2011 Preakness Stakes Track Odds at Pimlico Race Course

May 21, 2011

The Preakness has had some memorable horse race winners with great photo finishes. Who could ever forget horses like Northern Dancer, Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Affirmed, Tabasco Cat, or Smarty Jones.

Pimlico Race Course is a horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes.

Pimlico officially opened in the fall of 1870, with the colt Preakness winning the first running of the Dinner Party Stakes. Three years later the horse would have the 1873 Preakness Stakes named in his honor. The track is also noted as the home for the match race in which Seabiscuit beat War Admiral in the second Pimlico Special, on November 1, 1938, before a crowd of 43,000. It is currently owned by Magna Entertainment Corp.

The Preakness Stakes is a classic 1 3/16 mile (1.91 km) thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds, held on the third Saturday in May of each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds (57 kg); fillies 121 lb (55 kg). Like its preceding Triple Crown race, the Preakness Stakes have been termed "The Run for the Black-Eyed Susans" because a horseshoe of black-eyed susans is traditionally placed around the winner's neck.

Preakness - What's In A Name?

It all started with the Minisi, a northern New Jersey tribe of Native Americans. They called their area Pra-qua-les, meaning quail woods. After a series of spellings the name eventually evolved into Preakness.

One of its variations was Preckiness, used by General George Washington to describe the area where his troops were quartered in the winter of 1776-77. Nearly a century later, Milton H. Sanford, a thoroughbred owner, became attracted to the name. He called his farms, one in New Jersey and another in Kentucky, Preakness.

His Jersey farm was located in the Indians' "quail woods." Today, there remains a Preakness, N.J. When he bought a yearling sired by Lexington and foaled by Bay Leaf from A. J. Alexander, he named the colt (bred in Kentucky at Woodburn Farm) Preakness, unaware that he was contributing to turf immortality. Preakness, the eighth foal of Bay Leaf, cost Sanford $2,000. It was Preakness who turned up as a 3-year-old for his debut in the Dinner Party Stakes at Pimlico's inaugural in 1870. He was derided as a "cart horse" for his ungainly appearance, but won that first stakes at Old Hilltop, which became a history-producing victory. In his triumph, Preakness was ridden by English jockey Billy Hayward, who supplied the name for one of Pimlico's present adjoining streets. It was the colt's only start in 1870 but he left a lasting impression at Pimlico. Three years later, the Maryland Jockey Club honored him by calling its newest stakes race "Preakness".

The Dinner Party Stakes eventually became the present-day Dixie Handicap. Preakness continued to race through his eight-year-old season in America. He won the Baltimore Cup, carrying 131 pounds at age eight and also finished in a deadhead with Springbok in the 1875 Saratoga Cup at 2-1/4 miles. Later that year, Sanford sent Preakness to England. He became one of the first American horses to be given genuine recognition by the British. Eventually the Duke of Hamilton purchased Preakness from Sanford for breeding.

2011 Preakness Stakes 136^th Contenders

Preakness Stakes Entries at Pimlico Race Track

2011 Preakness Stakes Contenders
Confirmed
HORSE	Jockey	Owner	Trainer	Breeder
Animal Kingdom	John R. Velazquez	Team Valor International	H. Graham Motion	Kentucky (USA) by Team Valor
Nehro	Corey S. Nakatani	Zayat Stables, LLC	Steven M. Asmussen	Mt. Brilliant Farm LLC
Shackle ford	Jesus Lopez Castanon	Lauffer, Michael and Cubbedge, W.D.	Dale L. Romans	Mike Lauffer & Bill Cubbedge
Mucho Macho Man	Rajiv Maragh	Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Dream Team One Racing Stable	Katherine Ritvo	John D Rio & Carole A Rio
King Congie	Rajiv Maragh	West Point Thoroughbreds	Thomas Albertrani	Bob Austin
Mr. Commons	Mike E. Smith	St. George Farm Racing LLC (Banwell)	John A. Shirreffs	St. George Farm LLC
Norman Asbjornson	Julian Pimentel	McClay, Thomas and Nye, Harry	Christopher W. Grove	Thomas G. McClay, Harry C. Nye III & Horseshoe Valley Equine
Flashpoint (FL)	Cornelio H. Velasquez	Peachtree Stable	Richard E. Dutrow, Jr.	Silverleaf Farms, Inc.
Ruler On Ice	Jose Valdivia, Jr.	Hall, George and Lori	Kelly J. Breen	Liberation Farm & Brandywine Farm
Dance City	Javier Castellano	Estate of Edward P. Evans	Todd A. Pletcher	Edward P. Evans
Midnight Interlude	Victor Espinoza	Arnold Zetcher LLC	Bob Baffert	Arnold Zetcher LLC
Pending
Dialed In	Julien R. Leparoux	Robert V. LaPenta	Nicholas P. Zito	W. S. Farish, Madeleine Pickens & Skara Glen Stables
Astrology	Mike E. Smith	Stonestreet Stables and Bolton, George	Steven M. Asmussen	Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC

Preakness Stakes Purse Structure Result Purse of $1,000,000

Winner $620,000 (62%)
Second $200,000 (20%)
Third $100,000 (10%)
Forth $50,000 (5%)
Fifth $30,000 (3%)

Preakness Stakes Winners

2010 Preakness Winner!

Lookin At Lucky rebounded from a disappointing performance in the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago to prevail over 11 rivals by three-quarters of a length in the 135th running of the $1,000,000 Preakness Stakes Saturday at Pimlico Race Course.

Lookin At Lucky, a son of Smart Strike by the Belong To Me mare Private Feeling, paid $6.80. The 7-11 exacta returned $188.60. The trifecta 7-11-6 paid $2771.

Rachel Alexandra: 2009 Preakness Winner!

First Filly To Win Preakness Since 1924. The best 3-year-old in the land just happens to be a filly named Rachel Alexandra. Jockey Calvin Borel all but guaranteed victory in the 2009 Preakness Stakes. By beating 2009 Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird, she ended any chance that thoroughbred racing would have had a Triple Crown winner that season. Affirmed was the last Triple Crown winner in 1978.

Rachel Alexandra led by a head at the quarter and half-mile poles. She stretched it to a half-length at the three-quarters pole. She was ahead by four lengths going down the stretch. In the end, the 9-5 favorite won by a length in her first race against the boys.

Kent Desormeaux kept looking back, and no one was coming. Not even close, and once again it was Big Brown first and the rest nowhere. The Pimlico crowd of 112,222 roared, saluting greatness that is rarely seen.

It was hard to imagine that his Preakness triumph Saturday could be easier and more impressive than his Kentucky Derby runaway, but it was.

When Desormeaux turned the muscular bay colt loose leaving the far turn, the race was over instantly. Under a stranglehold through the final sixteenth of a mile, Big Brown cantered to a 51/4-length romp over 39-to-1 shot Macho Again, who beat 22-to-1 Icabad Crane by a half-length.

Big Brown's margin could have been 15, but his rider was saving him for a shot at the first Triple Crown sweep since Affirmed in 1978.

Preakness Past Winners

Year Winner Time
2009 Rachel Alexandra
2008 Big Brown
2007 Curlin 1:53.46
2006 Bernardini 1:54.65
2005 Afleet Alex 1:55.04
2004 Smarty Jones 1:55.59
2003 Funy Cide 1:55.61
2002 War Emblem 1:56.40
2001 Point Given 1:55.40
2000 Red Bullet 1:56.00
1999 Charismatic 1:55.20
1998 Real Quiet 1:54.80
1997 Silver Charm 1:54.40

Preakness Stakes Betting at Pimlico Race Track

The Preakness Stakes horse betting has been a part of the horse racing since, the gates opened for its first race, all the way back in the year 1873. Three-year-old thoroughbreds have been making the journey to Maryland for the Preakness Stakes on the third Saturday in May annually ever since Survivor won the pot in the first race. The Preakness Stakes has seen prize money skyrocket as fast as the attendance in recent years.

Come bet on the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico racetrack and watch your favorite horse win at the Preakness. The second of the prestigious Triple Crown races, the 136th Preakness Stakes will continue its legacy as one of the word's finest horse races. But the early odds are hard to come by, so stop horsing around and get your Preakness stakes horse betting lines at BookMaker Racebook.

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