This weekend, it’s going to be a little hard not to get your Preak on. Or hail Kegasus. Or whatever you really want to call it. Maryland’s Christmas of horse racing is in town this Saturday, and all eyes will be on Animal Kingdom to win the second leg of the Triple Crown at Pimlico Race Course.

If you’d rather just watch the Preakness Stakes festivities from home, there are other events to enjoy too:

As part of the Preakness Celebration, hot air balloons start Thursday at Turf Valley and go until Saturday at 6 p.m. Admission is free, while tethered ballon rides cost a small fee.

And the Children’s Hospital at Johns Hopkins will hold its 80th annual turtle derby Friday. For a small fee, spectators can name a turtle and enter it to win a cash prize. Races begin at 12:30 p.m. in the Preclinical Teaching Building courtyard on the Johns Hopkins medical campus.

And if you’re looking for something more refined than the infield, there’s the annual Wine in the Woods event at Symphony Woods in Columbia. Going on both Saturday and Sunday, wine tasters can enter for $25 to $30, designated drivers can join for $10 to $15, and children older than 3 years get in for $5. (The super underage set gets in for free.)

The Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival is also going on this weekend at Sandy Point State Park Saturday and Sunday. Tickets cost $55 to $120 and all the action starts at 11 a.m. The lineup includes The Lee Boys, John Mayall, Chris Isaak, Dana Fuchs, Little Feat and Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

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Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom came back to his… err… kingdom, at the Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton Tuesday.

The horse is expected to jog on the main track at the complex at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. Animal Kingdom’s trailer left Barn 22 at Churchill Downs at 5:15 this morning, according to the Maryland Jockey Club.

Trainer Graham Motion said he hasn’t decided whether Animal Kingdom will work before the Preakness. So far, the list of Preakness contenders remains at 20, consisting of seven that ran in the Derby and 13 newcomers.

Baltimore’s 136th Preakness Stakes will be held May 21.

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The Maryland Jockey Club announced Monday it has an app of its own.

The app, which will provide instant, real-time access to the latest Preakness Stakes updates, is available for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry phones.

So while you’re out in the infield or the stands during Preakness later this month, you can get all sorts of historical data, blog posts and wagering info. And the app will still be handy during daily races too, giving pre-race program notes, as well as scratches, results and video replays.

“We thought it was logical to launch this new platform around our biggest event, but plan on utilizing it year-round,” said Maryland Jockey Club President Tom Chuckas.

The app is already available to be downloaded from Apple’s App Store, while the app tailored for Androids and BlackBerry phones will be ready for consumption later this week.

The 136th running of the $1 million Preakness — the middle jewel of the Triple Crown — is Saturday, May 21.

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With lots of news in Maryland’s slots and horse racing industries this week, stories from The Daily Record’s government reporter Nicholas Sohr dominated our staff business content. The Daily Record also made news as our publisher, Chris Eddings, was promoted within the Dolan Company and our associate publisher, Suzanne Fischer-Huettner, was selected to take his place.

1. Racing panel rejects Maryland Jockey Club plan by Nicholas Sohr

The state rejected on Monday a “stop-gap” plan for Maryland thoroughbred racing that featured a drastically reduced racing schedule, a decision that fractures the ownership of Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park and injects more uncertainty into the future of the industry.

The corporate parents of the Maryland Jockey Club were expected to present a comprehensive business plan as the final step in gaining Maryland Racing Commission approval of the partnership. But, commissioners said what the club offered lacked details and members of the horse industry called for them to vote it down.

2. Fischer-Huettner named Daily Record publisher by Daily Record Staff

Suzanne Fischer-Huettner has been named publisher of The Daily Record.

A 37-year-old Maryland native who has been the newspaper’s associate publisher and vice president, Fischer-Huettner is the first woman publisher in the company’s 122-year history.

The announcement was made Thursday night at The Daily Record’s Leading Women event, which recognizes the achievements of Maryland women under 40, by Christopher A. Eddings, who is stepping down as publisher.

3. $12.4M spent on Anne Arundel slots referendum by Nicholas Sohr

The high-stakes battle over the right to build a casino in Anne Arundel County cost $12.4 million, according to a report published Wednesday by the state.

