Because stakes races are reserved for the second half of the two-week Preakness Meet at Pimlico Race Course this year, the first weekend of racing will be a curious affair. Sure to be dwarfed by events the following weekend, the first three days will mean much more to local Maryland connections and a small group of outsiders searching for winning moments on the historic grounds. As would be the case on a typical day at Laurel Park, trainer Jamie Ness will lead the way with 14 entries on Pimlico’s opening weekend, which runs from May 9 to May 11. Hugh McMahon and Rodolfo Sanchez-Salomon trail close behind with 11 each. Trainer Brittany Russell has nine runners entered across the first three cards, and in the sixth race on Friday, she will enter debuting 3-year-old filly Ma Ma Ma My Vekoma. Eric Camacho, who retired as a full-time jockey in 2016, is scheduled to return to the saddle for the first-time starter. :: DRF's Preakness Headquarters: Contenders, latest news, and more “Eric’s done all the work with her in the morning and she’s a little bit of a funny filly,” Russell said. “He’s test-driven a couple of ours and he’s pretty game. He knows them in the morning, and she’s been a filly mentally that’s taken a lot of work.” In 2022, Camacho made his most notable return from retirement when he rode future Breeders’ Cup runner Post Time for Russell in the horse’s first three starts. The veteran jockey isn’t the only one making a comeback at Pimlico on Friday. Tim Grams, two races short of 1,000 career victories, is one of several trainers based at Charles Town taking a rare trip down to Maryland. He will make his first appearance at the Baltimore track since 2010 when 6-year-old gelding Woodline runs in a $25,000 claiming race on Friday. “I used to go to Maryland quite a bit to race. I liked it down there,” Grams said. “Now, since I’ve got so many West Virginia-breds and a couple farms, I try to stay here. But this year, I’m looking around a little bit more than I have in a while.” Trainer Hassan Elamri is another horseman making a sort of return to Pimlico this weekend. For nearly three decades, the Moroccan horseman and former steeplechase rider has traveled back and forth to his home country for a decidedly unique second profession. When he isn’t training, Elamri runs an olive farm, and the cold months in North America coincide with harvesting season across the Atlantic Ocean. After spending several months gathering olives and replanting, Elamri returns to the United States every year and specializes in turf sprints in the Mid-Atlantic region. In his first weekend back in 2025, he has four horses entered at Pimlico. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.