After a stormy Friday afternoon, clearer skies are expected for Saturday's 150th running of the Preakness Stakes.
The National Weather Service predicts sunny weather with a high near 85 degrees Saturday in Baltimore. The day is expected to be a breezy one: a sustained west wind of eight to 14 mph, gusting up to 24 mph.
Friday stayed dry for most of the day, though a storm delayed the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan for 67 minutes. The storm dumped half an inch of rain on Baltimore, making the track sloppy after it had been rated fast the rest of the day.
The area had already has received plenty of precipitation before Friday, with Baltimore-Washington International Airport recording a record 2.28 inches of rain on Tuesday, followed by more than 1.5 inches on Wednesday. Only a hundredth of an inch of rain was recorded there Thursdady.
Racing was taken off the turf at Pimlico on Thursday, but was conducted over turf rated good on Friday. For the beginning of racing Saturday, Pimlico's dirt track was rated good and the turf was rated good. The dirt was upgraded to fast before graded-stakes action began.