The Maryland Jockey Club spent $7.5 million on its failed referendum campaign to derail development of a casino at the Arundel Mills shopping mall. Subsidiaries of The Cordish Cos. — the casino’s developer — and the mall owners spent $4.9 million.

4. Eddings named publishing director for Dolan by Daily Record Staff

Christopher A. Eddings, publisher and president of The Daily Record, has been named director of publishing operations for The Dolan Company, owner of The Daily Record.

In his new role, Eddings will oversee the company’s business and legal newspaper and electronic publishing platforms throughout the country. He will continue to be headquartered in Baltimore with The Daily Record.

5. Racing plan for Laurel Park, Pimlico stuck at the starting gate by Nicholas Sohr

With Maryland thoroughbred racing and the Preakness Stakes in jeopardy, Penn National Gaming Inc. said Tuesday it will continue to work with its corporate partner to develop a plan for Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course in 2011.

Penn National and MI Developments Inc. were dealt a setback Monday evening when the Maryland Racing Commission threw out their plan to slash live racing, opting to send the companies back to the drawing board rather than settle for an option the state’s horsemen said would spell doom for the industry.

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If you’ve read today’s story on how Maryland horse racing got to where it is today, then you know about the tradition of resistance the industry has shown when it comes to change. An analyst I spoke to for the article pointed out that Rachel Alexandra’s story is one snapshot this year that illustrates that sentiment perfectly.

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After the 3-year-old filly blew away her competition by winning by 20 1/4 lengths in the Kentucky Oaks, racing fans and the sports world in general began calling for her to run in the Preakness Stakes.

But there’s a technicality: in order to be eligible to run in one of the Triple Crown races (the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and the Belmont Stakes) a horse has to be nominated before the racing series begins. Rachel Alexandra, who did not run in the Derby, couldn’t enter the Preakness unless there was a spot free after nominated horses’ owners had staked their claim. At one point after the Derby, it looked like horse owners — nervous about competing with the filly — were going to rally together to exclude her from the field.

That kind of behavior, according to Louisiana-based analyst Tim Rice, is just plain “repulsive”:

“If Rachel Alexandra goes there’s a good chance for higher ratings — people love her story,” he told me this week. “I don’t think I could cite a clearer example of the pettiness and small-mindedness in horse racing that that’s a possibility.”

Thankfully for fans — and ratings — the filly phenom is running in tomorrow’s race at Pimlico. But I’m with Rice on this one: Rachel Alexandra’s story is an unbelievable marketing opportunity for the industry in general and especially for the Preakness Stakes.

It’s been 85 years since a filly won the Preakness Stakes and with all the buzz surrounding the horse, to even have the possibility that her chance to run in the second leg of the Triple Crown could be thwarted reveals an embarrassing truth about horse racing: to some owners,  it’s every man for himself.

Do you think Rice is off base? Should the horse’s owner have nominated her for the Triple Crown just in case and was this his tough luck instead? Or do you agree?

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Pimlico Race Course and the Preakness Stakes have finally joined the 21st Century.

A new Web site has launched today, and gone are the cheesy, static designs, now replaced with– among other things — a count down clock, moving graphics and a ton more information.

For example, did you know that during the Civil War the Woodlawn vase (presented to every Preakness winner) was buried at the Woodlawn Cemetery to be kept safe from being stolen and melted down for bullets?

Oh, and there’s also relevant info about parking, dining, menus, etc.

But on a sour note for those who are Infield regulars and still plan on going — despite the new alcohol policy — you’d better hurry up and get your tickets now if you want to lock in on last year’s ticket price of $45 (the online-only advance price available). If you wait until later, that goes up to $50, and if you buy your tickets at Pimlico the day of the race, it’ll run you $60.

Ah, but at least the Web site’s more fun, right?

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Wednesday’s push by Gov. Martin O’Malley and legislators to use eminent domain to keep the Preakness Stakes in Maryland isn’t the first time seizure has been tried to keep a Maryland tradition here. And it’s not even the first time eminent domain has been floated as a tool to save Preakness.

