Pimlico Race Course opened almost 150 years ago, and while you would never know it by the presentation TV makes during the track's one great day of thoroughbred racing a year, it doesn't seem to have changed a lot since War Admiral and Seabiscuit hooked up for their well-documented match race in 1938.
The toilets leak and the infield party for the Preakness Stakes is for the bravest of hearts. The facility is basically a huge concrete pad with limited shelter, charm or even intrinsic charisma.
A place that fights to keep its middle leg of the Triple Crown when most say it should be moved to Laurel, another Maryland track, to ensure it stays in the Baltimore area.
Yet, Saturday, the TV cameras had the right angles and the announcers were kind, although their description of the infield action was closer to debauchery than a celebration.
A record crowd of 135,256 came in hopes of seeing another Triple Crown contender.
Instead, they got wet.
The expected rain didn't dampen spirits, and early in the day a ripple of excitement went through the crowd as someone plunged $80,000 to win on Stradavari temporarily making him the odds-on-favorite and jumping Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist to 5-2.
It would not play out that way.
The undefeated Nyquist made believers out of a lot of his doubters with his fifth Grade I victory in the Derby, and he went into the 141st Preakness with almost $5 million in earnings, including a $1 million bonus that came with winning the Florida Derby.
His 10 challengers and their jockeys stood in the rain honoring the Preakness tradition of being saddled in front of the fans, on the infield turf. But Nyquist was in the paddock keeping his saddle as dry as possible for as long as possible.
Maybe it should have been a clue that the horse who had never run in the mud might not like the wet track.
Soon enough his muddied saddlecloth crossed the finish line in third, leaving a lingering question about him running in the Belmont Stakes in three weeks.
Just a hint, if Oaklawn-raced Suddenbreakingnews goes in the Belmont, he'll be fresh and the 1½ miles won't bother him in the least.
All week the talk had been about Exaggerator's Santa Anita Derby win in the mud. It was a race Nyquist skipped for the Florida Derby, or perhaps his owner and trainer didn't like the forecast.
It was a little surprising -- unless they were afraid of how he would react to having mud kicked in his face -- when Nyquist went for the lead in a race loaded with speed.
Uncle Lino was not about to let Nyquist relax out in the front by himself, and he pushed Nyquist all the way to the turn for home when he momentarily stuck his head in front.
But jockey Kent Desormeaux, aboard Exaggerator, was watching the race develop. He had saved some ground but wisely stayed a length off the the rail, a quagmire, especially down the stretch.
Exaggerator, trained by Kent's brother Keith, loved the Baltimore slop and when Uncle Lino was hitting the 1-mile mark like it was a wall and started to fade, the winner was pulling ahead.
Right behind him, rallying, was Cherry Wine, who ran fourth the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn.
Cherry Wine's connections wanted to run him in the Kentucky Derby but didn't have the points.
It will be a surprise if Cherry Wine doesn't run in the Belmont, where Exaggerator is headed if he comes back in good shape this morning.
Exaggerator, after four consecutive losses to Nyquist, got some revenge far from their California home on a day made for ducks, but the party belonged to the Desormeaux brothers thanks to a son of Curlin, one of the all-time great thoroughbreds.
Sports on 05/22/2016