Less than eight hours before the biggest race in Magna Entertainment Corp.’s empire, two company executives were hanging out in the Pimlico Race Course grandstand wearing jeans and t-shirts.
No, this was not part of some casual Preakness Stakes (G1) promotion for the 2007 edition of the race. Rather, Chief Executive Officer Michael Neumann and Executive Vice President Joe De Francis were dressing to their audience. (Neither is affiliated with Magna any longer).
They were on their way to the Pimlico infield, which is no place for suits—figuratively or literally unless it's a birthday suit—on Preakness day.
The infield revelry for the Preakness makes the Kentucky Derby (G1) party scene, which Hunter S. Thompson called “decadent and depraved,” look like a church picnic. It is Mardi Gras without the floats and New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas without the fireworks.
The common refrain from the infield is, “What horse race?” People do not live the Preakness infield experience; they survive it.
That atmosphere is very likely to change this year when Pimlico rolls out InfieldFEST presented by Bud Light, which will feature a rock concert and the Toyota Pro Beach East Volleyball Tour.
Helping get the party started is local-gone-national rock group Charm City Devils. Its first single, "Let's Rock-n-Roll" off its debut album of the same name, has topped the charts of local hard rock radio stations. Frontman and songwriter John Allen is a Baltimore native, but his group's concert will be his first Preakness experience.
"I always said I'd only go when they let me play," Allen said Friday morning. "I guess I have no excuse not to go now."
The Maryland Jockey Club may have added live entertainment to the Preakness infield experience, but it took away patrons' ability to bring in liquid refreshment of any kind, including alcohol. The lack of carry in libations will likely prevent such impromptu sports as the running of the urinals and dodging flying beer bottles, but it will help foster a more family friendly environment.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I generally support family-friendly atmosphere on race-day, and I in light of past events also generally support Pimlico's decision to ban BYO booze. But I consider banning any unopened containers of anything but booze an affront to the fans and nothing more than a cheap ploy to make a buck.
ReplyDeleteI, too, doubt this was a plan to create a family friendly infield and more a ploy to sell beer to the imbibers rather than let them bring it in for themselves. We'll see if attendance perks back up in a couple of years -- with a whole different type of crowd in the infield -- but for Year 1 of the switch, an attendance drop of roughly 30 percent can't be altogether pleasing.
ReplyDelete