Maryland Jockey Club Unveils 2005 Preakness Logo by Blood Horse Staff

Maryland Jockey Club Unveils 2005 Preakness Logo by Blood Horse Staff
The Maryland Jockey Club unveiled the 2005 Preakness Stakes (gr. I) logo Thursday and announced that tickets for the 130th running go on sale Friday, Oct. 1, almost two months earlier than in previous years. The middle jewel of the Visa Triple Crown in set for Saturday, May 21, 2005 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

The 2005 Preakness logo, created by graphic artist Laura Etter of the Leffler Agency, blends the time-honored symbols of the Preakness cupola and the Black-Eyed Susan flower with the design of a horse and jockey. The cupola, complete with horse and jockey weather vane, is host to the Woodlawn Vase trophy presentation after the Preakness Stakes, and is a replica of the original cupola that sat atop the famed Victorian building known as the "Old Clubhouse". The Black-Eyed Susan flower was declared the state flower by the Maryland legislature in 1918 and selected as the Preakness flower in 1940. A palette of burgundy, navy blue and gold colors provide the logo's background.

"In combining a dynamic approach to color and design with popular icons that have defined Pimlico and the Preakness since the race was first run in 1873, the logo for the 130th Preakness delivers a creative, cutting-edge appeal," said Karin De Francis, Maryland Jockey Club executive vice president. "It will be featured on all communications, officially licensed merchandise and p