Mayor Keith Sydnor distributes posters for Main Street businesses to promote the city’s “Saddle Up Laurel!” initiative leading up to the Preakness. (Photo: City of Laurel) As many Laurelites know, Laurel Park isn’t actually in Laurel. It is located outside the city’s administrative borders, in Anne Arundel County, but falls within an area—overlapping four counties—that the USPS has designated “Laurel” and which most people recognize as “greater Laurel.” Try explaining that to

Photos: Charles Sisler Over its 115-year history, Laurel Park has played a major role in thoroughbred racing. It hosted the first-ever international thoroughbred race held in the United States, the DC International, for decades. Six Triple Crown winners raced at Laurel before they became household names, and Seabiscuit trained at Laurel Park prior to his storied race with War Admiral. Back then, the 4,000-seat grandstand would fill up for big races, with hundreds more standin

Baltimorean John Barnes enjoys the Alibi Breakfast at Laurel Park, which included a souvenir Preakness edition tin of Old Bay seasoning. (Photo: Angie Kozlowski) The pleasant sounds of live music floated from the Club House entrance into the parking lot. The smooth jazz was welcoming, as people began arriving before 9 am for a cherished Preakness week tradition—the Alibi Breakfast. Begun in the 1930s, the breakfast is held on the Thursday before Preakness; it started as a roa

Photo: Angie Kozlowski Jockeys count on him to get everything just right. He is the one who knows which saddle out of a number of differently weighted choices to use for each jockey and what position it needs to be in for each jockey for each ride. He makes sure the saddle is fitted properly and is completely safe for the jockey. He takes in the temperament of each horse and lets the jockey know if it is out of sorts in any way. Daniel Orellana has been keeping his jockeys sa

International reporters Emanuel Aguilar M. (Chile) and Frank Pineda (Peru) pose with photographer Juan Gamboa (Peru) in the media room at Laurel Park for the 151st Preakness. (Photo: Angie Kozlowski) Spanish-speaking horse racing fans made up much of the worldwide audience for the 151st Preakness, turning to social media and other outlets for live updates. In the media room at Laurel Park, members of the international press worked alongside American counterparts from print an

Photographer Charles Sisler joined Voices of Laurel for remarkable behind-the-scenes access to Laurel Park during both Black-Eyed Susan Day and the Preakness Stakes, capturing the excitement from every angle—from the grandstand and paddock to the infield and winner’s circle. This special photo essay offers a glimpse of the unforgettable moments he documented. A selection of his images appeared in our Summer 2026 print edition, while the complete gallery can be viewed below.

(Left): The author as a teen in Adams County, PA, and (right) Angie Kozlowski and Diane Mezzanotte in the media room at the Preakness. As a teenager in southcentral Pennsylvania, I was in love with horses. My paternal grandfather occasionally took me riding along country back-roads. He had a framed portrait, now passed down to my father, of three early 1900s trotters: George Gano, Minor Heir, and the famous Dan Patch, with the caption “Fastest Stallions in the World.” My fami

Photo illustration by Richard Friend Before I share my horse racing wisdom with you, please consider my credentials. I was born in a Baltimore hospital across from Pimlico Race Course and grew up a short trot away from the track. For nearly 40 years, I’ve lived five miles west of Laurel Park. Given these two facts, many people have long thought of me as a horse racing connoisseur. That makes them kinda wrong. In fact, by my estimation, I’ve attended approximately zero races i

(From left): Mike Muscato, a clerk from Saratoga, handled bets in the rooftop Press Room. Laurel resident Lori Caraway, clerking in the grandstand. Philadelphia-based Gail Valdes has worked every Preakness since 1992. Dominic and Ron have worked together as clerks on major stakes races for almost 40 years. (Photos: Angie Kozlowski) Times have changed. Jobs once entrusted only to smart, quick-thinking, honest, and friendly humans have been delegated to machines and now, even c

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