For as many Preakness races run over time, Hearst sister station WBAL received an opportunity this yr — for the very first time — to witness the switch of essentially the most worthwhile trophy in American sports activities.Here is what it took to maneuver essentially the most well-known trophy in American sports activities from Baltimore to Laurel Park.There have been two guidelines: One, as soon as the vase was first unboxed, we needed to depart the room for inspection. Two, an apparent one, no touching the trophy.It wasn’t what we anticipated at Laurel Park, and but it certain made sense.”Preakness is actual when the trophy arrives,” Mike Rogers, govt vp of 1/ST Racing, instructed WBAL.When you have been transporting a $4 million trophy from the Baltimore Museum of Artwork, you’d lease an innocuous white van, too.”I feel it is greater than a trophy. It is a piece of artwork. The historical past to it’s irreplaceable,” Rogers stated. Carrying the Woodlawn Vase is a fragile endeavor with 4 males from 1/ST Racing who comprise “vase element” — one man for each million it is price.The Woodlawn Vase, the thoroughbred of vases, is refined, expensive and pedigreed — and it wields movie star standing. Even Rogers, who has been round it for many years, remains to be in awe.”As this race has been run on many days of the yr and goes again 100 years to completely different places, the one factor that has been constant is that this trophy,” Rogers stated.Tiffany and Co. created it in 1860 for a Louisville membership referred to as the Woodlawn Racing Affiliation. In the course of the Civil Warfare, it was buried in Kentucky to maintain it from being melted into shot. It’s 30 kilos of strong sterling silver, standing 3 ft tall, and is topped with the champion horse referred to as Lexington, whose offspring features a horse referred to as Preakness.The vase has been the official trophy of the Preakness Stakes since 1917.Yearly, a reproduction of the vase is cradled by the winner between disbelief and elation.”It is simply, it is unimaginable,” Rogers stated.With 1/ST Racing passing the Preakness torch to the Maryland Jockey Membership, Rogers stated he thinks this can be his final time being so near the priceless prize.”To be part of it’s an honor, for me, in all probability is among the largest honors of my profession,” Rogers stated.And so, because the Woodlawn Vase heads to the cash room at Laurel Park — sure, that is what they name it — the stewards of historical past proceed with warning, reverence and respect.”They take their job with huge pleasure,” Rogers stated. “It is virtually like their child, and everybody holds this trophy in extraordinarily excessive regard. That is a testomony to what it means to folks.”