Constantly overshadowed and sandwiched between the more famous Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes horse races, it is slightly ironic that the Preakness Stakes, the least publicized jewel of horse racing’s Triple Crown, offers by far the greatest prize…The Woodlawn Vase trophy.
The Woodlawn Vase is awarded to the winning connections of the Preakness Stakes, the second jewel of horse racing’s Triple Crown, and is the most valuable trophy not just in horse racing but in all of American sports. With an estimated value of over $4 million and deemed priceless by countless others, no other trophy is even in the same league with the Preakness Stakes’ trophy. The Woodlawn Vase trophy is unique, and possibly even less renowned than it should be, because the name of the famous horse race for which the Woodlawn Vase is given, the Preakness, is not included in the name of the trophy like the other two jewels of the Triple Crown.
Standing three feet tall and weighing approximately 30 pounds, The Woodlawn Vase was constructed in 1860 by Tiffany & Co. and is made entirely out of solid sterling silver. The intricate trophy and design is topped by a jockey riding a full figure of the horse “Lexington”. At the time of its commission in 1860, the cost to make the Woodlawn Vase was $1500 and the perceived value of the trophy has skyrocketed substantially over the years.
Not only is the Woodlawn Vase the most valuable, but it also has a colorful history few could hope to rival. After all, how many trophies in horse racing can boast that they were given out for prestigious races in not just Maryland, where Pimlico and the Preakness Stakes are held, but also was awarded to the winner of the American Stallion Stakes at Churchill Downs in Kentucky, the Great Long Island Stakes at Sheepshead Bay in New York, and other famous horse races across the East Coast before finally making its permanent home in Baltimore.
The first Saturday in May always brings the Kentucky Derby and two weeks after comes the Preakness Stakes. And with the arrival of that second jewel come the hopes and dreams of horse racing fans everywhere that THIS is the year they are finally treated to a Triple Crown champion. In the past 36 years since horse racing’s last Triple Crown winner, (Affirmed, 1978) there have been 12 times that the winner of the Kentucky Derby Trophies were also winners of the Woodlawn Vase in the Preakness. In each of those occurrences, the horse racing public was denied their Triple Crown champion as all twelve failed to go on and win the Belmont Stakes. Until the third Saturday in May comes around and we learn who the winner of the Preakness Stakes and Woodlawn Vase trophy is, the racing public will continue to eagerly wait in anticipation for the next champion three-year old deserving the title of Triple Crown winner.
The Woodlawn Vase is awarded to the winning connections of the Preakness Stakes, the second jewel of horse racing’s Triple Crown, and is the most valuable trophy not just in horse racing but in all of American sports. With an estimated value of over $4 million and deemed priceless by countless others, no other trophy is even in the same league with the Preakness Stakes’ trophy. The Woodlawn Vase trophy is unique, and possibly even less renowned than it should be, because the name of the famous horse race for which the Woodlawn Vase is given, the Preakness, is not included in the name of the trophy like the other two jewels of the Triple Crown.
Standing three feet tall and weighing approximately 30 pounds, The Woodlawn Vase was constructed in 1860 by Tiffany & Co. and is made entirely out of solid sterling silver. The intricate trophy and design is topped by a jockey riding a full figure of the horse “Lexington”. At the time of its commission in 1860, the cost to make the Woodlawn Vase was $1500 and the perceived value of the trophy has skyrocketed substantially over the years.
Not only is the Woodlawn Vase the most valuable, but it also has a colorful history few could hope to rival. After all, how many trophies in horse racing can boast that they were given out for prestigious races in not just Maryland, where Pimlico and the Preakness Stakes are held, but also was awarded to the winner of the American Stallion Stakes at Churchill Downs in Kentucky, the Great Long Island Stakes at Sheepshead Bay in New York, and other famous horse races across the East Coast before finally making its permanent home in Baltimore.
The first Saturday in May always brings the Kentucky Derby and two weeks after comes the Preakness Stakes. And with the arrival of that second jewel come the hopes and dreams of horse racing fans everywhere that THIS is the year they are finally treated to a Triple Crown champion. In the past 36 years since horse racing’s last Triple Crown winner, (Affirmed, 1978) there have been 12 times that the winner of the Kentucky Derby Trophies were also winners of the Woodlawn Vase in the Preakness. In each of those occurrences, the horse racing public was denied their Triple Crown champion as all twelve failed to go on and win the Belmont Stakes. Until the third Saturday in May comes around and we learn who the winner of the Preakness Stakes and Woodlawn Vase trophy is, the racing public will continue to eagerly wait in anticipation for the next champion three-year old deserving the title of Triple Crown winner.
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