3," has sold two million copies, and he recently performed as part of New Year's Rockin' Eve. "Pitbull is young and energetic," said Maryland Jockey Club president Tom Chuckas on Monday morning outside by Pimlico Race Course's finish line.

Thank goodness the rest of the world has more taste than Baltimore and the powers that do advertising for Pimlico and the Preakness. I followed the coverage of the race on Channel 11 and then the national coverage of the Preakness, and only once that I remember was "Kegasus" even mentioned, and there was not one picture of said abomination. Kegasus was, without a doubt, a black eye (not black eyed Susan) to the state of Maryland. Gross! Bobbi

As tasteless as the new Preakness InfieldFest campaign centered on "Kegasus" may be, it is nothing compared to the infamous "running of the urinals. " Where were Lisa Simione, Pat McDounough and John Myers when the Maryland Jockey Club put a halt to the BYOB policy? Much space was given in this paper to criticizing the party pooper Preakness people back then. It is a fine line between preserving the party atmosphere without the debauchery, and I applaud the folks at Pimlico for trying.

Preakness spokescentaur Kegasus held his first press conference at Pimlico on Monday morning, and as was the case during our chat two months ago , he didn't really say anything of substance. Thankfully, I don't think any of the reporters on hand were expecting to glean a useful sound bite out of the hairy, husky guy in half of a horse costume. They were all there to see the spectacle for themselves, and we got a sneak preview of what Kegasus will look like on Preakness Day. I was hoping his costume would be a two-person operation, but I'm told his hind legs were on wheels.

For years, Maryland horse racing has promised us family friendly entertainment that celebrated the greatest four legged athletes in the world. Instead, they've given us "Kegasus" getting his "Preak on" ("Getting Your Preak On Wasn't So Bad," March 31) . Hardly the kind of athlete I'd want my family to applaud. Fortunately, the long comedic farce called the "slots debate" has kept the folks who brought us a drunken centaur from getting their hands on a license to run an electronic gaming parlor.

He's ba-a-ack. Kegasus, that is. Apparently, you can't kill him. He's like Edward in the "Twilight" series, only with a beer gut and biker hair and a much lower IQ. Oh, and with a dopey new sidekick, too. (More on that in a moment.) Yes, the Maryland Jockey Club just announced the return of Kegasus as, ahem "Lord of the Preakness InfieldFest and centerpiece of its' 2012 advertising campaign. " Which means the low-brow, beer-swilling, half-man, half-horse returns to make all sensible Marylanders cringe with embarrassment as the 137th running of the Preakness Stakes May 19 at Pimlico Race Course approaches.

Preakness organizers just released another Kegasus commercial to get beer-chugging, centaur-loving college kids fired up for next weekend's InfieldFest at Pimlico. I'm still confused by the advertising campaign, but it has apparently worked: Ticket sales are up 17 percent . So while I try to figure out what I'm missing here, check out this video of Kegasus blow-drying his hair/mane:

Let's come right out and say it: This was the best Preakness we've had in years. What a day it was at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday. You had a great crowd: a record 121,309. You had a handle of $80,463,005, sixth highest in Preakness history. You had Chamber of Commerce weather: temperatures in the mid-70s under a bright sun and cloudless sky. You had an absolutely thrilling Preakness Stakes, Kentucky Derby winner I'll Have Another catching favorite Bodemeister in the last three strides to keep his Triple Crown hopes alive.

The Preakness is, let's face it, the dark horse on the nation's party planning circuit. After all, the second leg of the Triple Crown is squeezed between its more challenging and prestigious cousins, the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes. And, it's held in proudly fashion-averse Baltimore. Nonetheless, there are a few pioneering socialites and trailblazing doyennes living in states such as Kentucky and Pennsylvania and New Jersey. For them, the Preakness' underdog status practically demands a celebration — and the more fancy hats and black-eyed Susan centerpieces the better.

