Editing Native Dancer (section)

====Preakness Stakes====
On May 23, Native Dancer entered the Preakness Stakes as the 1-5 favorite. He again faced Dark Star, who set a fast early pace with Tahitian King to his outside. Native Dancer rated in fourth position on the rail, then started his move on the final turn, splitting between the two front runners. Tahitian King dropped back and eventually finished sixth. At the head of the stretch, Dark Star also gave way, leaving Native Dancer alone on the lead. However, longshot Jamie K then started to close ground rapidly. Guerin went to the whip and Native Dancer responded to win by a neck. Guerin admitted that he had been worried. "When Dark Star stopped, I found myself in the lead a little sooner than I wanted," he said.<ref name="NYT-Preakness">{{cite web |last1=Roach |first1=James |title=Native Dancer Takes Preakness |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1953/05/24/archives/jamie-k-is-second-arcaros-mount-extends-native-dancer-15-royal-bay.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=21 July 2019 |date=24 May 1953}}</ref> It was later determined that Dark Star had bowed a tendon during the race: he never raced again.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dark Star, Lame After the Preakness, Is Retired From Competition |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1953/05/26/archives/dark-star-lame-after-the-preakness-is-retired-from-competition-turf.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=21 July 2019 |date=26 May 1953}}</ref>

Besides being the odds-on favorite to win, Native Dancer was so heavily bet to show that it created a minus pool. A show bet pays if the horse finishes in the top three positions, and the legal minimum payout in Maryland at the time was $2.20 for a $2 bet. In order to cover the bets plus the associated taxes, the Maryland Jockey Club had to pay $46,012 ({{Inflation|US|46012|1953|r=-3|fmt=eq}}) into the pool.<ref name=NYT-Preakness />

The trophy for the Preakness is the [[Woodlawn Vase]], considered the most valuable trophy in sports with a value of roughly $4 million. Before 1954, the vase itself was given to the winning owner, who kept it for the following year. In 1954 though, Vanderbilt declined to take the original trophy home and instead was given a replica. This set a new tradition where the original Woodlawn Vase is displayed at Pimlico on Preakness day but otherwise resides at the [[Baltimore Museum of Art]]. Vanderbilt's replica trophy was sold at auction in 2018 for $100,000.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Klingaman |first1=Mike |title=Owner's trophy for Native Dancer's 1953 Preakness win bought at auction by local developer |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/horse-racing/bs-sp-racing-preakness-trophy-20180608-story.html |website=baltimoresun.com |date=8 June 2018 |access-date=27 July 2019}}</ref>