The thrill of horse racing, like any sport, is that no matter what the pundits or the money say, you can never be absolutely sure what will happen. The weather could make the track a muddy mess. The favorite could get boxed in by a crowded field. A longshot could become a legend. Those are parts of the colorful stories of Preakness winners with milestone anniversaries this year.
100 years ago: On a muddy track compared to waffle batter, Nellie Morse becomes fourth filly to win Preakness — only two have since.
Nellie Morse became the fourth filly to win the Preakness Stakes, on May 12, 1924. Only two more fillies have since, most recently Swiss Skydiver in 2020. Nellie was up against 14 colts. The 1924 Preakness may have been the wettest of all, based on Sun scribe Raymond S. Tompkins’ description. The day before, 1.28 inches of rain fell, and a third of an inch fell on the day of the stakes. Nellie Morse waded through a sea of mud to win. “Never before has Preakness run in 6 inches of waffle batter. It was as much a regatta as a horse race,” Tompkins wrote. Nellie Morse died in 1941 but not before giving birth to another filly, Nellie Flag, who was the 1934 American Champion 2- year old filly.
60 years ago: Siring multiple Triple Crown race winners, 1964 Preakness winner Northern Dancer’s legacy still runs through racing.
Northern Dancer won the 1964 Preakness by two and a quarter lengths. He has left a legacy that still runs through racing. He had many offspring who won major races including Ferdinand (1986 Kentucky Derby), Danzig Connection (1986 Belmont Stakes), and Pine Bluff (1992 Preakness Stakes). Two weeks before the Preakness, Northern Dancer ran the Kentucky Derby in 2 minutes flat, breaking an 89-year-old record. The new record lasted just nine years, however, broken by Secretariat’s 1 minute, 59.4 seconds race in 1973. A Canadian horse, Northern Dancer was relocated to the Maryland division of his Ontario farm in the late ’60s after establishing himself as a stud, and lived out his days on the Chesapeake City property that was Windfields Farm, whose deed required he be allowed to stay even after the farm sold. He is buried at what was the Ontario Windfields Farm.
50 years ago: Winning both the Preakness and Belmont by 7 lengths, Little Current may have been a Triple Crown winner, many believe, if not for the 1974 Derby’s record 23-horse field.
Riding the rail, Little Current won the 1974 Preakness Stakes by 7 lengths and went on to win the Belmont Stakes by the same distance. Many believe he would have won the Kentucky Derby, becoming one of the immortal winners of the Triple Crown, had he not been blocked repeatedly in the record 23-horse field. After that, the field was limited to 20. Little Current was once visited by Queen Elizabeth II in Kentucky .
25 years ago: Charismatic, who had a striking resemblance to his great-grandsire, Secretariat, was a surprise winner of the 1999 Kentucky Derby and Preakness.
Running in a claims race just a few months before, Charismatic was the unexpected winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness in 1999 and came in third at the Belmont Stakes, which was won by a Maryland horse, Lemon Drop Kid. A handsome chestnut colt, Charismatic strongly resembled his great-grandsire, Secretariat. At the Belmont Stakes, Charismatic had broken two bones in his left front ankle. The injury apparently occurred as Charismatic strained toward the wire, apparently beaten, but trying to hold his position. Charismatic was the son of 1990 Preakness winner Summer Squall.
Have a story idea about Baltimore or Maryland history or a question that might lead to one? Email researcher Paul McCardell at pmccardell@baltsun.com.
