A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
This Saturday is the 150th Preakness Stakes held in Baltimore. With Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty out of the race, runner-up Journalism is the favorite in the nine-horse field.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Always rooting for journalism, but there's something else about this race. It will be the last Preakness at the old Pimlico race track.
HAYES GARDNER: So, Pimlico is kind of a cornerstone of Baltimore.
MARTÍNEZ: Hayes Gardner is a reporter with Baltimore Banner. He's written extensively about the history of Pimlico.
GARDNER: Pimlico itself dates to 1870 in Baltimore. The first Preakness Stakes, which is the second jewel of the Triple Crown, was held in 1873.
INSKEEP: And the race track has seen some horses since like Seabiscuit, who beat Triple Crown winner War Admiral during what was called a match race at Pimlico during the Great Depression in 1938.
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UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: Seabiscuit leads by a length. Now Seabiscuit by a length and a half. Wolf (ph) has put away his whip. Seabiscuit by three. Seabiscuit by three. Seabiscuit is the winner by four lengths.
MARTÍNEZ: In 1973...
INSKEEP: You want to do that voice, don't you?
MARTÍNEZ: I wish I could.
INSKEEP: (Laughter).
MARTÍNEZ: In '73, Secretariat won the Preakness and then went on to win the Triple Crown, adding to the legend of the venue and the popularity of the race.
GARDNER: Over the years, Preakness evolved into this really raucous celebration, more than 100,000 people pouring into the venue every year for the Preakness, which is the third Saturday in May.
INSKEEP: But Gardner says the venue got shabby overtime with peeling paint and inoperable elevators.
GARDNER: There were plumbing issues at some recent Preakness Stakes, which, you know, if the bathrooms are backed up and there's tens of thousands of people trying to use them, that's a huge problem.
MARTÍNEZ: Now, it's not just only about the poor state of Pimlico. Horse racing, with the exception of the Kentucky Derby, just is not as popular as it once was. Now, one reason for that is the concern for the welfare of the horses.
INSKEEP: Yeah. In 2006, Barbaro, a champion thoroughbred, shattered his leg during the Preakness.
MARTÍNEZ: Still, the Preakness remains a beloved tradition in Baltimore, with the state of Maryland investing hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild a new Pimlico. Officials say the rebuilt track will be ready by May 2027.
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MARTÍNEZ: If you were a horse, Steve, I mean, you'd be a thoroughbred, right? I'd be the mule. I'd be a mule, but you'd be the thoroughbred.
INSKEEP: (Laughter) And down the stretch they come. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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