Пимлико: Передача, Реконструкция и Будущее Ипподрома

American thoroughbred horse racetrack
On March 14, 2024, the Stronach Group announced that it had reached a deal with the Maryland state government to transfer ownership of Pimlico to the new Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority starting in June 2024, allowing for a multi million dollar renovation project of the race course's track to begin and for the construction of a new training center at a separate location. The deal would also consolidate thoroughbred racing in Maryland to Pimlico and have the Maryland state government assume responsibility over racing operations at the course by next year. The Maryland General Assembly passed a bill ratifying the deal in April 2024, which was signed into law by Governor Wes Moore in May 2024. The Pimlico property is expected to begin renovations by the end of 2024 and reopen sometime after the 2026 Preakness, which is planned to be held at Laurel Park. The Preakness Stakes and the Pimlico Special are run at a distance of 1 3/16 miles (9½ furlongs). The Pimlico track record for that distance is held by Farma Way, who set it while winning the Pimlico Special in 1991. In the century and more since its opening, Pimlico Race Track has weathered much outside history including the 1904 Great Fire of Baltimore, Great Depression of the 1930s, and several notable Baltimore riots. Pimlico also survived Prohibition and even an anti gambling movement in 1910. A bill sponsored by the state racing commission in 1949 to abandon the track was originally supported by Governor William Preston Lane Jr., who reversed his position in late March. As Alfred G. Vanderbilt said, "Pimlico is more than a dirt track bounded by four streets. It is an accepted American institution, devoted to the best interests of a great sport, graced by time, respected for its honorable past." The races held at Pimlico, especially the Preakness, draw spectators from the Mid Atlantic region. In 2007, the official attendance was 121,263 for the Preakness, the most people to watch a sporting event in Maryland history. More than $87.2 million in bets were made. On March 23, 2010, an agreement was reached to sell the two Maryland Jockey Club tracks (Pimlico and Laurel Park) from Magna Entertainment Corporation to its parent company, MI Development. On May 7, Penn National Gaming, with MI Development, announced they would jointly own and operate the Maryland Jockey Club. Penn National, which began in 1973, operating the Penn National Race Course near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, has grown to become the largest racetrack operator in the country. In June 2011, The Stronach Group took control of the tracks when MI Development bought out Penn National Gaming's minority stake in the Maryland Jockey Club, which owned Laurel Park Racecourse, Pimlico, and Bowie Race Track which is used as a training facility. The Stronach Group is owned by Canadian horse breeder and owner Frank Stronach, who also was MI Development's chairman and chief executive, a position he gave up in order to run Maryland's racetracks. Penn National bought a 49% stake in the Jockey Club in 2010 in hopes of securing a slots license at Laurel Park. In 2018, the track began using a GPS based timing system.

In February 2017, the Maryland Stadium Authority released the first phase of a study saying that Pimlico needed $250 million in renovations. In January 2018 it was reported that Pimlico renovation studies were continuing. A report issued on December 14, 2018 suggested the existing buildings be demolished and rebuilt. In a meeting held in June 2018 by the Maryland Stadium Authority, locals "overwhelmingly supported upgrading the track property." The Preakness Stakes took place at Pimlico in May 2019, with media reports suggesting that future Preakness races could be moved to Laurel Park. In 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 Pimlico 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 Racing and Community Development Act, approved by the Maryland General Assembly in May 2020, allows the Maryland Stadium Authority to issue $375 million in bonds for the renovation of both Stronach Group tracks. The Maryland General Assembly introduced a bill in March 2024 that provided for the consolidation of thoroughbred racing in Maryland to Pimlico. It provided for $400 million in state bonds to be used for renovations to Pimlico, as well as running the Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park in 2026 before returning to Pimlico in 2027. Additionally, the bill would also transfer ownership of Pimlico from the Stronach Group to a new non profit group run by the state, known as the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority (MTROA). The bill passed in April 2024 after amendment, and was expected to be signed into law by Governor Wes Moore. The MTROA's ownership of Pimlico is expected to begin in June 2024. Starting no later than January 1, 2025, all of Pimlico's race dates—except for the 2025 Preakness and supporting races—would move to Laurel until the Pimlico renovations are finished.

On October 24, 1877, the United States Congress shut down for a day so its members could attend a horse race at Pimlico. The event was a 2½ mile match race run by a trio of champions: Ten Broeck, Tom Ochiltree, and Parole. Ten Broeck, the Kentucky champion, was owned by F. B. Harper. Tom Ochiltree, the Eastern champion and winner of the 1875 Preakness Stakes, was owned by George L. Lorillard, an heir to the Lorillard tobacco fortune. Parole, a gelding, was owned by Pierre Lorillard IV. Parole, with William Barrett up, prevailed with a late run, crossing the finish line three lengths ahead of Ten Broeck and six ahead of Tom Ochiltree, which had helped to set the early pace with Barbee in the irons. An estimated 20,000 people crowded into Pimlico to witness the event. The event is depicted in a four ton stone bas relief—copied from a Currier & Ives print and sculpted in stone by Bernard Zuckerman—hanging over the clubhouse entrance at Pimlico. It is 30 feet (9 m) long and 10 feet (3 m) high and is gilded in 24 karat gold leaf.

The track has a one mile dirt oval, surrounding a seven furlong (7/8 mile) turf oval. There are stables for about 1,000 horses. Pimlico's capacity, including the infield, is over 120,000 people. The track area is bounded by Park Heights and Winner Avenues to the west, West Rogers Avenue and West Northern Parkway to the north, Preakness Way to the east, and West Belvedere Avenue to the south. (Its namesake street, Pimlico Road, runs from the city line near Greenspring Avenue to Park Heights Avenue south of Cold Spring Lane, but is rendered discontinuous to through traffic between Northern Parkway and Belvedere Avenue.)

Pimlico Race Course has typically accessed from either the Rogers Avenue Metro Station to the east in Park Heights, Baltimore, and to the west by the Mount Washington Light Rail station in Mount Washington. For major events, a shuttle is typically in place by the Maryland Transit Administration going to the race course from light rail and metro stations.