So this Saturday is the annual running of the second jewel of horse racing's Triple Crown. The 136th running of the Preakness Stakes. As a Marylander, I should be proud that the sport of kings honors its' rich history and holds this great event at Pimlico Race Course. I should be proud that NBC brings Bob Costas and an award winning crew to town to cover the day. I should be proud that the winners of this race include amazing thoroughbreds such as Rachel Alexandra, Smarty Jones, Sunday Silence, Seattle Slew and the great Secretariat.
With all of the things that could make the Preakness so memorable, why does is seem that the image I will remember most about this year's race is a drunken centaur called Kegasus?
Just in case you haven't been introduced, Kegasus is the "legendary" mascot of this year's Preakness, created by a Washington, DC advertising agency to drum up infield ticket sales. This is the same agency that created last year's classy Preakness slogan, "Get your Preak on." Kegasus sports piercings, a beer gut, Kenny Powers' haircut and hooves.
And if you ask the folks that run the Preakness, the Kegasus campaign is doing a great job. They claim that ticket sales are up 16% over last year.
But if it takes a drunken ad campaign and reckless offers such as the unlimited beer "Mug Club" to lure fans into Old Hilltop, I have to wonder if it's worth it.
A legendary Preakness Stakes should happen if Fair Hill based Animal Kindgom, his trainer Graham Motion and his jockey John Velasquez can capture the middle jewel in the Triple Crown.
A legendary embarrassment is likely to happen for the City of Baltimore and the State of Maryland if a drunken centaur becomes the indelible image left behind on Saturday.
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