Weather woes cause dip in crowd, handle

In a repeat of Kentucky Derby day two weeks ago in Louisville, a steady rain soaked the fans and created a sloppy track Saturday at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore hours before the Preakness Stakes.

The rainy weather proved costly to Pimlico all week.

The crowd in the infield and grandstand was far smaller than usual, and those heading to the tents and chalets sloshed through wet grass and mud.

It is not what the Stronach Group, which owns and operates Pimlico, envisioned when it approved upgrades to the tents, entertainment and concessions for this year’s event.

Last year’s Preakness drew a record crowd of 140,327. This year’s attendance was announced at 134,487.

Tim Ritvo, chief operating officer of the Stronach Group, said the handle compared to last year is down around $3.5 million “to this point.”

He also said that the handle — money wagered at the track — on Friday for a rainy Black-Eyed Susan Day was off $1.3 million.

A year ago, Pimlico set records for handle and attendance on Friday and Saturday during Preakness week.

Ritvo says this year it has “been a struggle. Obviously it’s hard for me to swallow. ... I’ve never seen a streak when coming up to the race we get five straight days of rain like this.”

About an hour before the Preakness was set to go to post, the rain ended and a layer of fog rolled into Pimlico, adding another twist to the second jewel of the Triple Crown.

The fog was so thick that the final turn was obstructed from the grandstand and the far side of the track was completely shrouded.