May 17th marks The 139th Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The tradition first started in 1873. It is an American flat thoroughbred horse race with days of events surrounding this one race!
1. Route One Apparel is selling officially licensed Preakness apparel online.
2. Unofficial Dress Code for InfieldFest: Any Route One Apparel gear would be our go to, but you will see a wide range of outfits! From girls in Lilly dresses and floppy hats and boys in bow ties to jean shorts and a tank top. Either way, wear comfortable shoes…it is a long day!
3. From the kick off concert at Rams Head Live to Preakness Day, get your tickets here for all the events.
4. A number of Baltimore bars offer transportation AND a ticket to Preakness’s InfieldFest. Check out Mad River or options from BMORE Around Town.
5. Plan ahead for traffic and get there early! Uber is one of the sponsors. Check them out for promotions and fare quotes.
6. Another reason not to drive yourself to Preakness…Pimlico will serve 900 gallons of Black-Eyed Susan drinks on Preakness Day thanks to Finlandia Vodka and St. Germain Liqueur who sponsor the event. Find the recipe here.
7. Be prepared for rain or shine! Whether you pack sunscreen or a poncho, check out the security policies for what you can and cannot bring into Pimlico.
8. Preakness Day there is a bikini contest sponsored by 105.7 The Fan. If any of the contestants show up in our Maryland flag bikini they will have our vote!
9. Friday, May 16th is Black-Eyed Susan Day. Musical acts include: Counting Crows, The Fray and Annie Bosko.
10. Saturday, May 17th party at InfieldFest. Musical acts include: Lorde, Nas, Glenn Morrison, Frank Walker, Switchfoot, Eli Young Band, Sundy Best and Go Go Gadjet.
11. You never know who you will see on Preakness Day. Gene Simmons was on stage and watched Pitbull perform last year.
12. Eight Maryland bred horses have won the Preakness.
13. You know what else Maryland does…crabcakes. Pimlico uses 7,000 pounds of crab to make about 45,000 crabcakes, which will be served on Preakness Day.
14. The majority of horses that have won have been the color “Bay.” Coincidence that Maryland is known for its love of Old Bay?
15. Only three female jockeys (Rosie Napravnik, Andrea Seefeldt Knight, and PJ Cooksey) have ridden in the Preakness race.
16. There will be 600 horses at Pimlico on Preakness Day.
17. The Preakness Stake is scheduled to go off at 6:18pm.
18. The winner of the Preakness Stake receives a replica of the Woodlawn Vase, the trophy. The real trophy will be at the track on Preakness Day, but under armed security. Makes sense since it is made by Tiffany & Co. and its value exceeds four million dollars. Stop by and see it at The Baltimore Museum of Art any other week of the year.
19. Looks are deceiving…there are no Black-Eyed Susan flowers at Pimlico on Preakness Day. They are actually Viking daisies with the centers painted black. Originally Preakness was in the fall when black-eyed susans were in bloom. The current cost to import black-eyed susans for this event would be astronomical.
20. Preakness has the largest crowd of people in any Maryland event…
…So will you be at Preakness this year? I will! If you are rocking Route Apparel or spot someone who is…snap a picture and tag @RouteOneApparel and #RouteOneApparel on Instagram and Twitter.
