Kentucky Derby Prep Racing to Begin at Pimlico

Thursday, April 17 starts the 2008 spring meet at Pimlico Race Course in Maryland. (AP Images)

The Pimlico meet, which runs until June 7, is the richest in Maryland with 27 stakes races scheduled to distribute $3.47 million in purses, including the $1 million purse of the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes, scheduled for May 17. The Preakness typically brings attention to Maryland's racing industry.

Pimlico this year reinstated the Grade 1 Pimlico Special for older horses after a one-year hiatus. The purse of the Special - which would have lost its grade if it was not run for two consecutive years - was cut from $500,000 to $250,000, and is scheduled for May 16 as part of a 13-race card with five other stakes races. Also on the card is the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

The opening weekend will include the running of the $150,000 Federico Tesio Stakes on Saturday. The Tesio has sometimes served as a late prep for the Kentucky Derby or a springboard to the Preakness