The Preakness Stakes is all about fun: the middle jewel of the Triple Crown is a celebration of sport, music, and style with a festival atmosphere surrounding the best racing in the nation.
Thoroughbreds in North America all celebrate their birthdays on Jan. 1, so as soon as the New Year rolls around, so does “foaling season” – that magical time that lasts from the beginning of January through the late spring when racehorse babies are born. In this weekly piece, we’ll bring you the best of new arrivals to the Thoroughbred world. So sit back, relax, and take in the Cute Foals of the Week for 2017!
Every day starts with expectations. In the world of horse racing, the expectations are combined with hope, grit and resolution that everything will go your way and you will end the day a winner. So there is a massive amount of planning that goes into every minute of the day. This means that the horses are happy and healthy, the photographers and journalists are in place, the fans are ready to cheer and it’s going to be a glorious, fun-filled, action-packed, historic day. But there is one kink in the plan when Mother Nature decides to have her way.
Many people will tell you that their favorite race of the Triple Crown is the Preakness. There is a lot of joy and bon vivant associated with a race that advertises one to “Get Your Preak On!” From the moment you arrive at Pimlico Race Course, the staff welcomes you and the track wraps its arms around you. Yes, it’s a ratty, old track in desperate need of a makeover.
Anthony Bonomo, who grew up in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, N.Y., and his wife, MaryEllen, got involved in thoroughbred racing as owners in 2006, when they purchased two horses that raced under the banner of Brooklyn Boyz Stable. Bonomo later joined forces with boyhood friend Vinnie Viola, owner of the National Hockey League’s Florida Panthers, in expanding his operation.
