The Countdown to The Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park

The Winner's Circle and Old Clubhouse lined with Black-Eyed Susans on Preakness Day, May 20, 2023. (Photo: Joe Schilp)

The countdown has begun! This year marks the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes. The second leg of the iconic Triple Crown of thoroughbred racing will be held May 17 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. While extensive renovations are being made to Pimlico, the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes will take place at Laurel Park.

This year’s Preakness Stakes merit the extra attention being given from the state, not only due to the renovation plans but also to the efforts to spur interest in the horse racing industry in the state.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore said, “Maryland’s horse industry alone generates around $3 billion every year and supports over 25,000 jobs. About a quarter of Maryland’s agricultural sector, which is the largest sector in Maryland’s economy, comes from the equine industry.”

Maryland First Lady Dawn Flythe Moore is co-chair of the Preakness Festival. This year’s festival includes a free family day, free tours offered by select Maryland horse farms, a ticketed Governor’s Open Golf Tournament, and a ticketed waterfront concert headlined by DJ D-Nice and Club Quarantine Live.

An illustration of George Anderson from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 11, 1888.

The festivities kick off on May 10 with a music and arts festival in Park Heights. The Fourth Annual George “Spider” Anderson Music and Arts Festival honors the Baltimore-born, Black jockey, who won the Preakness Stakes in 1889. He was one of only two Black jockeys to win the event. Riding the horse, Buddhist, Anderson clocked an astounding time, which has endured as the fastest time in the history of the race.

Anderson’s success as a top earner put him among the top eleven jockeys in the country in 1889. Jockeys could make a lot of money at the time from being attached to leading stables and earning a salary ranging from $5,000 to $12,000 a year. They would also earn additional money from riding in races where their employer did not run a horse. Anderson’s wages were said to be $5,000 in salary and $2,000 won on outside mounts that year.

For more information about this year’s Preakness Festival, visit Preaknessfestival.com

---

Angie Latham Kozlowski is a staff writer and member of the Board of Directors for the Laurel History Boys. In addition to her investigative reporting, her articles frequently spotlight Howard County.