The Preakness Stakes is the second installment of the Triple Crown every racing season and is one of the most highly anticipated events of the year. The race is held on the third Saturday every year in the month of May at the Pimlico Race Course which is located in Baltimore, Maryland. Thoroughbred horses that are three years old are the only horses allowed to compete in the race and there are also weight requirements in place for every horse. The three different classes of horses allowed to race in the Preakness Stakes include Fillies, Colts and Geldings.

The race has been running annually since 1873 and it has remained at the same venue every single year except for a stretch of fifteen years when the race was held in Coney Island which is incredible. The company that owns the race track filed for bankruptcy recently, but the city has assured everyone that the race track will remain exactly where it is.

The Preakness Stakes track is 1-3/16 miles currently although over the history of the race it has been raced at numerous different lengths. When the race initially started the track was 1-1/2 mile long which is quite a bit longer then what it currently is which makes a big difference. The purse is set at over $1.1 million currently for the winner of the race which makes the Preakness Stakes one of the highest paying races of the year.

When the race first started it was actually the first Triple Crown race, but this was soon changed and the Kentucky Derby became the first Triple Crown race of the season. Since the change the Preakness Stakes has remained the second Triple Crown race of the year. Just like the other Triple Crown races there have been several traditions that have grown to become popular during the race. One of the traditions is that the winning horse always has a blanket of flowers placed around its neck after the race. In the case of the Preakness Stakes the blanket of flowers are yellow flowers which are soaked in black lacquer. The reason why yellow flowers and black lacquer is used is so that the flowers resemble Black Susan’s. Black Susan’s are the state flower, but they can’t use them during the race because they don’t come into bloom until after the race is over every year.

The race initially became available to watch on television in the 1940’s and it has always drawn in tons of media attention and spectators. If you haven’t been to a Preakness Stakes before and you enjoy horse racing then I would recommend going one year. There is also millions of dollars wagered on the race every year and if you enjoy having some fun then you’ll love betting on horses. It’s rather inexpensive to wager on horse racing and the winnings are enormous when you hit. You’ll be able to learn a lot about betting on horses by viewing the rest of the website and you’ll also be able to learn more about the other Triple Crown races if you would like, they include the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes.

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