Maryland Takes Center Stage

The weather was perfect this weekend for an exciting and eventful array of sports around the state. From horse racing to cycling to extreme races, there was something for everyone to participate in. Here is a snapshot of why Maryland is a growing Sports destination:

Maryland will have another, as the 137^th Preakness featured the largest crowd ever. Over 120,000 people donned their snazziest outfits, partied, jammed and celebrated horse racing at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore City. The horse racing did not disappoint either. I Will Have Another narrowly defeated Bodemeister to put itself in position to become the first Triple Crown winner since 1978. Stay tuned to see if I Will Have Another attempts to make history at the Belmont Stakes on June 9^th.    

A Day for the Horses

With so many sporting events going on around the state this weekend, I, of course, picked the wrong one to attend.  As a proud Maryland alum, I chose to head down to College Park for, what I thought would be, a good football game between Temple and Maryland.  Instead, I watched my beloved Terps get drubbed by a surprisingly good Temple team.  I should have stayed closer to home and headed up to Shawan Downs in Hunt Valley for the 11^th annual Legacy Chase.

With the recent poor weather playing a factor, organizers were forecasting a crowd of about 5,000 people for the race.  Instead, the bad weather held off and an estimated 8,000 people showed up for a day of fun, low-key horse racing.  The only cost was a $30 parking fee that went directly to the Greater Baltimore Medical Center in Towson.

U-biquitous

It was been hard to escape the most famous Maryland sports brand the past few weeks.  In fact, starting with the “chalet” that greeted infield-goers at the Preakness, the Under Armour brand was everywhere.

From horses to lacrosse to golf, Under Armour has been everywhere the past few weeks.  Between the selections for the All-America series to be played this July at Unitas Stadium, the introduction of new lacrosse-specific equipment to the product line, the presence of Terp men and women in the NCAA finals and as the presenting sponsor of the Nationwide Tour’s Melwood Prince George’s County Open, the familiar entwined “UA” has constantly been in front of us.

How Maryland Does Horse Racing- 136th Preakness Stakes

136th Running of the Preakness Stakes

 It came and went in a flash! The 136th running of the Preakness Stakes at  Pimlico in Baltimore, was finally upon us and everyone’s eyes were on Animal  Kingdom, winner of the Kentucky Derby.

My trek to the Preakness started off with a beautiful 70 degree morning, clear  blue skies and not a chance of rain. This day would be one that will never be  forgotten.

Getting into Pimlico was a breeze, the staff made sure to keep the lines moving.  The first sight we came to was a man selling the coveted and delightful Black-  Eyed Susan drink in a collectable Preakness glass. So naturally, as any other  first timers, we had to have that glass! As we made a toast to our first  Preakness, a friendly lady came up fervently wanting to join in the circle. She could not contain her excitement finding out that it was our first Preakness, and she made sure to give us the best advice she could since she was a veteran, coming to Preakness since 1986.

Prepping for Preakness: Pimlico Female Jockey Challenge

Yesterday we previewed the upcoming NVL Baltimore Preakness tournament in our Prepping for Preakness series. Today we bring you part two and introduce you to another new event taking place this week: the Pimlico Female Jockey Challenge.

Tomorrow is the $30,000 Pimlico Female Jockey Challenge.  This event pits six of the world’s top female jockeys against each other in Pimlico’s inaugural “Distaff” Jockey Challenge.

The ladies will square off in four Challenge races, with points awarded based upon their finish and $10,000 to the winner.  The riders scheduled to participate are Vicky Baze, Forest Boyce, Rosie Napravnik, Chantal Sutherland, Hayley Turner and Emma-Jayne Wilson.

Maryland in the Winner’s Circle

Nearly 165,000 attended the Kentucky Derby yesterday.  It was a record crowd for a thrilling horse race on a beautiful day.  And when the chestnut colt trotted to the Winner’s Circle for his blanket of roses, there were cheers all around the State of Maryland.  For although Animal Kingdom was born and bred elsewhere, he has spent his career living and training at Fair Hill.

His trainer, Graham Motion, is a native of Great Britain, but earned his reputation over twenty years of training in Laurel, Bowie and Fair Hill.  Just last November, he saddled Shared Account, the two year old filly who won the Breeders Cup turf event for Sagamore Farm in Glyndon.