Do you think that Pimlico Racetrack will close? It's in.....?

News has it that the owner of the race and the 149-year-old Pimlico track said that Laurel Park would NOT be ready to host the Preakness in 2020 — even if the General Assembly approved a change of venue. The Stronach Group closed the Old Grandstand at Pimlico because it can no longer bear the weight of the 7,000 spectators it is supposed to hold. The Stronach Group has pledged to donate the land to the city or an entity created by the city for development in and around the track. Pimlico’s antiquated grandstand and clubhouse would be demolished. A new clubhouse would be built and the track rotated 30 degrees to the northeast to create nine parcels of land that could be sold for private development.

With that, Pimlico would receive $199.5 million as part of the project. Training and stable operations would be consolidated at The Stronach Group’s track at Laurel Park in Anne Arundel County, which would receive $173.4 million for improvements. The Stronach Group would look to divest itself of the Bowie Training Center.

Currently, October 2019, The Stronach Group reached an agreement in principle with the city of Baltimore and groups representing Maryland horsemen that would permanently keep the Preakness at Pimlico. As part of the agreement, The Stronach Group would donate both Pimilco and Laurel Park to newly-established government entities that would oversee the properties, with Stronach licensed to conduct the race meets. Pimlico's grandstand would be demolished and replaced with a smaller structure, and temporary seating would be added to handle the attendance during Preakness week. The race track itself would be rotated 30 degrees in order to create nine parcels of land that could be sold for private development, and new barns for horses would be constructed. The plan would have to be approved by the Maryland state legislature when they convene in 2020, as existing state laws would have to be modified in order for the proposal to be realized.

No, it's not going to close, and the Preakness will remain where it is, at least for the foreseeable future. It IS closed right now, of course, but that's because the racing season is over there. Pimlico only has one race meeting a year, and that's in the spring and early summer. The rest of the time, all racing is held at Laurel, which just finished holding the Maryland Million this past weekend.