No Plans To Return To Old Alcohol Policies For Preakness Infield
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Preakness Infield Has
"Alcohol-Doused" Past |
Maryland Jockey Club (MJC) President & COO Tom Chuckas yesterday said that there are “no plans to restore” the infield at Pimlico Race Course “to its traditional alcohol-doused party past” for the Preakness Stakes, according to Lisa Rein of the WASHINGTON POST. Chuckas: “I don’t see us going back to last year’s policy. The overriding tenor of the comments was that the mood in the infield was very positive.” But some Maryland officials said that with attendance “down by a third from last year,” the ban “might have to be rethought.” Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. said that Pimlico “'has got to come up with a compromise' that preserves security but does not drive away thousands of college students.” Miller: “The college kids need to know they’re welcome. They can bring their beer in paper cups.” Rein notes one idea is to “allow kegs but prohibit cans, maintaining the party atmosphere but ensuring that full cans of beer cannot be thrown.” Former MJC Exec VP & CEO Joe DeFrancis: “The fundamental problem is the full (beer) cans being used as missiles. So, allow people to bring things in. They can have their little party and their plot of land on the infield.” But Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley “defended the infield alcohol ban, noting that although attendance plummeted, the total betting handle … was up almost” 18%. O’Malley: “The increased betting indicated the people who were there had a better time.” O’Malley, who has “pledged to do what he can to keep the Preakness in Maryland,” noted that the “shift to a more family-friendly crowd ‘can’t happen all in the first year’” (WASHINGTON POST, 5/19).
THE RIGHT MOVE? Author John Feinstein said of the low attendance Saturday, "You wonder if it’s because they couldn’t take alcohol into the infield, if that was a factor. ... To drop 35,000 in attendance for an event like that, with all that’s going on at Pimlico with their owners and bankruptcy, that’s not a good thing” (“Washington Post Live,” CSN Mid-Atlantic, 5/18). Denver Post columnist Woody Paige: "They didn't let young people go out on the infield and bring their own lemonade. … I think that was the biggest mistake” (“Around The Horn,” ESPN, 5/18).
CHANGE AT THE TOP? The Baltimore EXAMINER's Steve DeClue writes Chuckas “should resign from his post immediately following the embarrassing way he [handled] the infield at this year’s Preakness.” Chuckas “took the fun out of the Preakness infield, spending way more money than in past years to create a different atmosphere while bringing in way less revenue.” DeClue: “Is this the type of person you want leading a major event and a track whose owner is in bankruptcy?” (Baltimore EXAMINER, 5/19). Baltimore SUN editorial board members Andrew Green and Nancy Johnston debate Chuckas' future (THE DAILY).
DRAWING INTEREST: It is uncertain whether Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra will run in the Belmont Stakes on June 6, but Jess Jackson, a co-owner of the horse, said, "Hopefully, she’ll run against the boys again." Jackson: "This was, you may have read, the second highest … attention on TV in two decades for the (Preakness), and I think that broadening of the fan base is good for horse-dom, but it’s also important that she be healthy when she runs” (“ESPN First Take,” ESPN2, 5/18). Orange County Register columnist Mark Whicker said the Preakness was a "terrific race and it was great for horse racing. The ratings are up and everybody’s talking about horses again” (“Jim Rome Is Burning,” ESPN, 5/18). CBS' David Letterman joked, "How about that Preakness? … A filly won the race. Rachel Alexandra won the Preakness, and there is already trouble. Have you heard about this? Naked photos!” (“Late Show,” CBS, 5/18).
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