DIALED IN ELIGIBLE FOR PREAKNESS 5.5 BONUS AFTER FLORIDA DERBY SCORE
BALTIMORE, 04-03-11---With his victory in Sunday afternoon’s Grade 1 Florida Derby, Dialed In becomes eligible for the Preakness 5.5 bonus. Last summer MI Developments Inc. (MID), the majority owner of the Maryland Jockey Club, announced a pair of historic and unique bonus programs centered around Pimlico Race Course’s premier 3-year old races, called the “Preakness 5.5” and “Black-Eyed Susan 2.2”. The Nick Zito trainee also captured the Holy Bull Stakes earlier in the Gulfstream Park meet. Soldat was also eligible heading into the race after winning the Fountain of Youth Stakes on Feb. 26 but finished off the board as the betting favorite.
Both programs allowed east and west coast based 3-year-olds to qualify for the bonus in the Grade 1 Preakness® Stakes, the middle jewel of racing’s Triple Crown on the third Saturday in May or the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan, which headlines the Preakness eve card, by having the preliminary races at Gulfstream Park, Santa Anita Park, Golden Gate Fields and Portland Meadows, also MID tracks.
In addition to the race purses earned in the qualifying events and the Preakness, the owner of the winning horse would receive $5 million and his trainer would get $500,000.
Three west coast runners are still alive for the bonus heading into next Saturday’s Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby. Premier Pegasus (San Felipe winner), Silver Medallion (El Camino Real winner) and Anthony’s Cross (Bob Lewis winner) are all expected to compete in the $1 million test.
The seven-race program for the Black-Eyed Susan 2.2 failed to produce a runner eligible for the bonus. R Heat Lightning won the Gulfstream Oaks and Davona Dale but finished fourth in the Forward Gal, the first qualifying race in the Florida bracket. The Black-Eyed Susan bonuses were $2 million (owner) and $200,000 (trainer).
There is also a jockey bonus program, sponsored by AmTote.
KEGASUS TO MAKE HIS FIRST PUBLIC APPEARANCE MONDAY
Kegasus, the half-man/half-horse 2011 Preakness InfieldFEST mascot, makes his first public appearance Monday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Pickles Pub and Sliders prior to the Baltimore Orioles home opener.
On March 29, the 2011 InfieldFEST advertising campaign, “The Legend of Kegasus”, was launched. Serving as the voice and personality for all advertisements, Kegasus can be found in all of the campaign’s components to include television, radio, out-of-home and web. Since Tuesday’s announcement, the centaur has done several media interviews and has been tweeting (www.twitter.com/allhailkegasus) on a daily basis.
Kegasus will be appearing at various grassroots events around Baltimore leading up to the 136th running of the $1 million Preakness® Stakes (Grade I), the middle jewel of the Triple Crown, is May 21 at Pimlico Race Course.
Preakness InfieldFEST 2011 is a multi-entertainment festival that includes live music, a beer garden, bikini contest, cornhole tournament, NVL Pro Volleyball Tour and a Wagering 101 area. Grammy Award Winning artists Bruno Mars and Train will headline the InfieldFest concert, with Phil Vassar, Puddle of Mudd and Mr. Greengenes on the Jägermeister stage. The popular MUG Club returns, offering fans a bottomless mug all day long for one all-inclusive price.
For more information visit www.theinfieldfest.com
-mjc-
Mike Gathagan
Vice President-Communications
Maryland Jockey Club
410-578-4461 (Pimlico)
301-470-5461 (Laurel Park)
240-876-7403 (Mobile)
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