Believe it or not there was racing at tracks other than Pimlico this past weekend. Belmont Park hosted the $200,000 Grade 2 Vagrancy Handicap Saturday, May 18 - a 6 1/2 furlong dash for fillies and mares three years old and upward.
In the main event on a busy Saturday of thoroughbred racing, all eyes were on Orb as he was looking to claim the second jewel of the Triple Crown in the $1 million Preakness Stakes at Pimlico in Baltimore, Maryland.
The $300,000 Dixie Stakes was run on Pimlico turf as part of the Preakness Stakes undercard Saturday, May 18. 24-1 shot and D. Wayne Lukas trained Skyring posted his first victory in 11 starts dating back to May of last year by a half-length over fast-closing Willcox Inn.
The $300,000 Grade 3 Pimlico Special was run on Friday, May 17 on the Preakness Stakes eve card that also featured the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes.
The $500,000 Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico Race Course highlighted a good Preakness Stakes Eve card Friday May 17.
In the $200,000 Grade 3 Peter Pan Stakes at soggy Belmont Park Freedom Child rebounded from a disappointing tenth in the Wood Memorial Stakes with an uber-impressive 13 1/4 length victory and in turn he punched his ticket to the Belmont Stakes June 8.
The $100,000 Grade 3 Senorita Stakes went down Saturday, May 11 at Betfair Hollywood Park. It was the impressive British bred filly Charlie Em that posted the impressive head victory in her first start on North American Soil at 9-1 odds.
In the biggest race of the weekend, it was Orb that took down the 139th running of the Kentucky Derby in sloppy conditions at Churchill Downs at 7-1 odds. 34-1 shot Golden Soul rallied for second and finished 2 1/2 lengths back in second while one of the Todd Pletcher entries Revolutionary finished another length back in third.
While most of the attention of the horse racing world was focused on the East Coast Saturday, the West Coast played host to the Grade 2 Mervyn Leroy Handicap at Betfair Hollywood Park.
The $150,000 Grade 3 Beaugay Stakes went down at Belmont Park on Saturday and it featured fillies and mares three years old and upward in the 1 1/16 mile event.
