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The Triple Crown's 2nd Jewel

I've been to the preakness at pimlico racetrack in baltimore three times (1992, 1997 and 2003). It's a great afternoon of drinking black eyed susans and hanging out in the infield with about 90,000 other people on the third saturday in may. Most people arrive late morning or early afternoon and stay for the 10 or 11 races leading up to the preakness stakes at 5:30. It's so crowded that you may have to step over some people who are drunk and passed out on the ground! And if you're lucky, you may even see a couple of horses run by one of the rails.

One of the funniest things about the race is that printed on the ticket (and on signs as you enter) is a warning against bringing any shopping carts, illegal drugs, ladders or lawn furniture into the track! I was under the impression that illegal drugs were illegal everywhere, and that I didn't need a separate warning at pimlico. As for the ladders, they don't want people blocking others' views of the race. But the shopping carts were a puzzle. It turns out that after the race, local kids with shopping carts pick up all the recyclabe cans and bottles, but they're not allowed in during the race.

Finally, here's a picture of Marty (on the right) at the 122nd running of the Preakness in 1997, looking over the race card with Johnny Maz (left) and Louie D (center).