I'll Have Another continued his quest for horse racing's Triple Crown with a thrilling victory at Pimlico on Saturday, in what officials said was a record crowd. Via the Baltimore Sun:
Horse racing officials said the record crowd demonstrated the success of changes made in recent years to stem flagging interest in the sport: instituting an all-you-can-drink deal, stepping up entertainment options and using slot machine gambling revenue to improve race tracks. The record crowd of 121,300 came in the fourth year of a new twist on Preakness, an end to a bring-your-own-beer infield policy that garnered a less than flattering reputation.
The 121,300 in the crowd bested the previous record, from 2007, by 100 fans. The handle was $80,463,005, which is the sixth-largest betting pool in Preakness Stakes history.
For more on the Preakness Stakes and the race for the Triple Crown, stay with this StoryStream at SB Nation DC and make sure to check out SB Nation's own horse racing blog And Down The Stretch They Come. There, you'll also find a A Beginner's Guide To Following Horse Racing and a glossary of horse racing terms.