All Hail Kegasus? Sure.

Kegasus may make Pimlico bearableFor those of you who don't know I blog about horse racing, yes, I do that too - and for those of you who don't know I blog about craft beer, see the previous answer. It's about time a story brought the two together.

It would be hard to argue that Pimlico has much to recommend it beyond the Preakness; the physical plant is a mess, the food and drink options are terrible and much of the racing beyond the big day is uninspiring. The solution to getting people out to the track seems obvious: why not market a visit to Old Hilltop to people who are too drunk (or will be, soon after their arrival) to notice its failings? Enter Kegasus.

In all seriousness, seeing someone promote part of the Triple Crown with a view toward attracting a crowd that is neither elderly, tradition-bound nor independently wealthy is very refreshing indeed. Of course, for some, this is an annual tradition already; anyone suggesting that bacchanalia in the infield is novel has clearly never even watched the Preakness on television, much less witnessed the carnage in person. Let's recall that Pimlico experimented with changing their alcohol policy in 2009 - and no one came. Giving Kegasus his head, as it were, allows for a good marketing push leading up to the big day (and 'his' social media efforts so far are quite encouraging). It's true that many of the targeted audience aren't there for the racing, but having a fun experience at the track makes them more likely to give it another try - they may even have a flutter on the Derby winner, just because it seems the thing to do. Diversity of audiences is a good thing, and it’s something racing desperately needs.

There is one issue still to be addressed, however - the appalling quality of the comestibles and the truly awful beer selection on offer at Pimlico. Granted, these choices are made long in advance and the options will be limited by the contracted caterers and beer distributors, but it would be nice to see the benighted track step up on its one big day a year. Why not get a special dispensation to offer some great local beers by Flying Dog, The Brewer's Art or Heavy Seas? It's true a keg of Raging Bitch might be a little too hard-core for some of the fratboy set more used to their Natty Bo, but there's no reason not to offer some Old Scratch or Pale Ale. I've argued many times that racetracks need to step up across the board in this department - when you can get decent, even occasionally good, food and beer at most baseball, football and soccer stadiums, its absence from the track becomes ever more apparent (and distressing to those of us who might like to spend a day there without starving).

So I, for one, welcome our new centaur overlords - let's hope they can work a little magic to get some real beer to the track in addition to the port-a-potty racers.

Leave a Comment