Racing, training and simulcast wagering at the track will cease on Sept. 1Patrick Smith/Getty Images
The state of Maryland “officially acquired” the site of Pimlico Race Course on Monday, a “key step in the plan to eventually redevelop the home of the Preakness Stakes and make it the year-round location of thoroughbred racing in the state,” according to Brandon Weigel of the BALTIMORE BANNER. Racing, training and simulcast wagering at the track will cease on Sept. 1. By that date the horses stabled at Pimlico and the “backstretch workers living on site” will have relocated to Laurel Park. According to a timeline released by the Maryland Thoroughbred Horseman's Association, the Maryland Stadium Authority will “begin site work and demolition at Pimlico this fall," but Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority (MTROA) Chair Greg Cross said that he “did not expect anything to be razed until the start of 2025.” Under a plan developed by the MTROA known as “Pimlico Plus,” the state “took control of Pimlico for $1 and will use bond funding to raze the dilapidated facility and build a smaller, modern grandstand and a new racing surface.” A separate training center will also be constructed at a to-be-determined location to “provide additional stalls and a separate training track.” Starting Jan. 1, 2025, a new “state-run nonprofit will run day-to-day operations of horse racing in Maryland.” Preakness will move to Laurel until work is complete, which is expected to be 2027. The Stronach Group will continue to hold the rights to run the Preakness and "lease them to the state" for an annual $3M fee plus 2% of the gross betting handle for the weekend (
BALTIMORE BANNER, 7/2).
