By AFRO Staff
The 150th running of the Preakness Stakes will take place on May 17 at the Pimlico Race Course. For well over a century the event has provided a burst of energy each May, drawing thousands to Pimlico Race Course in the Park Heights community of Baltimore, and pumping millions into Maryland’s economy.
This year, Baltimoreans and visitors from around the world had an added layer of culture: Preakness Festival 150.
The week-long event included a variety of activities, from the Fourth Annual George “Spider” Anderson Music and Arts Festival to the The Baltimore Region Investment Summit, hosted by the Black Chamber of Commerce. All of the Preakness Festival 150 provided an opportunity to expand community access to the historic race and increase the economic footprint left behind as thousands come together in their finest threads.
Now, it’s time for the jockeys to hit the race track and give it their all.
Credit: Photo courtesy of Flickr / Maryland Office of the Governor
“The Preakness Stakes are about uplifting our city and showcasing the best of Baltimore,” said Baltimore City Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “Our city’s renaissance is in full swing, and we’re excited for visitors and native Baltimoreans alike to see that growth firsthand.”
The Pimlico Race Course, home of the Preakness Stakes, has been nestled in the Park Heights neighborhood of Northwest Baltimore since opening its doors in October 1870 as Pimlico Fair Grounds. The racetrack, which measures 9.5 furlongs (1 3/16 miles), is the second-oldest in America.
The history of the course and the iconic race begins with Gov. Oden Bowie, a sports enthusiast and equestrian, who provided the momentum for bringing professional horse racing to the Free State. Bowie pledged to build a racetrack in Baltimore after attending a dinner in Saratoga Springs, New York, in 1868.
The first Preakness horse race was held in 1873 and was originally established as an independent “prestige” horse race. Bowie named the Preakness after a thoroughbred with a similar name who won the racetrack’s first “Dinner Party Stakes” on opening day.
While the Preakness has been run at Pimlico Race Course for many of the past 150 years, other locations have shared the honor. After the 1889 Preakness, the race temporarily moved to New York’s Westchester County. The 1889 race was significant, as it was the first year the Preakness Stakes trophy, known as the Woodlawn Vase, was won by a Black man, George “Spider” Anderson. The Baltimore native began racing horses at age 12 and got his nickname “Spider” due to the small build of his stature. At a slender 80 pounds – something that worked to his advantage during his jockey days– Anderson rode into the history books at just 18 years old with an impressive time of two minutes and 17.5 seconds.
The race returned to Maryland after three years, only to move again to Gravesend Race Track in Brooklyn, NY, where the race was held between 1894 and 1908. The Preakness finally returned to its home at Pimlico permanently in 1909.
In December 1950, the Preakness officially became the second race in the Triple Crown when the Thoroughbred Racing Associations in New York formally sanctioned the name. Through the decades it has become a signature event in Baltimore on an annual basis.
In 2024, Gov. Wes Moore signed legislation passed by the Maryland General Assembly that set aside $400 million in state bonds to renovate the Pimlico Race Course. On July 1, the Stronach Group – now doing business under the name 1/ST – transferred ownership of the Pimlico Race Course and nearby Laurel Park race course to the newly created Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority for $1.
The Pimlico racetrack is scheduled for a full renovation in 2026, including a new clubhouse, stables for up to 700 horses, a training facility, an event venue for the community, and a hotel to be built by a private entity, said Craig Thompson, CEO of the Maryland Stadium Authority.
“This is more than just the construction of a racetrack,” said Thompson. “This is about bringing hundreds of millions of dollars to the city and community of Park Heights.”
Thompson estimates that the redeveloped Pimlico will expand from 15 to more than 100 race days every year.
The Preakness Stakes is scheduled to return to a revitalized Pimlico in 2027.
Scott, who grew up in Park Heights, has been a vocal advocate for Pimlico’s revitalization for years and said is proud to see more of the community welcomed to the Preakness Stakes.
“Seeing how far Preakness has come is personal for me. I came to my first Preakness in 2019. Over the last few years, I’ve seen more and more of my childhood neighbors take part,” he said. “Increasingly, Preakness isn’t just an event held in Park Heights, but with Park Heights.”