Following the release of a Maryland Stadium Authority report calling for a $424 million overhaul of Pimlico Race Course, Belinda Stronach, chairman and president of the Stronach Group, the owner of Pimlico and the Preakness Stakes, called on lawmakers to study funding for the plan and how the state can support the thoroughbred horse industry.
“We ask State and local leaders, working together with all segments of the racing industry, to tackle during the upcoming legislative session the important questions surrounding not only the financial requirements for a modern stadium that can host the Preakness Stakes but how to best support the needs of the Thoroughbred industry as a whole, sustainable year-round horse racing and training, an enhanced guest experience and greater fan engagement in Maryland,” Stronach wrote in a statement.
As structures at Pimlico have deteriorated over the years, the Stronach Group has mulled closing the track and moving the Preakness, the second jewel of horse racing’s Triple Crown, to Laurel Park, where the company has made substantial upgrades and investments in the facilities. And they’ve made clear in the past that if the Preakness is going to remain in Baltimore, it will take money from the city and state to do it.
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