Preakness Stakes 2018: What’s the story of the Woodlawn Vase trophy?
By Zoe West
The winner of the Preakness Stakes (or rather, the winning owner) will receive the Woodlawn Vase, a very fancy and special trophy.
When a horse wins the Preakness Stakes, the horse receives a blanket of flowers and the horse’s connections receive quite a bit of money. But they also get a small, or not so small trophy as a keepsake. Kind of.
The trophy for the Preakness is known as the Woodlawn Vase. It is one of the most elaborate and arguably the most valuable trophy in sports today. The cup actually predates the Preakness. It was the first trophy in the U.S. designed by Tiffany & Co. way back in 1860, The Preakness was first run in 1873.
The 1860s were a… rather turbulent time in American history. And the Woodlawn Vase was not totally removed for that. In fact, shortly after its completion the cup had to be buried by its owners so it wasn’t melted down to make ammunition. After the war, when racing resumed, the trophy was dug up and returned to its original purpose. It was first awarded at Churchill Downs, actually, but made its way to New York in the 1880s. Later, the trophy became irrevocably linked to the Preakness Stakes, but that did not happen until 1917.
Though it is presented to the winner of the Preakness, the Woodlawn Vase has ties to all three Triple Crown races. It was first presented at Churchill Downs, where the Kentucky Derby is held. And during its time in New York it went around three tracks, one of whom essentially later became Belmont Park.
Nowadays, the trophy is considered so valuable (its estimated worth is about $4 million) that it has its own security team. Also, none of the people who interact with the trophy are allowed to touch it, they all must wear gloves. This includes the winners of the Preakness Stakes.
Next: The official flower of every Triple Crown race, explained
As you can imagine, this is not the type of trophy you get to take home. Instead owners, trainers and jockeys all get smaller replicas, between 12 and 14″ tall. But the largest of those is still worth around $30,000. The original trophy is 36″ tall and weighs about 25 pounds. So when the trophy gets presented to the Preakness winner this weekend, don’t be surprised when there’s a healthy distance between the two.
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