The Preakness Stakes

In preparation for a very busy Preakness weekend, the Baltimore City Department of Transportation announced road closures and special traffic patterns will be implemented in the Pimlico area.

Last year in Timonium, a group of owners went over budget and spent $290,000 in an auction for a 2-year-old horse on a “gut decision.” That horse was Mage, now a Kentucky Derby winner whose success may herald a great racing line under Good Magic, who sired three of the eight horses in this year’s Preakness.

Axel Concepción has won his first leading rider title, a feat that Irad Ortiz Jr., an esteemed Boricua jockey, did not meet until he was in his 20s.

A 2020 plan to redevelop Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park fell apart due to a variety of factors. Now racing industry stakeholders are negotiating a new plan, and they’re considering boosting Pimlico as the year-round home of thoroughbred racing.

He’s the only horse in the field of eight set to take part in the second race of the Triple Crown two weeks after running in the Derby. It’s the first Preakness since 1969 with just one Derby horse.

Last year, having headliners Megan Thee Stallion and Lauryn Hill made it seem like organizers were trying to build a connection with Black Baltimoreans. Pop juggernaut Bruno Mars and electronic dance music duo Sofi Tukker as next weekend’s stars feels like an intentional shift.

He bet his last dollars on the animals he loved and discovered a purpose.

Every year, Park Heights and its residents aren’t included in the celebration.