Maryland Jockey Club

Two days after Kentucky Derby winner I'll Have Another's thrilling win over Bodemeister under sunny skies and in front of a packed house, Maryland Jockey Club president Tom Chuckas pronounced the 137th running of the Preakness a rousing success. "I couldn't be happier," he said Monday. "From the standpoint of attendance, we had 121,000. We wagered about $80 million. The best part of this is we had very few problems. ... I received more compliments today and yesterday from the public, many e-mails, many phone calls.

Baltimore Baby! I was so proud how the Maryland Jockey Club had fixed up Pimlico for the Preakness. Every building, every railing and sign - all were freshly painted with magnificent yellow flowers everywhere! Baltimore is first class! Jim Holechek, Baltimore

The jockey had raced an Arabian horse only once before and had never met the trainer before. The trainer, a former jockey himself, has never actually mounted an Arabian. The owner is an 18-year-old Shiek who, according to the trainer, knows very little about horses, even Arabians. Experience seemed to be insignificant when it comes to T M Fred Texas, the 5-year-old Arabian who followed a world championship in Dubai in March with a victory Saturday in the first President of United Emirates Cup at Pimlico Race Course . T M Texas paid $4.40.

Two days after Kentucky Derby winner I'll Have Another's thrilling win over Bodemeister under sunny skies and in front of a packed house, Maryland Jockey Club president Tom Chuckas pronounced the 137th running of the Preakness a rousing success. "I couldn't be happier," he said Monday. "From the standpoint of attendance, we had 121,000. We wagered about $80 million. The best part of this is we had very few problems. ... I received more compliments today and yesterday from the public, many e-mails, many phone calls.

Shame on the Maryland Jockey Club! After years of letting the tracks degrade, constantly asking for state help, waiting for slots to redeem their poor management, now that slots will not be at Laurel Park, they are threatening to destroy live racing in Maryland. If they do not want to continue the great tradition of Maryland thoroughbred racing, they should bow out and let David Cordish run the tracks. The thoroughbred industry does not consist only of the racetracks, owners, breeders and trainers but also of grooms, hotwalkers, veterinarians, blacksmiths, hay, feed and tack businesses, not to mention the farms themselves.

There were still drunken 20-somethings. Still crowds making a ruckus. And people throwing up after one too many beers. But this year - unlike at recent Preakness Stakes when infield crowds gained a reputation for debauchery and rowdy stunts like port-a-potty races - racegoers said the party was less out of control. The infield drew both casual fans, who came just to hang out, and well-dressed and well-heeled racing patrons - the type you usually find in the VIP tents or grandstands.

Over the past year, slots money has injected energy into Maryland horse racing. Revenue from the state's two casinos has bolstered purses, helping attract better horses and create more competitive races. The Preakness also is benefiting. Some of the weekend's undercard stakes races offer larger prizes, while the long-respected Pimlico Special returns with a $300,000 purse after disappearing for three years due to a lack of prize money. It's shaping up to be a good running for the Preakness this year.

Maryland's horse racing interests have warned for years that the industry's long tradition would come to an end without the legalization of slot machine gambling in the state. They just never imagined the slots casino would rise in the parking lot of Arundel Mills mall — instead of at the thoroughbred tracks. But that is exactly what is planned after Anne Arundel County voters passed a ballot measure Tuesday approving the mall casino 10 miles from the Laurel Park racetrack.

The Maryland Jockey Club today unveiled the 2012 Preakness logo for the 137th Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown, to be run May 19 at Pimlico Race Course. The 2012 logo, in traditional Maryland colors of red, gold, and black, depicts the horse and jockey as repeating stylized graphics with curved elements that convey movement. The Leffler Agency of Baltimore and Tampa designed the official Preakness logo for the 13th straight year. "The challenge of making a national logo like the Preakness logo every year is the challenge of uniqueness," said Bob Leffler, agency president/owner.

The Maryland Jockey Club, the financially strapped operator of the state's major thoroughbred racetracks, substantially cut its losses last year thanks to state slots subsidies but still falls short of becoming financially stable. Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore lost a combined $5.3 million in 2011, according to financial statements submitted to the Maryland Racing Commission. That's down from a $20 million loss in 2010. Overall, revenue for the two tracks increased slightly to $67.9 million last year, from $66.9 million in 2010.