In 2005, there was much speculation that Magna Entertainment Corp. (the now-bankrupt owner of Laurel and Pimlico tracks and Preakness) would move the race out of state if the General Assembly did not pass legislation authorizing slots at Maryland’s racetracks

A few days after that race, the Government Law Center of Albany Law School published a report detailing how Maryland could use eminent domain to keep the Preakness franchise here. Citing Baltimore’s failed attempt to keep the Colts franchise and a similar attempt by Oakland, Calif., with the Raiders, the report noted eminent domain has been largely unsuccessful as a tool to hold franchises hostage.

However, if Maryland is willing to pay Magna the appropriate price for Preakness, “it might be possible for the legislature to authorize and action allowing the state or the city of Baltimore to obtain the rights to the Preakness pursuant to its eminent domain powers,” the report states.

But the bankruptcy court setting may act as a wild card, Alan Foreman, general counsel to the Maryland Thoroughbred Horseman’s Association, pointed out. Read the rest of this entry »

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Almost as if to rub it in that the Preakness’ infield is no longer BYOB, the event’s promoters announced today who its title sponsor would be: You guessed it, Bud Light.

Here’s what Robert Barraco, geographic marketing manager for Anheuser-Busch Inc., had to say about the 2009 Bud Light Preakness InfieldFEST in a news release: “This partnership allows us to market Bud Light in the classic setting that is the Pimlico Race Course. It is an honor to be a part of bringing these two great brands together and we are looking forward to an exciting weekend.”

OK, I’m going to pick on Barraco a little here, but since when has Bud Light and its goofy, low ball humor commercials (of which I’m a fan, by the way) ever made anyone think of a ‘classic’ and prestigious horse race? Not that the infield crowd was ever prestigious, but by banning outside beverages, the race’s organizers have indicated they’d like to turn up the maturity (and civility) level a notch. Even using Budweiser with its iconic Clydesdales would have made more sense as a title sponsor if that’s what you’re going for.

But more importantly, does anyone else smell something fishy here? With all the uproar over outside alcohol being banned from the infield, the organizers then score Bud Light as the top supporter of the event. Conspiracy theorists, take your shot…

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In Thursday’s filing by PNC bank that asks for Pimlico Race Course to be sold by its bankrupt owner before the Preakness Stakes, the creditor had this to say:

“If the Pimlico/Preakness Assets were sold prior to the Preakness Race, the assets would yield a significantly higher purchase price than if the assets are offered for sale after the Preakness Race since the bulk of the revenues that Pimlico Race Course generates result from the Preakness Race itself.”

OK, I understand an angry creditor being annoyed at Magna Entertainment Corp. for dragging its feet in setting up the procedures in which it will sell its assets. (Magna, the largest track owner in North America, filed for bankruptcy on Mar. 5 and doesn’t plan to auction most its assets until July 30.) I think PNC does have a point when it later states that providing Magna sole discretion over which bids it will or won’t accept as qualified could lead to collusion between the company and its stalking horse bidder.

But asking Magna to hurry up and sell Pimlico and its rights to the Preakness Stakes now is like asking poor Charlie to give up his golden ticket and miss out on Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. Preakness won’t solve all of Magna’s problems but they sure could use the money this one last time. And do we really want the most important horse race in Maryland scrambling under brand-spanking-new ownership?

The objection sounds a little mean-spirited and unrealistic to me…

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The news today about Orioles owner Peter Angelos meeting with state officials last night about saving the Preakness Stakes got me thinking — does anyone remember when Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank bought Sagamore Farm a couple years back?

At the time, Plank said his motivation was, in part, the Preakness:

“Could you imagine someone saying, ‘Live from Santa Anita, the Preakness Stakes?’ It would be a tragedy,” Plank was quoted as saying last year. “We need to stand up and fight for that. The only way to do that is by having a healthy,striving industry here.”

I imagine Plank is a little distracted by Under Armour’s share price, the company’s new line of running shoes and the planned basketball shoe slated to hit the market next year. But as a farm owner who once said his dream was to win the Triple Crown, I wonder what he thinks about the latest developments with Pimlico Race Course being on the auction block and the possibility of the state stepping in to ensure Preakness stays here.

If Angelos is stepping up to the plate (no pun intended), should we expect other Marylanders in sports business follow suit? And who else might be a logical player here?

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