Dreary old Pimlico never looked better By Ed McNamara Special to ESPN.com BALTIMORE -- Marylander's joke: The Derby? Oh, that's the race before the Preakness. Triple Crown truth: Churchill Downs is a racetrack in search of a city; Baltimore is a city in search of a racetrack. Trainer Neil Drysdale and his star 3-year-old, Fusaichi Pegasus, learned firsthand about the second part of that aphorism this week. It was Drysdale's first visit in many years to the funky track known as Old Hilltop, and it was memorable for a lot of reasons, the least of which became his horse's upsetting loss to Red Bullet in the 125th Preakness Stakes on Saturday. But even before Fusaichi Pegasus lost, Drysdale had plenty of odd moments in the days leading up to the race. On Thursday morning, Drysdale was asked how the colt's first night on the Pimlico backstretch went. "Lots of sirens and a few shotgun blasts," replied the cool, urbane Englishman. "But what's a few shotgun blasts among friends?" Drysdale often speaks of how intelligent Fusaichi Pegasus is. If the $4 million yearling could speak, he probably would have said, "I win the Derby and I get sent here? What would have happened to me if I had finished up the track? When do we go home, Daddy?" Pimlico's age is 130, and many of its barns look older. The backstretch is a combination of mud, manure pits and asphalt, with grass and trees conspicuous by their absence. The building that holds the fans is just as beat. There haven't been any major improvements made to the clubhouse and the grandstand since 1954, which must be a world record. The weather for Saturday's 125th running of the Preakness Stakes was just as dreary as the surroundings. A heavy mist began falling before dawn and the temperature was in the mid-50s. The traffic on the way to the track was even worse than in Louisville on Derby Day, which was a major achievement. It took almost 90 minutes to travel about three miles on leafy Northern Parkway. Dozens of buses and vans were filled with young revelers having beer for breakfast. Many of them jumped out to relieve themselves in the woods, which already were soaked with precipitation from the sky. The London-like fog didn't deter the thousands of partiers who filled the infield before the first race went off at 10:45. "Why in the world would anyone want to be in the infield today?" asked speed-figure guru Andrew Beyer. Ah, the kids. You've got to love their energy and passion. Happy Preakness, everybody. Hi-ho, Pimlico! The main track was rated sloppy for the first race and was upgraded, if that's the right word, to good for the third and to muddy for the fifth. The people in the infield started off wet and stayed that way. I've always thought sunshine is highly overrated, but I always root for nice weather on Derby Day. I drew a perverse pleasure, though, from the miserable conditions on Preakness Day. Somehow, it just felt right. I have to admit, though, that being warm inside the press box influenced me. The Kentucky Derby and the Preakness are the first two legs of the Triple Crown, and that's pretty much where the connection ends. The Derby is a celebration of spring, a cultural happening that pumps up the nation. The Preakness is an intriguing horse race that offers the possibility of a horse going for a sweep of the classics. The Derby is first; the Preakness comes next. It's the natural order of things, and it will never change.

ESPN.com: Help | Advertiser Info | Contact Us | Tools | Site Map | Jobs at ESPN.com Copyright ©2000 ESPN Internet Ventures. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and Safety Information are applicable to this site.