Fun Fact Friday: The most valuable trophy

Who doesn’t love a little trivial knowledge? In the first installment of what I hope to be a regular feature on Make Mine Beef, today’s Fun Fact Friday is focused on my favorite sport, horse racing.

That’s right — the most valuable trophy in North American sports isn’t awarded at the Super Bowl or BCS National Championship Game. It’s not even the super cool, super historic Stanley Cup. It’s the Woodlawn Vase, the official trophy of the Preakness Stakes. According to the event’s Facebook page, the roughly 30-pound sterling silver trophy was valued at more than $1 million in 1983. It’s likely worth closer to $4 million today. Here’s an interesting piece on the history of the vase.

And, here’s a close-up picture of the vase being raised by Bob Baffert, the trainer of last year’s Preakness-winning Lookin at Lucky.

So, in honor of my first Fun Fact Friday and my first trip to a Triple Crown race (we leave next Friday, after work!), I thought I'd leave you with a recipe for the Black-Eyed Susan, the official drink of the Preakness Stakes.