Survivor: Forgotten hero of the inaugural Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes was first contested in 1873, six years after the inaugural Belmont Stakes, and two years before the maiden running of the Kentucky Derby. It was a time of healing in America. The country was slowly being stitched back together both physically and emotionally during the Reconstruction period in the aftermath of the Civil War. Thoroughbred racing was on the ascent and playing a significant role in the new America. State officials in Maryland â which had a distinguished racing history and traced its Jockey Clubâs origins to 1743 â desired a piece of the post-w...