Pimlico Infield

[Travis Stone]

They were just showing the head-on of the ninth and the infield looked sparse. Was it just a bad angle or did the crowds stay away?

[PPerfectfan]

I thought the same thing, didnt look good at all.

[Travis Stone]

Indeed..

http://www.newsday.com/sports/horser...,1320125.story

The Preakness infield was set up for the usual huge crowd. The stage for ZZ Top was ready, the security guards in place and the vendors eager to hawk their beer, food and souvenirs.

Only one thing was missing: people.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/h...,3787731.story

Infield attendance is "down, significantly down," Maryland Jockey Club President Tom Chuckas acknowledged in an interview this afternoon shortly after taking Gov. Martin O'Malley on a tour of the horse stables.

[Suffolk Shippers]

I usually go down for the Preakness (not to the infield), but not this year. However, I have a friend there sitting up in the apron area. Sent me a text saying the infield is about 30% what it usually is in terms of crowds. I don't think the shots are misleading anyone.

[phystech]

I'd wager that they don't have 10k in the infield. And I'd also wager total attendance will be a record low - less than 45k.

[hoovesupsideyourhead]

no natty light..no crowd

[eajinabi]

did they ban alcohol in the infield?

[ddthetide]

Originally Posted by eajinabi

did they ban alcohol in the infield?

no carry in.

[Thunder Gulch]

They deserve the lost patrons. I hope the $7 beers they sold today make up for the lost admission fees and lost handle...screw em

[Sightseek]

Originally Posted by Thunder Gulch

They deserve the lost patrons. I hope the $7 beers they sold today make up for the lost admission fees and lost handle...screw em

handle was actually pretty strong at the end of the day - even moreso than last year.

[Baranduin]

The usual Preakness infield crowd doesn't gamble much-just drink themselves into oblivion and do things no self respecting person would do.

So no one got cracked on the skull
with generic beer during
the great urinal run.

Sad.

It was a sporting event.

[Sightseek]

http://sports.yahoo.com/rah/gallery#...ing_pim204%3A1

It wasn't that bad, you could get $1 beers from 8 a.m. to 11.

I wasn't even awake at 8 a.m.

[eajinabi]

Nothing like a hot beer and a cold hot dog at the track

Originally Posted by Sightseek

http://sports.yahoo.com/rah/gallery#...ing_pim204%3A1

It wasn't that bad, you could get $1 beers from 8 a.m. to 11.

I wasn't even awake at 8 a.m.

Plastic cups!
How dare they attempt to
prevent massive head trauma.

[docicu3]

The whole place is just a sewer.......

Parking $175

Tickets $120-250 for an incredibly cramped seats with no vendors, no facilities within 50-75 yards from most outside boxes or even a visible tote board from mine, never mind betting machines.

Maryland Racing is a disaster on all fronts. The lack of any customer service at Pimlico or Laurel is just one of the reasons patrons stay away. With ADW's there is absolutely nothing that MAGNA has to offer an individual given action is easily accessed at home.

Look at the betting menu, No 50 cent P4's, No P6, and no betting machines that accept money on site. Food that is worse than McDonalds and now an infield environment that lost the kids and the locals that came by the ten's of thousands on this one special day.......they just don't get it so they are dealt another devastating truth of their bankrupt future.

The girl transcended the dismal clouds and darker hosts but the day will come when the Preakness won't be synonymous with Pimlico. And racing will lose nothing in the bargain.....

Originally Posted by docicu3

The whole place is just a sewer.......

Parking $175

Tickets $120-250 for an incredibly cramped seats with no vendors, no facilities within 50-75 yards from most outside boxes or even a visible tote board from mine, never mind betting machines.

Maryland Racing is a disaster on all fronts. The lack of any customer service at Pimlico or Laurel is just one of the reasons patrons stay away. With ADW's there is absolutely nothing that MAGNA has to offer an individual given action is easily accessed at home.

Look at the betting menu, No 50 cent P4's, No P6, and no betting machines that accept money on site. Food that is worse than McDonalds and now an infield environment that lost the kids and the locals that came by the ten's of thousands on this one special day.......they just don't get it so they are dealt another devastating truth of their bankrupt future.

The girl transcended the dismal clouds and darker hosts but the day will come when the Preakness won't be synonymous with Pimlico. And racing will lose nothing in the bargain.....

You should have heard the Governor's speech after the race.
He is going to hold tight.

[zippyneedsawin]

I was in the infield in 2002.. it was a cold, miserable day.. but it was BYOB!


http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/hor...ory?id=4171779



Handle on the day was $86,684,470, up from $73.5 million last year. Attendance dropped from 112,222 last year to an announced crowd of 77,850. The infield, always packed with college-age revelers who have just gotten out of school, was sparse, owing to a new policy instituted by Pimlico officials this year that banned patrons from bringing beer into the infield. Not only did infield fans have to buy beer from the concession stands, but the admission price was raised, too, to $60.

The record announced Pimlico crowd is 121,263, in 2007. The crowd was announced as 100,000 or more from 2001-2008, when the infield was jammed.

[NTamm1215]

How is it possible that handle was up despite all those huge bettors from the infield not showing?

I've never been to the Preakness but a trip to youtube to see old videos from the infield is enough to convince me that changing the alcohol policy was a terrific idea.

NT

Originally Posted by NTamm1215

How is it possible that handle was up despite all those huge bettors from the infield not showing?

I've never been to the Preakness but a trip to youtube to see old videos from the infield is enough to convince me that changing the alcohol policy was a terrific idea.

NT

But the beer cans upside the head...
The pageantry, the skill involved in
negotiating frictionless port-a-potty
roof tops.

Im choking up a bit here.