The jockey had raced an Arabian horse only once before and had never met the trainer before. The trainer, a former jockey himself, has never actually mounted an Arabian. The owner is an 18-year-old Shiek who, according to the trainer, knows very little about horses, even Arabians. Experience seemed to be insignificant when it comes to T M Fred Texas, the 5-year-old Arabian who followed a world championship in Dubai in March with a victory Saturday in the first President of United Emirates Cup at Pimlico Race Course . T M Texas paid $4.40.

The crowd as a whole is behaving surprisingly lucid and laidback, enjoying their neon yellow mugs full of beer. Anyone turned off by the debauchery of say, five years ago, might want to consider coming back. Then I spot the first public vomiting sighting of the day at 12:15 p.m. About 150 yards away from the main stage, a tall 20-something hunches over a white Maryland Jockey Club cardboard trashcan in the middle of the Infield. He has a T-shirt wrapped around his head.  He takes an extra 30 seconds by the can to collect himself.

There were still drunken 20-somethings. Still crowds making a ruckus. And people throwing up after one too many beers. But this year - unlike at recent Preakness Stakes when infield crowds gained a reputation for debauchery and rowdy stunts like port-a-potty races - racegoers said the party was less out of control. The infield drew both casual fans, who came just to hang out, and well-dressed and well-heeled racing patrons - the type you usually find in the VIP tents or grandstands.

- As the draw for Preakness post positions came to an end Wednesday evening, Donna Peiffer's work was just beginning. Into the night she worked, turning a dozen colorful cloths into identification badges that will help millions of racing fans follow a favorite horse from starting gate to finish line. I'll Have Another, Bodemeister, Daddy Nose Best - each cloth was embroidered with the name and number around the Preakness logo. Folded neatly and placed in a plastic bin, they awaited a final inspection, a pressing and the trip to Pimlico Race Course . On Saturday, the cloths will be placed on the backs of the horses before saddles are cinched and the jockeys mount.

Over the past year, slots money has injected energy into Maryland horse racing. Revenue from the state's two casinos has bolstered purses, helping attract better horses and create more competitive races. The Preakness also is benefiting. Some of the weekend's undercard stakes races offer larger prizes, while the long-respected Pimlico Special returns with a $300,000 purse after disappearing for three years due to a lack of prize money. It's shaping up to be a good running for the Preakness this year.

Pimlico Race Course Ruler On Ice, J W Blue among field of 7 in Tesio Stakes Seven promising 3-year-olds with possible Preakness dreams will duel in today's $75,000 Federico Tesio Stakes at Pimlico Race Course . Ruler On Ice and J W Blue are the one-two program selections in the 11/16-mile race. Ruler On Ice is a front-runner, and J W Blue has started off slowly in his past four races. Ruler On Ice (2-1) reaches Baltimore after starts at Aqueduct, Parx Racing and Sunland Park this year, including an allowance victory and a closing third in the Sunland Derby (Grade III)

The co-owners of Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course have ended their tumultuous one-year partnership, leaving Maryland's thoroughbred racetrack operator with a single owner. Penn National Gaming said Thursday it had agreed to sell its minority stake in the Maryland Jockey Club to horse owner and breeder Frank Stronach. The breakup comes as the struggling racing industry works on a long-term plan to secure the future of a sport that has seen attendance and betting decline for at least a decade, especially as neighboring states opened casinos years before Maryland.

A day after the lack of oversight at Maryland race tracks came to light in a hearing before the Maryland Racing Commission at Pimlico Race Course , the commission's executive director, Mike Hopkins, said steps are already being taken to improve the situation. One of the biggest issues in the hearing that resulted in upholding the disqualification of the Rick Dutrow Jr.-trained King and Crusader from the Dec. 17 Maryland Juvenile Championship at Laurel Park was the disregard for a regulation mandating slips for each horse being treated before a race to be reviewed by the stewards or their representatives within an hour of each race.

WEATHER Today's forecast calls for mostly sunny skies and highs in the mid 60s. Some clouds will be moving in tonight, with a low temperature in the upper 40s. TRAFFIC Check our traffic map for this morning's issues as you plan your commute. FROM LAST NIGHT... Homeowners must apply for property-tax credit or lose it : Tens of thousands of Maryland homeowners who haven't already applied for the Homestead Property Tax Credit have until the end of the year to do so or lose the often-valuable break.