The Preakness Stakes was first contested in 1873, six years after the inaugural Belmont Stakes, and two years before the maiden running of the Kentucky Derby. It was a time of healing in America. The country was slowly being stitched back together both physically and emotionally during the Reconstruction period in the aftermath of the Civil War. Thoroughbred racing was on the ascent and playing a significant role in the new America. State officials in Maryland â which had a distinguished racing history and traced its Jockey Clubâs origins to 1743 â desired a piece of the post-war turf action.
Located in northwest Baltimore, Pimlico Race Course was built precisely for such a grand occasion as the foundational Preakness. The track opened Oct. 25, 1870, only two years after Maryland Gov. Oden Bowie announced at a Saratoga Springs, N.Y., dinner party his state was developing plans to construct a spectacular new venue for racing. To christen Pimlico, Gov. Bowie offered a s