The Woodlawn Vase, Trophy for the Preakness Stakes, Originates from Kentucky

The horse that wins this year’s Preakness Stakes will be adorned with a garland of Black-Eyed Susans, while its owners hoist the Woodlawn Vase. It’s a trophy that is among the most ornate and valuable in North American sports. Its history goes back to the Civil War, and it all started in Kentucky.

Almost two decades before Churchill Downs hosted its first race, Woodlawn Park was the talk of the town. The pristine racetrack opened in 1859 between modern-day Westport Road and Shelbyville Road in East Louisville. Two years later, a breeder commissioned Tiffany & Co. to create a winning trophy for the Woodlawn Classic. A mare named Mollie Jackson won that race to claim the coveted trophy for the first time.

The 36-inch trophy is approximately 30 pounds of solid sterling silver. A marvel then and now, officials at Woodlawn Park were well aware of its value when the Civil War broke out.

“They had to bury the trophy somewhere on the property to keep it safe from marauding Confederate soldiers,” a local historian told WHAS-11.

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Following the war, the Woodlawn Vase was once again up for grabs. After a victory at Churchill Downs, a pair of owners from Brooklyn took the trophy back up to New York. It was awarded annually in the Empire State before becoming the official trophy of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico in 1917.

Owners were allowed to keep the Woodlawn Vase for a year. That tradition was abandoned in 1953 when it was deemed too valuable to go from one house to another. Just how valuable is it? Priceless is the right description, but modern appraisals put it north of $4 million, making it the most valuable trophy in North American sports.

The Woodlawn Vase is on display 51 weeks out of the year at the Baltimore Museum of Art, but who knows, maybe that will soon change. If Churchill Downs closes its deal to acquire the Preakness Stakes, the Woodlawn Vase could return to its original Kentucky home.