This weekend, the racing world will flock to Pimlico Race Course for the 140th time to enjoy the unique experience of the Preakness Stakes.

Only this year, visitors will find a far different Baltimore from past years and view a horse race with an importance that suddenly extends beyond Triple Crown implications.

For the city of Baltimore, the Preakness could not have arrived at a better time. Last month, life in Baltimore was shaken to its core by the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who suffered injures while in the custody of city police officers on April 12.

The incident sparked large-scale protests and civil unrest that culminated with the events of April 27-28, following Gray's funeral, when a wave of riots and looting in areas like West Baltimore and the tourist haven of the Inner Harbor led to the destruction of about 200 businesses. Sports was not immune to the fear that gripped Baltimore. On April 25, fans attending a night game between the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards were asked to remain in the stadium after the game due to violence that had broken out during a protest in that area.

The Orioles postponed home games against the Chicago White Sox on April 27 and 28, then played a day game in an empty Camden Yards on April 29. Continued concern for the safety of fans traveling to the ballpark prompted the Orioles to switch scheduled home games with the Rays on May 1-3 to Tampa, Florida.

Tensions in the city finally began to subside on May 1 when Gray's death was ruled a homicide and charges were filed against six Baltimore police officers.

Now as Baltimore struggles to heal and rebuild, the state's largest one-day sporting event will take place Saturday, when more than 120,000 people will descend on Pimlico for the $1.5 million Preakness.

Though Pimlico's racing schedule was not affected by the unrest because it was closed April 27-29, the track sits just three miles from the Mondawmin Mall, which was the epicenter of the April 27 riots. That proximity has spawned safety concerns, yet one Maryland native with a past association to Pimlico and the Preakness believes potential visitors to Baltimore should not be scared away by the violence depicted in the frightening images on national newscasts.

Mike Gathagan was the vice president of communications at Pimlico for 14 years before leaving earlier this year to take a position as communications director for the Maryland Catholic Conference, the lobbying arm of the Catholic Church in the state. A resident of Timonium, which is just outside Baltimore, Gathagan says he's looking forward to attending Saturday's race as a fan and that the mood in the city has calmed considerably since charges were filed against the police officers.

"There was a lot of concern in town about the Preakness immediately after Freddie Gray's death, but the race was far off and things have settled down significantly after last Friday's arrests," Gathagan said Saturday. "I'm going to the Preakness and I don't have any hesitation about doing it. I don't feel there's any threat in that area. Coming home from work, most days I would drive through the city. I didn't do that last week, but I did it a couple of nights this week. If I'm the guinea pig, I haven't had any problems driving through the city. There were a few peaceful demonstrations last weekend and nothing this weekend. There haven't been any rumblings on social media or Twitter about something happening this week."

Gathagan said Monday's Orioles home game and the response to it will serve as a barometer of what to expect Saturday for the second jewel of racing's Triple Crown. The game against the Blue Jays is being billed as ReOpening Day to help move the city forward from the violence that gripped it last month, a role the Preakness can also play.

"I think sports, like the Orioles and the Preakness, can help bring back normalcy," Gathagan said. "It's been a while since the Orioles have been home and there's always more life in the Inner Harbor when the Orioles are home. I don't want to exaggerate things, but it's an important week for the city to try to get back on its feet, and sports like the Orioles and Preakness can help with that. I think after the last month people are ready to get back out and celebrate a big week.

"It could help start the healing process, but there's a very big picture that cannot be ignored. The problem is not just what happened in the death of Freddie Gray. There's a major problem in Baltimore with education and unemployment. Fifty percent of our youth are not graduating from high school. The job situation is difficult, especially if you have a conviction. There are a lot of drugs in the city. The problems are a lot bigger than the Baltimore Police Department and Freddie Gray."

Helping matters is the strong bond between the Preakness and surrounding Northwest Baltimore communities as diverse as Park Heights, with its high crime rate, and the suburban Mount Washington -- not to mention residents across the state.

"Coming to the Preakness is a rite of passage in Baltimore," Gathagan said. "I don't know anyone in my circle of friends who hasn't been to the Preakness at least once. I grew up about 45 minutes from Pimlico, and we started coming in high school. We were there in the infield in college. If you've grown up in Maryland, you've had to come to the Preakness."

This weekend, people by the tens of thousands will once again come to Baltimore for the Preakness. In the grand scheme of society's problems, something as relatively trivial as a horse race cannot cure all of Baltimore's ills. But perhaps for a day, it can generate some smiles and a sense of excitement. Lest we forget, Mike Piazza did wonders for the psyche of New Yorkers in 2001 with a single swing of his bat.

For that reason alone, this could be the biggest and most important Preakness ever.