Here's a strange twist to the already abnormal Kegasus story: he's played by John C. Bailey, a D.C. actor who has been "20 [years] clean and sober," according to this Deadspin story . If Kegasus is indeed Bailey - he denied it to Deadspin's Dave McKenna but the website links to this online resume as proof - then it's an interesting fit for a character whose "favorite scent" is "draft beer," according to his bio . ...

What you see is what you get with Kegasus, the spokeshorse-man of Preakness. He's a party guy on top, a horse who also likes to party on bottom and a Henry James scholar. So, that last part we made up, but we've always wanted to learn more about the legend. Though we were slightly afraid to get awkward with anyone who is horse-ish (the animals do seem angry and overly muscly, after all), we manned up as much as a non-crossbreed animal can to get to the bottom of Kegasus' innermost thoughts - and find out what the deal is between him and sidekick UniCarl.

Preakness 2012 mascot Kegasus answers 10 awkward questions What you see is what you get with Kegasus, the spokeshorse-man of Preakness. He's a party guy on top, a horse who also likes to party on bottom and a Henry James scholar. So, that last part we made up, but we've always wanted to learn more about the legend. Though we were slightly afraid to get awkward with anyone who is horse-ish (the animals do seem angry and overly muscly, after all), we manned up as much as a non-crossbreed animal can to get to the bottom of Kegasus' innermost thoughts - and find out what the deal is between him and sidekick UniCarl.

Starting to think about your Preakness hat choices? Not sure whether to pull the trigger on tickets to join Kegasus and Maroon 5 in the infield? Fear not; it's forecast to be a beautiful day -- for now. The 137th Preakness Stakes, on May 19, has come into the window of AccuWeather.com's 25-day forecast. It calls for cloudless skies, a 74-degree high and 52-degree low. That is actually slightly below normal for that time of year, which averages 76-degree highs and 58-degree lows.

Kegasus made its/his first promotional appearance at Pimlico Race Track Friday since it was announced the tweeting, beer-swilling centaur would return as the Infield's mascot . His new sidekick Unicarl also made an appearance. It was a nice bit of promotional synchronicity for the Maryland Jockey Club, the operator of Pimlico and Laurel Park, the state's major thoroughbred tracks. Later that afternoon it filed its 2011 annual financial report with the Maryland Racing Commission, which showed it had lost $5.3 million last year . Kegasus is scheduled to make his second appearance on Friday at Oriole Park.

Despite being in heavy demand, Kegasus, the spokes-centaur for the 2011 Preakness InfieldFest, took time out of his busy schedule to discuss his new gig with the Maryland Jockey Club. I'm not sure what it says about me that my schedule wasn't too busy to chat with a mythological half-horse, half-man creature, but whatever. Anyway, when I got Kegasus on the line, he was watching a replay of Secretariat’s win in the 1973 Preakness Stakes, which he later told me he technically won while wearing a “cloaking device.” We chatted for nearly 10 minutes -- and if he was in character, he never broke from it -- about a variety of things, including his resemblance to “Eastbound and Down” actor Danny McBride, what it takes to “be legendary” and the upcoming Orioles season.

Kegasus made its/his first promotional appearance at Pimlico Race Track Friday since it was announced the tweeting, beer-swilling centaur would return as the Infield's mascot . His new sidekick Unicarl also made an appearance. It was a nice bit of promotional synchronicity for the Maryland Jockey Club, the operator of Pimlico and Laurel Park, the state's major thoroughbred tracks. Later that afternoon it filed its 2011 annual financial report with the Maryland Racing Commission, which showed it had lost $5.3 million last year . Kegasus is scheduled to make his second appearance on Friday at Oriole Park.

Here's a round-up of our week at Midnight Sun: •••• The '80s were back this week. I caught up with members of old Baltimore hair-metal bands. See what they're up to (and what they look like now) here . The fun didn't stop there: Van Halen played Verizon Center, and Lexie Mountain wrote a review of the show. We took photos, too . •••• Surprise! (Or not.) Kegasus is back . •••• Towson's WTMD is moving to a new headquarters in Towson.