When you flip on the television to watch the Preakness Stakes on Saturday you will be treated to glamorous event coverage. There will be folks dressed in their finest, tipping their glasses, and celebrating the second jewel in the triple crown of horse racing.
On an early morning tour of Baltimore’s Pimlico Race Course my friends and I were given the opportunity to get a glimpse of the down to earth side at the track.
What you won’t see on television Saturday afternoon is the devotion to the animals and the love for the sport that we saw expressed behind the scenes.
The track was messy as a few sprinkles fell from overcast skies while we walked around the grounds, part of a sunrise tour at the famous track. Mother Nature had set aside our plan to see the sunrise as the horses did their morning workouts.
Those overcast skies provided the perfect light to see the genuine devotion of those working with the animals and preparing for Saturday’s race.
As we walked along the rail, through the famous grandstand, and into the stables we watched a busy crew at work. The riders, trainers, and handlers were carefully tending to horses and leading them through their morning regime.
In the barns we talked with one of the representatives of the Budweiser hitch and met one of Baltimore’s finest, who introduced us to a couple of the equestrian members of the police force.
Our tour guide was a young woman that genuinely loved her work. Her words were filled with a fire and passion of a person living a dream. In her case it was working with the horsemen, horses, and colleagues at the track.
That same passion was on the faces of the riders carefully guiding the horses around the muddy track as they completed their morning workouts.
We didn’t need to see a glamorous sunrise to capture a story that often times goes untold.
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