My sisters and I attended the Preakness about 5 years ago. We don’t care a fig about horseracing, but, as native Marylanders, we thought we should attend at least once.
We were truly disappointed in how shabby the clubhouse was. There was nothing glamorous about the facilities or the people attending. What a big letdown!
I,too, talked of attending a Kentucky Derby, so my husband looked into taking a camping trip to the area. He says the cost would be outrageous, so it’s off the camping list.
Go to Cincinnati ( a city you’d like anyway) and go to Louisville by riverboat.
I’ve been to the Belmont (the year Secretariat won); the Preakness and the Derby are definitely on my list.
Perhaps Maryland could follow New York’s example in this regard. First Aqueduct was renovated and everything that took place there was moved to Belmont for a year or two, including the Wood Memorial. then Belmont closed for renovations, so all its meet, including the Belmont Stakes, was held at Aqueduct for a couple of years.
There is currently some kind of construction project (in its early stages, it appears) going on on the corner of the Laurel Park lot. Let’s follow the NY example and renovate one, then renovate the other, with the open park taking up the slack.
BTW, come to Laurel sometime. Maryland Million Day in October is Maryland’s second biggest racing day. You’ll find me there, reading my program as I head over to the paddock to watch the horses walk.