It's one of the most rowdy US sporting events. Here's what Preakness says about the economy

A woman balancing a dozen cocktails on a tray atop her head inched carefully through the steadily building crowds and chaos on Saturday morning at the Pimlico Race Course clubhouse.

“How much is that,” a man in purple trousers yelled towards her, the glassware inches above her eyebrow clanking as she paused.

“Twenty dollars,” she replied.

Ray De Rubin repeated the number in disbelief, mumbled an expletive under his breath, then said: “I’ll take two.”

He and his mother were at Pimlico for the first time – here to wager on US horse racing’s esteemed Preakness Stakes on its 150th anniversary. Just two weeks ago, during his 14th trip to the Kentucky Derby, he won big.

“This is the exact same outfit I wore on Derby day. Same underwear, same socks, same hat,” he said. “I still got my Derby wristband on.”

His wager at Pimlico? “I can’t tell you. I don’t want the IRS coming after me,” he said with a grin.

On the other side of Pimlico – just beyond the thousand-dollar seats, champagne flutes, and air-conditioned tents on the infield – five thoroughbreds idled behind the starting line. Mr De Rubin had bets on three of them.

There was a brief moment of quiet before the race. Then the gates flung open, and the horses took off. Mr De Rubin, eyes fixed on the screens above, stood frozen. But only for a moment.

“I get really loud when I watch the race. I put a lot of work into this,” he said.