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Even those who love the place, who can rattle off the names of all-time greats that glided across the hallowed dirt of Pimlico Race Course and would not miss a Preakness for all the crab cakes in Maryland, readily admit that "Ol' Pimmy" has seen better days.
The host of horse racing's middle Triple Crown jewel will be packed on Saturday for the 140th Preakness Stakes with 100,000-plus fans crammed in every corner, hoping to get a glimpse of Kentucky Derby winner American Pharoah and a likely group of six colts trying to deny him a shot at history. For one afternoon, anyway, the crush of humanity combined with alcohol-fueled conviviality will mask the plywood patches and peeling paint that, on any other day of the year, make Pimlico seem like an outdated dump instead of a shrine to horse racing royalty.
Fully exposed and empty, as it is most days, Pimlico is a depressing place stuck in time and wedged into a blue-collar neighborhood in northwest Baltimore with no easy access to Interstates or major roads.
"You're not talking about a million here, a million there to make (Pimlico) what everybody wants it to be," said Bruce Quade, chairman of the Maryland Racing Commission. "It needs a lot of work."
But even as the horse racing industry in Maryland has visions of an upswing thanks to a détente between the racetrack owners, horsemen and breeders, their sudden accord has brought questions about the future of Pimlico and ultimately where the Preakness will be run.
Though debate over the Preakness' future is not new, this is: The Stronach Group, which owns both Pimlico and Laurel Park — located right off major highways roughly halfway between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. — appears ready to make a significant financial commitment to racing in Maryland in the same way it turned Gulfstream Park into a major entertainment complex in South Florida.
"With the the increased competition for gaming dollars, Maryland (racing) has been suffering it's been a drain on the Stronach Group," said chief operating officer Tim Ritvo, who was directed last year to split his focus between Gulfstream and the Maryland situation. "We're very successful in Florida and California, and Mr. (Frank) Stronach wants Maryland to be a viable entity."
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...qRZURSNFS_1IgQ
The host of horse racing's middle Triple Crown jewel will be packed on Saturday for the 140th Preakness Stakes with 100,000-plus fans crammed in every corner, hoping to get a glimpse of Kentucky Derby winner American Pharoah and a likely group of six colts trying to deny him a shot at history. For one afternoon, anyway, the crush of humanity combined with alcohol-fueled conviviality will mask the plywood patches and peeling paint that, on any other day of the year, make Pimlico seem like an outdated dump instead of a shrine to horse racing royalty.
Fully exposed and empty, as it is most days, Pimlico is a depressing place stuck in time and wedged into a blue-collar neighborhood in northwest Baltimore with no easy access to Interstates or major roads.
"You're not talking about a million here, a million there to make (Pimlico) what everybody wants it to be," said Bruce Quade, chairman of the Maryland Racing Commission. "It needs a lot of work."
But even as the horse racing industry in Maryland has visions of an upswing thanks to a détente between the racetrack owners, horsemen and breeders, their sudden accord has brought questions about the future of Pimlico and ultimately where the Preakness will be run.
Though debate over the Preakness' future is not new, this is: The Stronach Group, which owns both Pimlico and Laurel Park — located right off major highways roughly halfway between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. — appears ready to make a significant financial commitment to racing in Maryland in the same way it turned Gulfstream Park into a major entertainment complex in South Florida.
"With the the increased competition for gaming dollars, Maryland (racing) has been suffering it's been a drain on the Stronach Group," said chief operating officer Tim Ritvo, who was directed last year to split his focus between Gulfstream and the Maryland situation. "We're very successful in Florida and California, and Mr. (Frank) Stronach wants Maryland to be a viable entity."
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...qRZURSNFS_1IgQ