Pimlico racetrack has been the prestigious home of the Preakness Stakes for well over 100 years. Without fail, the Preakness Stakes has been Pimlico racetrack's pride and joy, and one of the hallmarks of horse racing. Though the Preakness Stakes and Pimlico do not have the glamour of the Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs, Pimlico racetrack is horse's racing's second greatest home. But Pimlico racetrack, and the Preakness Stakes as a whole, may be living on borrowed time heading into the 134'th Preakness.
Though it would have been unthinkable years ago, people are now wondering if it is even possible to keep the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico racetrack. When one thinks of the Preakness Stakes, they think of Maryland and Pimlico. But financial troubles, uncertain ownership, and the decline of horse racing itself may combine to challenge that notion.
The economy has hit everyone hard, and horse racing is no exception. But Pimlico, unlike Churchill Downs or the Belmont, has been hit so hard that its owners had to file for bankruptcy earlier this year. Magna Entertainment Corporation now has to sell Pimlico racetrack and its other assets to stay alive.
Even leaving aside the bankruptcy, Pimlico racetrack is hitting hard times. Attendance has been down at the Preakness Stakes, though more than 100,000 fans still attend every year. Controversy has erupted over plans to put in slots at Pimlico, as a way to raise money. And efforts by Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley to have the state control Pimlico, in order to keep the Preakness, have raised even more eyebrows.
To make matters worse for fans, they can't even bring canned beer anymore, and they had to listen to ZZ Top as pre-Preakness entertainment.
If Pimlico racetrack cannot stay alive in its current form, the Preakness Stakes has nowhere else to go in Maryland. No one can guess which other state could take over the Preakness, and few really want to imagine it.
For all of the economy's hardship, the famous sites of classic sporting events still get to put on their biggest shows year after year. No one is talking about moving the Indianapolis 500 away from Indianapolis, or the Masters away from Augusta, or the Kentucky Derby from Churchill Downs.
But Pimlico racetrack has found itself on the brink of becoming sports' most famous casualty of the economy, and bad ownership, if something isn't done.
Until its fate is determined one way or the other, there are still a few Preakness Stakes left to run at Pimlico. The 134'th version goes off later this afternoon on NBC.
Sources
PeterGreenberg.com- "The Preakness and Pimlico: Horse Racing's Dark Future?" www.petergreenberg.com/2009/05/15/the-preakness-and-pimlico-horse-racings-dark-future/
National Post- "A day at the races, a track on the edge" www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html
Baltimore Political Rhetoric Examiner- "Making sense of Preakness, Pimlico, and the current state of Maryland Racing" www.examiner.com/x-10228-Baltimore-Political-Rhetoric-Examiner~y2009m5d15-Making-sense-of-Preakness-Pimlico-and-the-current-state-of-Maryland-Racing
Though it would have been unthinkable years ago, people are now wondering if it is even possible to keep the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico racetrack. When one thinks of the Preakness Stakes, they think of Maryland and Pimlico. But financial troubles, uncertain ownership, and the decline of horse racing itself may combine to challenge that notion.
The economy has hit everyone hard, and horse racing is no exception. But Pimlico, unlike Churchill Downs or the Belmont, has been hit so hard that its owners had to file for bankruptcy earlier this year. Magna Entertainment Corporation now has to sell Pimlico racetrack and its other assets to stay alive.
Even leaving aside the bankruptcy, Pimlico racetrack is hitting hard times. Attendance has been down at the Preakness Stakes, though more than 100,000 fans still attend every year. Controversy has erupted over plans to put in slots at Pimlico, as a way to raise money. And efforts by Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley to have the state control Pimlico, in order to keep the Preakness, have raised even more eyebrows.
To make matters worse for fans, they can't even bring canned beer anymore, and they had to listen to ZZ Top as pre-Preakness entertainment.
If Pimlico racetrack cannot stay alive in its current form, the Preakness Stakes has nowhere else to go in Maryland. No one can guess which other state could take over the Preakness, and few really want to imagine it.
For all of the economy's hardship, the famous sites of classic sporting events still get to put on their biggest shows year after year. No one is talking about moving the Indianapolis 500 away from Indianapolis, or the Masters away from Augusta, or the Kentucky Derby from Churchill Downs.
But Pimlico racetrack has found itself on the brink of becoming sports' most famous casualty of the economy, and bad ownership, if something isn't done.
Until its fate is determined one way or the other, there are still a few Preakness Stakes left to run at Pimlico. The 134'th version goes off later this afternoon on NBC.
Sources
PeterGreenberg.com- "The Preakness and Pimlico: Horse Racing's Dark Future?" www.petergreenberg.com/2009/05/15/the-preakness-and-pimlico-horse-racings-dark-future/
National Post- "A day at the races, a track on the edge" www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html
Baltimore Political Rhetoric Examiner- "Making sense of Preakness, Pimlico, and the current state of Maryland Racing" www.examiner.com/x-10228-Baltimore-Political-Rhetoric-Examiner~y2009m5d15-Making-sense-of-Preakness-Pimlico-and-the-current-state-of-Maryland-Racing
Comments
Steve Exon
(Guest)
(Guest)
05/17/2009
Once again, Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, AR has been the spring board for another great 3 year old in Rachel Alexandra, not to mention the Oaklawn Park jockey Calvin Borel. If you want to find out who the the top 3 year old is going to be year after year, just pay attention to what is going on during Arkansas Derby week in April. Sorry to hear about the finacial problems at Pimlico, but with Hollywood Park (who has alternative gambling) closing, Santa Anita in bankruptcy and the New York Racing Assoc.(NYRA) in bankruptcy, it comes as no surprise. The worst thing that could happen to Pimlico is to have a government agency take over the track. Aksarben racetrack in Omaha, NE (once the nations top 10 in attendance and mutual handle)was taken over by county government. They ran it into the ground before the track was closed in 1995.
James Meister
(Guest)
(Guest)
05/16/2009
It seems that everyone is worried about the impact slots would have on the economically disadvantaged people in the State. This is a facade (bullshit). The only thing the State is worried about is what impact slots would have on the States ability to generate massive cash flows from its own present lottery ticket sales and "KENO" facilities, which they have limited overhead in keeping up. One of the KENO gambling facilities methods of raising money is horse racing via the KENO facilities and monitors. This is fake horse racing that apparently is a popular form of gambling or the State wouldn't be adding monitors to places that have KENO just for horse race betting.
Why not put real horse races and track betting at existing KENO facilities like every other state that runs these types of venues for massive cash flows and give some of the money back to the track. They obviously aren't worried about the economically disadvantaged people in the world. They don't care what States the
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