Miss Maryland Allison Redman, Of Bel Air, To Appear At Preakness

BEL AIR, MD —Allison Redman, of Bel Air, has been riding horses for nearly 20 years. These days, she keeps her horse Sydney at Normandy Farms in Street, where Redman also volunteers in the Therapeutic Riding program for individuals with special needs.

Though Redman, 27, has grown up in Maryland and spent years around horses, she has never been to the Preakness Stakes. However, that is set to change on Saturday when Redman will be at Baltimore's Pimlico Race Course in her official capacity as Miss Maryland. Redman will be a guest of the Maryland Jockey Club and has been told she will present a trophy, though she is not sure for which race.

"This will be my very first time going," said Redman, who graduated from C. Milton Wright High School. "I would say it's a horse lover's dream. I've envisioned going, but never took the initiative. It's great to actually have this opportunity to be Miss Maryland and get invited by the Maryland Jockey Club. I even bought a hat and will be wearing a bunch of black-eyed Susans in it."

A crowd of about 10,000 is expected at Pimlico, which is a small percentage of capacity due to COVID restrictions. But it will be one of the area's bigger official gatherings since the pandemic began. It also will be a sign of things to come as the state continues to open.

For Redman, Saturday will mark one of her few in-person appearances as Miss Maryland, a title bestowed upon her last June after the 2020 Miss Maryland Pageant was canceled because of the pandemic. Redman actually had been the third runner-up in the 2019 pageant. There was no Miss America Pageant this year either, so Redman said she spent the year making virtual appearances, many related to her social impact initiative of advocating for music programs in schools.

"Preakness will be the biggest event I've attended in-person. I've not attended many things (as Miss Maryland), maybe five or six. So, this will be a really big event," said Redman, who plays the violin in the Susquehanna Symphony Orchestra, is in a Human Resources graduate program at Drexel (PA) and works at Aberdeen Proving Ground.

But horses remain a passion. Redman said she began taking riding lessons when she was eight, and was a pleasure rider until about three and a half years ago, when she took up dressage. She has been a volunteer in the therapeutic riding program for over 10 years.

"These kinds of experiences aren't available to everybody, so to be able to offer (special needs individuals) something they otherwise wouldn't have at school, or even maybe in their personal lives, is very satisfying to see," Redman told WBAL TV this week. "It's one of my big joys, and I love seeing their faces light up just like mine does when I get on my horse."

Redman will remain Miss Maryland until June 26, when her successor will be crowned in a scaled down, in-person pageant in Hagerstown. Redman actually will serve as emcee for the event.

But in the short term, Redman said she's really excited about Saturday's Preakness, which she said carries symbolism for Marylanders emerging from the pandemic.

"Having the Preakness back, having crowds at the event is really such a light in a dark time," Redman told Patch. "I think there is significance in the black-eyed Susan. For (those in horse racing), it is their motivation, it symbolizes encouragement and never giving up."