The Friday before the Preakness featured five stakes races, three of which were graded events. Due to overnight rain which continued to midday, the track was muddy and turf races were moved to the main track.
After skipping a year, the $250,000 Maryland Lottery Pimlico Special (G1) returned to the stakes schedule. A compact field of 7 older horses contested this 1 3/16 mile feature over the muddy, sealed main track before just 18,407 fans at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. Westchester Handicap runner-up Grasshopper was the 2-1 favorite over 5-2 Gottcha Gold, winner of the Skip Away Handicap, and 4-1 third choice Sir Whimsey, third in the Ben Ali last out.
Gottcha Gold set the pace of 23.87, 47.46, and 1:11.39 while as many as 1 1/2 lengths clear of Xchanger who stalked the pace in second. Entering the stretch, jockey C.C. Lopez asked Gottcha Gold to open up and he did, pulling away to a 2 1/2 length advantage at the 1/8 pole after a mile in 1:36.17. However, Student Council, who sat near the back of the field early on, came out 5 wide into the lane, circling the field and wearing down pacesetter Gottcha Gold inside the 70 yard pole to prevail by a neck in 1:54.87. It was a long 5 3/4 lengths back to Sir Whimsey in third. Favorite Grasshopper was wide throughout, settling in 4th down the backstretch, but showed no rally in the stretch to finish fifth.
Results chart
