Get Your Preak On!

Pimlico field, Maryland, the home of the horse race, the Preakness used to let folks bring in their own alcohol into the infield. It was a tactic that used to have a ton of twenty somethings and college kids into race day. After a few years, Pimlico bosses noted that the folks who were visiting were getting smashed and ruling the roost. So, in an effort to bring in some calm, they killed that rule, and you could no longer bring in your own booze. The racetrack saw its lowest attendance numbers in years. Pimlico like any other racetrack relies heavily on earnings on race day, so they went back to the drawing board. What did they do this year? All you can drink. That’s right, they went Chinese buffet on the drink cart. A $40 ticket and a $20 bud mug, in sponsorship with Budweiser gets you free refills of bud products and some hard liquors. Attendance numbers jumped back up to the old school bring your bottle with you days. Of course, the racetrack is getting a ton of flack too. Certain folks are bringing silly things like social responsibility into the mix. But Pimlico bosses have assured them, if folks are getting hammered, they’re not getting served.

You gotta wonder, how many times, some drunkard walked out and said, ‘Holy shit, they’ve got horses over there!’

And, yes that photo is from the race itself.