LAUREL, MD–Annually, the third Saturday in May draws all eyes to Maryland for the second jewel in the U.S. Triple Crown, the GI Preakness Stakes. This season is no different, however, a major adjustment brings the Classic to Laurel Park while Pimlico Racecourse in Baltimore gets a complete overhaul.Like the now defunct original structure of its sister track 30 miles north, Laurel exhibits the wear and tear of the years. Several areas of the venue have been renovated while others are now cordoned off or boarded up. However, one can still get a sense of the long and storied history of the place.A random encounter punctuated that point. Strolling through the crowd at Laurel Thursday afternoon was a dapper-looking gentleman in a pristine suit and tie, with a snazzy trilby thrown in for good measure. Sure to stand out at any track most days of the year, the gentleman turned out to be Clark Bedwell Shaffer Jr. And for those of you that are racing history buffs, yes, it's that Bedwell.The Laurel, Maryland native is the great grandson of Hall of Famer Harvey Guy Bedwell, the trainer of the first Triple Crown winner, Sir Barton. Sir Barton collected the triple, including the Preakness Stakes, in 1919. Adding even more relevance to this weekend, the trainer also won the initial edition of the Pimlico Oaks (renamed the Black-Eyed Susan in 1951) with Milkmaid that same year. Intimately connected to the region, Bedwell–a leading trainer in North America between 1909 and 1917–prepared his horses at the nearby farm Yarrow Brae, which is now a commercially developed plot of land off Route 1.It seems one never really knows when a glimpse of history might be caught meandering through the crowd. Sarah Andrew photo More Nostalgia than AlibisOne year ago at Pimlico, trainers Bob Baffert and D. Wayne Lukas regaled the crowd with plenty banter at the traditional Alibi Breakfast on the Thursday of Preakness week. While neither Hall of Famer went on to win last year's renewal of the race (won by Journalism), it has since proven to be a very special moment for those in attendance that day after Lukas passed away at the age of 89 only a month later.While the latest edition of the breakfast held in Laurel's updated clubhouse offered fewer jabs and jokes, it presented the 1/ST Racing team, headed by executive vice president Mike Rogers, the opportunity to reflect on the organization's oversight of the Preakness before the Maryland Jockey Club assumes the mantle when racing returns to Pimlico in 2027.Also bidding adieu after this weekend's Preakness, Donna Barton Brothers, who has been a fixture on NBC's Triple Crown telecasts over the past 26 years, recently announced her retirement as an on-track reporter for the network. (To view the latest TDN Writers' Room with Barton, click here).Later in the morning, Dr. Dionne Benson and Cricket Goodall were among those honored with the Special Award of Merit, given to those who have made a positive impact on the racing industry.Dr. Benson, appointed the first Chief Veterinary Officer of 1/ST Racing in 2019, oversees veterinary safety, welfare, and integrity practices and protocols, as well as equine research initiatives for 1/ST Racing.Goodall is currently the Executive Director of the Maryland Horse Breeders Association, the Maryland Million, and the Maryland Horse Foundation. Starting in 1986, Goodall manages the three non-profit trade associations that work to inform, educate and promote the diversity of the horse industry in Maryland.Also among those honored Thursday, Bob Ehalt of the BloodHorse received the David F. Woods Memorial Award for best Preakness story in 2025, while Eclipse Sportswire's Charles Toler was given the Jerry Frutkoff Photography Award for best Preakness image. The Old Hilltop Award, honoring members of the sports media who have covered Thoroughbred racing with excellence and distinction, was given to Childs Walker of the Baltimore Banner. Bracken Poppa schooling at Laurel this week | Sarah AndrewBlack-Eyed Susan Heads Friday's CardKicking off Laurel's Preakness weekend, Friday's 14-race card offers a trio of graded stakes, headed by the GII Black-Eyed Susan Stakes which draws a robust 10-horse field. Among contenders likely to draw attention in the nine-furlong contest is Bradley Kent and Ken Reimer's Bracken Poppa (Aurelius Maximus), winner of four of five lifetime starts–all facing fellow Louisiana-breds at Fair Grounds–for trainer Steve Asmussen.Braken Poppa graduated in her sophomore opener Jan. 4 and followed up 26 days later with a 1 3/4-length optional allowance claiming victory. She romped by 9 1/2 lengths in the Feb. 28 Charged Cotton Stakes and went gate to wire to win by 5 ½ lengths last time out in the Mar. 21 Crescent City Oaks.“I'll tell you what, after the mile and 70 yards she was still going, so I'm not worried about that. That little bit of extra distance is not going to hurt her at all. She's coming in very fresh,” Reimer said. “We're very, very optimistic about her.”Jose Ortiz is two-for-two on the filly including her latest victory in the Crescent City.Also riding a winning streak, 4G Racing, Gregg Day and Steven Crain's Holly's Holiday (Maxfield) dead-heated to break her maiden at Oaklawn in her third career start before taking the one-mile Valley of Vespers Stakes in Hot Springs.“She had been training really well,” confirmed trainer Ken McPeek. “She had always trained really good as an early 2-year-old, but she came up with a little bone bruising, and we stopped on her. She was just a bit uncomfortable. We didn't think it was a problem, but after her second race it was more dramatic, and we had to regroup with her and gave her plenty of time. Since then, she has been stellar. She came back as a filly we thought she could be. I think this is a good next spot for her.” Holly's Holiday and Robbie Albarado | Sarah Andrew Averill Racing, Mathis Stable and Tristan De Meric's My Miss Mo (Uncle Mo) enters the fray off consecutive second-place finishes in graded company at Gulfstream Park. She was beaten six lengths at odds of 26-1 by She Be Smooth in the one-mile GII Davona Dale on Feb. 28 and 2 3/4 lengths by Prom Queen when stretched out around two turns in the GII 1 1/16-mile Gulfstream Park Oaks on Mar. 28. Prom Queen returned to be a troubled fifth in the GI Kentucky Oaks on May 1.“The last race was pretty solid and I feel like the horse that beat her at Gulfstream had a troubled trip in the Oaks so her form seems like it should stack up well. I would think she would stack pretty decent going into this race,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “That was productive from the last race. I think she should have a pretty decent chance.”Other graded stakes on the card are the GIII Pimlico Special and GIII Miss Preakness Stakes.Rounding out Friday's stakes action are the listed Allaire du Pont Distaff for fillies and mares 3 and up going 1 1/8 miles and a pair of listed events scheduled for the turf–the Hilltop Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at one mile and The Very One Stakes, a five-furlong test for females 3 and older.First-race post time Friday is 11:30 a.m. ET. Post time for the Black-Eyed Susan, carded as Race 13, is scheduled for 6:14 p.m. ET.The post Laurel Takes Center Stage With Preakness Weekend Appetizer appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.