SPORTS
By Steve Kilar, The Baltimore Sun | May 18, 2013
The Preakness Stakes post time -- the time the race is scheduled to begin -- is 6:20 p.m. About 40 minutes before post, not long before horses and riders began heading to their gates, Pimlico officials said the tack's conditions were fast and firm. PHOTOS AND MORE Preakness infield party scene [Pictures] Preakness 2013 bikini contest [Pictures] Celebrities at Preakness 2013 [Pictures]
SPORTS
By Jon Meoli and Baltimore Sun Media Group | May 18, 2013
A pair of racing aficionados from Saratoga Springs, N.Y., spent Saturday watching the early races at Pimlico, then they put their observations to use to score a massive payday in the Preakness. Joe Cavallo, 26, and Stephanie Rafferty, 21, hit the Pick 4 with Preakness winner Oxbow, Itsmyluckyday, Mylute, and Orb. One of their 72 50-cent Pick 4 bets netted $4,883.05, and Rafferty fought back tears as she saw the payout. “What am I going to do with $5,000?” Rafferty said. “It hasn't set in yet.” While the couple spends countless summer days at the track in Saratoga, Rafferty, who works in construction, said she only gambles on the big race days.
NEWS
By Jean Marbella, Andrea Walker and Ian Duncan, The Baltimore Sun | May 18, 2013
No Triple Crown winner this year, no first-female-jockey-to-win, no sunshine? No problem, said those who flocked to Pimlico Race Course on Saturday and waited out a midafternoon downpour to watch Oxbow leave behind Kentucky Derby winner Orb to capture the 138th Preakness Stakes. "This is always an exciting race," said Tom Meek, 59, of Phoenixville, Pa., smoking a postrace cigar. "As much as I love Orb and as much as I want a Triple Crown, this is great for Oxbow. That horse rocked.
SPORTS
By Jon Meoli and Baltimore Sun Media Group | May 18, 2013
Maryland Jockey Club President Tom Chuckas said Saturday that the Preakness brand “has changed dramatically” in the last few years, citing an attendance bump in the infield celebration and increased security all around the racetrack. “The crowd in the infield is up, and the wagers are coming in,” Chuckas said. “All in all, it's pretty much what we expected, and we'll continue to fine-tune it.” Speaking with reporters just after the seventh race Saturday at Pimlico Race Cource, Chuckas acknowledged that the Jockey Club has sought to find a balance between catering to old-school horse racing fans and drawing in new crowds who could become racing enthusiasts.
NEWS
By Paul McCardell | May 18, 2013
The Preakness forecast remains a tough call with varying chances of rain predicted. Weather is a major factor every year. From the May 12, 1940, edition of The Baltimore Sun: "Weather man had a tough time making up his mind. Sunshine and gayety until the first race. Everybody talking about first decent Preakness day in three years. ... Sun disappeared, cool wind blew, fancy parasols topping tables on Clubhouse lawn being took off like kites, after second race. ... Sun out again for third race.
SPORTS
By Chris Korman, The Baltimore Sun and By Chris Korman, The Baltimore Sun | May 18, 2013
Gary Stevens caught the water bottle tossed his way, took one swig and threw it back. “He don't want any?” a man asked, considering jockeys usually shower their horses, too. Stevens shook his head from his perch atop Oxbow, the wire-to-wire winner of the 138th Preakness. “Ain't even tired,” he said. Stevens, a 50-year-old grandfather who came out of a seven-year retirement at the beginning of the year, used a daring ride to clinch an anti-climatic second leg of the Triple Crown at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday.