In the September 2020 Equiery print edition we challenged readers to decide if the following facts about the Preakness Stakes were fact or fiction. The answers to this fun quiz are below! Let us know how many you got correct 🙂
1. The Preakness trophy, the Woodlawn Vase, was made in 1860 by Tiffany and Company. – FACT: It is also considered the most expensive trophy in US sports.
2. Traditionally, the Black-eyed Susan blanket worn by the Preaknss winner is made of daisies painted with black centers since Black-eyed Susans do not bloom until June. – FACT
3. The tradition of painting the weather vane with the Preakness winner’s silks was started in 1985. – FICTION: The tradition of painting the weather vane began in 1909.
4. The most recent filly to win the Preakness Stakes was Nellie Morse in 1924. – FICTION: The most recent filly to win the Preakness Stakes was Rachel Alexandra in 2009.
5. Pimlico Race Course is the second oldest track in the U.S. and first opened on October 25, 1870. – FACT: New York’s Saratoga is considered the country’s oldest track.
6. “Maryland My Maryland” was adapted from the poem by James Ryder Randall written in 1861. It became the state song in 1999 and is sung each year right before the running of the Preakness Stakes. – FICTION: “Maryland My Maryland” was written in 1939.
7. There have been five Maryland-bred winners of the Preakness Stakes. – FACT: Belair Stud’s Gallant Fox (1930 – Triple Crown winner), Belair Stud’s Omaha (1935 – Triple Crown winner and son of Gallant Fox), Sagamore Farm’s Native Dancer (1953), Belair Stud’s Nashua (1955) and Bonita Farm’s Deputed Testamony (1983)
8. The first Maryland-bred horse to win the Preakness Stakes was Sagamore Farm’s Native Dancer in 1953. – FICTION: The first Maryland-bred to win the Preakness Stakes was Gallant Fox in 1930.
9. Belair Stud bred two Preakness Stakes (and Triple Crown!) winners. – FACT: Gallant Fox in 1930 and Omaha in 1935.
10. The Alibi Breakfast started in the late 1930s on the porch of the Pimlico Clubhouse as a group of reporters, trainers, owners and dignitaries gathered to chat about their horses and swap stories. – FACT: The Alibi Breakfast is home to various media awards as well as a platform for the owners and trainers of Preakness runners to talk a bit about their horses.
11. The original clubhouse was destroyed by fire in June of 1971. A replica now sits at the finish line in the Pimlico infield and is the official winner’s circle for the Preakness Stakes. – FICTION: The original clubhouse burnt down in June 1966.
12. The Preakness Stakes has been held on every day of the week over its long history. – FICTION: The Preakness Stakes has never been run on a Sunday.
13. The first Preakness Stakes was held on May 23, 1873. – FACT
14. Survivor, the first Preakness Stakes winner, won by 10 lengths, setting a Preakness record that was not beaten until Smarty Jones won by 11.5 lengths in 2004. – FACT
15. Considered the “Lost Preaknesses,” the Preakness was held in Kentucky for several years. – FICTION: The “Lost Preaknesses” were held at two different tracks in New York.
