Walking Tours Run 6-9 A.M. Tuesday, May 14 through Friday, May 17

LAUREL, MD – Sunrise at Old Hilltop, one of the most popular events leading up to the Preakness Stakes (G1), will once again offer fans a unique behind the scenes walking tour of historic Pimlico Race Course.

The 149th Preakness, Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown, will be contested Saturday, May 18. A decades-long tradition before being suspended for 2020 and 2021 amid the coronavirus pandemic, Sunrise at Old Hilltop returned as a regular part of the lineup in 2022.

“It’s really interactive and just to see the people’s response that know nothing about horses, that’s what I want the racing community to take away. We’re doing something for people that are learning about the sport,” tour director and guide Fran Burns said. “We’ve got a lot happening. I’m hoping the weather stays nice.”

Admission is free to the Sunrise at Old Hilltop tours, which run on a first-come, first-served basis between 6 and 9 a.m. from Tuesday, May 14 through Friday, May 17. Patrons can sign up at the registration tent on the track apron but are not required to register ahead of time to take the tour.

In addition to watching the sun come up over the second-oldest Thoroughbred racetrack in the country, opened in 1870, the tours offer a glimpse of what it takes to host one of the world’s biggest sporting events. Fans will watch horses work out on the track before getting a chance to see them up close, meet and greet horsemen and learn some of the history behind the Preakness.

The tour begins with a jockey demonstration conducted by Yomar Ortiz Jr., an aspiring jockey whose father rides regularly in Maryland, and jockey agent Frank Douglas, who won more than 1,200 races during his riding career including the 1996 Laurel Futurity (G3) on Captain Bodgit. Captain Bodgit would go on to run second in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and third in the Preakness in 1997.

Next up is a demonstration with the actual starting gate that is used for morning workouts and live racing afternoons. From there, the tour stops at the Pimlico stakes barn, where contenders for the Preakness and other weekend stakes are stabled, followed by a visit with the track blacksmith.

“Tuesday and Wednesday we will be taking people to the jockeys’ room. We don’t on Thursday and Friday because it’s too crowded and we have to shorten the tours,” Burns said. “From the jock’s room we come back down to the paddock [and] we go to the winner’s circle.”

The last stop on the tour is inside the Pimlico grandstand for a discussion of aftercare for horses, which includes representatives from Beyond The Wire, the Thoroughbred Makeover Project and Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.

Back for a third straight year is Burns’ ‘mystery guest’ table, featuring interaction with several industry-related people, among them Michael Blowen, founder of Old Friends Farm in Kentucky. At the end of 2023 Blowen stepped down as president of Old Friends, a retirement home for many prominent Thoroughbreds including 1997 Preakness winner Silver Charm, who turned 30 this year.

One of the groups that tour each year is from Arlington Elementary School, located a half-mile from Pimlico on West Rogers Avenue. Burns said 250 kids from Pre-K, first and second grade will be making the traditional walk over to Pimlico with their teachers, this year at 9:30 a.m. Thursday.

“The kids love this tour,” Burns said. “This might be the only field trip they get all year.”

Burns said Kevin Atticks, Secretary of Agriculture for the state of Maryland, and more than 40 of his employees will be taking the tour this year as part of a team building exercise.

“That’s why I do this job, because I love Pimlico and I love horse racing,” she said.

Parking for the Sunrise at Old Hilltop tours is in the Rogers Avenue lot at the intersection of Northern Parkway and Woodcrest Avenue. Fans are encouraged to arrive early as spots fill up quickly. The lot will be closed at locked promptly at 10 a.m.

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