Preakness Day

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.

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.

May. 18, Post Time: 10:45AM Entries and comments provided by the Maryland Jockey Club First - Purse $55,000, AOC $25,000-$20,000, 3 yo's & up, One And One Sixteenth Miles Post, Horse, Jockey, Trainer, Odds 1 Aussi Austin, Rosario, R.Rodriguez, 3-1 2 Bob's Gone Wild, Vargas, J.Lopez, 20-1 3 Jarrod's Commando, Karamanos, C.Garcia, 10-1 4 Warrensburg, Boyce, D.Barr, 20-1 5 Benny Or Local, Cruise, D.Kobiskie,...

It's not always in the Preakness Stakes, but every year, John Carroll graduate Nicole Stall urges her husband, trainer Al Stall Jr., to find a race for one of his horses on the third Saturday in May. This year, Departing gave Al Stall his second Preakness mount, finishing sixth in the nine-horse race while his wife and her family were treated to another memorable Preakness Day. “I used to always come growing up, and we try and run horses on...

It's not always in the Preakness Stakes, but every year, John Carroll graduate Nicole Stall urges her husband, trainer Al Stall Jr., to find a race for one of his horses on the third Saturday in May. This year, Departing gave Al Stall his second Preakness mount, finishing sixth in the nine-horse race while his wife and her family were treated to another memorable Preakness Day. “I used to always come growing up, and we try and run horses on...

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

Let's start with the good news: Even the guy in the cheesy horse costume couldn't spoil things Saturday at Pimlico Race Course . Oh, did Baltimore need a day like this. Look at all we'd been through lately. The weather was straight from the Scottish moors: dreary and rainy day after day. The Orioles were doing another horrible cliff-dive onto the rocks, losing by football scores to the struggling Yankees and the lowly Nationals. There was even some crazy California preacher predicting the end of the world.

Javier Castellano, the jockey who won the 2006 Preakness aboard Bernardini, and Ramon Dominguez, who rode in eight Preaknesses but has never won, each captured three races on Preakness Day. Castellano won the James W. Murphy Stakes, the seventh race of the Preakness card, aboard Beau Choix. He finished 13/4 lengths ahead of Garret Gomez, aboard Manhattan Fox. Aboard Northpoint Costas, a 4-year-old chestnut gelding who was foaled in Maryland, Castellano finished two lengths ahead of Midnite Communion in the fourth race of the day. Castellano and his mount took the lead early and never relinquished it. In his first race, aboard Primary Witness, a 4-year-old bay colt, Castellano dueled with Julien Leparoux, aboard Kurbat, down the stretch and won by half a length in a seven-horse field.

Preakness G-I UAE Cup race to feature Arabian horses Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, will join with Pimlico Race Course to host the $75,000-added The President of the United Arab Emirates Cup, a Grade I race for purebred Arabian horses, on Preakness Day, May 19. The race is limited to 14 horses and will be run on the main track at 1 1/16 miles. The Maryland House Ways and Means Committee passed an emergency bill, signed into law by Gov. Martin O'Malley on Tuesday, authorizing Pimlico to conduct live racing of Arabian horses under certain circumstances.

Hold the obituaries, and please omit flowers. The state of horse racing in Maryland, thought to be troubled and traumatized, is making a comeback. There's no need to resuscitate the victim or stand in line to offer condolences.Preakness Day 1994 set records for the sport that have taken it to a new level of achievement and acceptability. The entire industry has gathered impetus and optimism from an outpouring of fan-presence and re-generated betting support."It's what I've been trying to say for a long time," said Joe De Francis, president of Pimlico and Laurel.

Race 1: Jockey Joel Rosario rode Aussi Austin to victory in the first of 13 races on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course . Bake Shop took second and Pretension finished third in the 1 1/16-mile dirt race. The winner finished in 1:45.23. Bake Shop and Pretension held with Aussi Austin, but Pretension weakened late. Aussi Austin paid $5.40 to win while Bake Shop paid $6.60 to place. Race 2, Deputed Testamony Starter Handicap: Hello Lover, the race's heavy 3-5 post-time favorite, surged past the leaders to win. No Brakes finished second while Who Dat Boy, ridden by Rosie Napravnik, took third.

