Infield Madness

When I interviewed the Jacksons after their horrible Preakness experience in 2006, one thing that surprised me was that the whole family remarked on the terrible traffic situation they had encountered leaving Pimlico racetrack. Barbaro may have had a police escort, but by the time the family made their way back to their cars, the parking lot was a sea of drunken people. I don't know if you've ever been to Pimlico, but it is not in the nicest area of Baltimore. Nearly every member of the Jackson entourage commented on the rowdy crowd that seemed to follow them as they slowly made their way out of the neighborhood.

Sadly, the Preakness has come to be known as a massive party by the thousands who flood the infield. They open up the track at 8:00 AM for what rapidly becomes a beer-fest and by race time (usually 6:00 PM), no one in the infield has any idea who is running. Most don't even watch the races.

Well it seems the Maryland Jockey Club is finally cracking down on the free-for-all by prohibiting infield goers from bringing their own coolers stocked with libations. According to an article in the New York Times, the decision has not been popular with the college crowd, but may in fact eliminate some of the out of control behavior that has dominated the infield in recent years.

There still will be a party atmosphere with rock bands, a professional beach volleyball match, an oxygen bar and a virtual-reality paintball station, and there certainly will be plenty of bars where patrons can purchase beer for $3.50 a pop. "We believed it was time for a change and to provide entertainment and activities for our guests. And as a sidebar issue about safety, some of the shenanigans had to stop," said Tom Chuckas, president and COO of the Maryland Jockey Club.

Seems to me like a pretty good compromise and if it keeps some of the rowdies away, well all the better. After all, the day is supposed to be all about horses, not about how much you can drink.