At the infield fence near the turn for the last quarter-mile, Dan Stachura, John Reckner and their friends had marked off a prime piece of real estate with the same type of yellow tape used at homicide scenes. Their only complaint: The limited beer selection at Pimlico is a crime.

Stachura, 43, and Reckner, 48, gave the race course managers some credit for improvement -- noting that the selection is no longer limited to Bud and Bud Light.

"They have an older, more mature crowd that's not worried about spending money," Reckner said.

"Mature people need mature beer," Stachura added.

Their suggestion to the management: a Premium Mug Club, entitling drinkers to refills of better beers such as Maryland's Clipper City microbrew.

Though he's well past his 20s, Stachura expressed some nostalgia for the old days of bring-your-own beer and drunken debauchery.

"I don't miss the sex in tents. I do miss the running of the coolers and the free-for-all atmosphere," he said.