May. 18, Post Time: 10:45AM Entries and comments provided by the Maryland Jockey Club First - Purse $55,000, AOC $25,000-$20,000, 3 yo's & up, One And One Sixteenth Miles Post, Horse, Jockey, Trainer, Odds 1 Aussi Austin, Rosario, R.Rodriguez, 3-1 2 Bob's Gone Wild, Vargas, J.Lopez, 20-1 3 Jarrod's Commando, Karamanos, C.Garcia, 10-1 4 Warrensburg, Boyce, D.Barr, 20-1 5 Benny Or Local, Cruise, D.Kobiskie,...

When the owner of the winning horse in the 2013 Preakness Stakes mounts the podium to strains of "Maryland, My Maryland" to accept the Woodlawn Vase Saturday,  Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown will make the presentation. Gov. Martin O'Malley's office said Thursday that while the governor will make his customary visit to Pimlico Race Course on Preakness Day, he will duck out early to attend to a family obligation. Brown is an announced candidate for governor in 2014, when O'Malley can't run for re-election because of term limits, and can presumably use the exposure.

Et cetera Pimlico wagering up 9 percent from 2011 The Maryland Jockey Club concluded its spring meeting at Pimlico Race Course last weekend, posting average wagering figures that were 9 percent higher than those at the 2011 spring meet. The average daily handle went from $4.72 million to $5.17 million. The stand featured 29 live racing dates and 21 simulcast days. "We finished strong as betting was up in May on nine of 11 days of live racing," Maryland Jockey Club president Tom Chuckas said.

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

For $3 a person, you can use the bathroom of Carol Hines' home on Winner St, across from Pimlico race course.  Hines decided to give entrepreneurship a try for the first time this year, one of many enterprises that pop up on Preakness day in the Park Heights and Pimlico neighborhoods.  Besides offering her restroom for Preakness attendees, Hines cooked up some of her best dishes, including jerk chicken, curry chicken and barbecue ribs. ...

Despite rain and cold winds in the morning, Preakness day exceeded the wildest expectations of Maryland Jockey Club officials. Betting records were set, and attendance was the second highest in Preakness history. "It was a great day, no matter what variable you want to use to measure it," said Joe De Francis, MJC president and CEO. "We had what amounts to the biggest Preakness ever." The following betting totals set records: Betting on Preakness day's races at Pimlico, Laurel Park, Rosecroft Raceway and three off-track betting facilities totaled $10,403,781, a 1 percent increase over last year's $10,308,817.

The Harford County man who raised his fists against a charge of thoroughbreds in the homestretch at Pimlico Race Course on Preakness Day pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment, according to Baltimore court officials.The city state's attorney's office said Lee Cheng Ferrell, 22, entered the guilty plea on Tuesday before Judge William Quarles in Circuit Court.As part of an agreement with the Bel Air resident, prosecutors will recommend a three-year suspended sentence and five years' probation.

Wiz Khalifa, one of the headline acts for this year's Preakness Infield party, was busted for pot in North Carolina Tuesday -- the second time in a week, just days before his Baltimore appearance. According to the Winston-Salem Journal, the rapper was arrested for marijuana possession after officers smelled the smoke pouring from his tour bus. On April 21, police in Nashville found pot in the hotel room of the rapper, whose real name is Cameron Jibril Thomaz. In Winston-Salem, police arrested nearly 20 people, including fans and members of Khalifa's entourage, the Journal reported.

Loyola men's basketball Jones, Laster, Tuohy join 2012-13 class Loyola coach Jimmy Patsos announced the addition of three players to the Greyhounds' 2012-13 freshman class: Jarred Jones (John Carroll), Eric Laster and Sean Tuohy Jr. , whose adoptive older brother is Ravens offensive tackle Michael Oher . "We're excited to have Jarred, Eric and S.J. join our program," Patsos said. "With Jarred, we are bringing in another player who knows what it takes to be successful in the Baltimore Catholic League, one of the top high school conferences around, and Eric certainly had a terrific senior year in Delaware.