Thoroughbred Racing's middle jewel of the Triple Crown will be contested this Saturday with the 133rd Running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. Located in Baltimore, the historic track opened in 1870, making it just the young nation's second venue. Two hundred years earlier, colonists had dubbed the area after fond memories of a noted landmark outside London, that being ' Olde Ben Pimlico's Tavern'.
The storied oval famously included a small rise in the infield favored by horsemen and enthusiasts alike for discerning their charges progress. Unfortunately, the genteel gathering place was razed following the advent of television as it ostensibly obscured the shot of the backstretch. So much for progress, yet the memory lives on as the storied home of the Black-Eyed Susans remains known as 'Old Hilltop'.
The storied oval famously included a small rise in the infield favored by horsemen and enthusiasts alike for discerning their charges progress. Unfortunately, the genteel gathering place was razed following the advent of television as it ostensibly obscured the shot of the backstretch. So much for progress, yet the memory lives on as the storied home of the Black-Eyed Susans remains known as 'Old Hilltop'.
An ocean and time may have separated Ben from Old Hilltop, yet a stout draught and a swift horse remain a formidable combination. Enjoy.
