LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Pimlico Race Course will close Sept. 1 for major renovations.
The home of the second jewel of horse racing’s Triple Crown had become something of an eyesore, far from the newly renovated Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby.
Preakness Days in recent years have featured water and plumbing miscues. A large section of the grandstand at Pimlico Race Course was rendered unusable over the past few years because it was condemned. Much of the rest of the storied but decaying track is a relic to the thoroughbred race fans.
The 149th rendition of the Preakness Stakes in May was the last before a massive reconstruction project begins at Pimlico. The plan brings a mix of nostalgia over the vaunted venue but also hope for the future because fixing up the old place has been long overdue.
Tom Rooney, president and CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and a longtime staple of the industry in Maryland. He knows all too well the contrasting feelings as someone who attends the Preakness annually. He sits in the clubhouse at Pimlico, which first opened in 1870 and hasn’t gotten significant upgrades since the mid-20th century.
“You want to feel nostalgic, but then you look up at the ceiling and you worry that it’s going to fall in on you,” Rooney said to the Associated Press. “It’s kind of a bittersweet year, but I think the people are going to be very proud of the final result in a couple years.”
After more than a decade of uncertainty and questions about what would become of the Preakness and racing in the state, Gov. Wes Moore signed into law a bill for a $400 million rebuild in May. The complicated process involves Maryland taking over control of the track, building a training center and eventually closing Laurel Park to shift full-time racing to Pimlico in the northwest quadrant of Baltimore.
For those who tune in once a year when the sport’s spotlight shines on Baltimore's track for the Preakness, it means an abrupt shift. The race will be moved to Laurel Park down the interstate halfway to Washington D.C. in 2026.
The plan is for the Triple Crown race to return to Pimlico in 2027, much like the Belmont Stakes’ two-year hiatus at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York while the Long Island track is completely revamped. The hope is to restore some of the Preakness glory that faded with Pimlico’s deteriorating conditions.
Copyright 2024 WDRB Media. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All Rights Reserved.
