State officials said they will move forward with plans to raze a storied but deteriorating Baltimore horse track following the running of the Preakness Stakes later this month.
The Board of Public Works Wednesday is scheduled to vote on two requests related to the state’s thoroughbred racing plans. Included in the requests are plans to purchase a Carroll County parcel for a new training facility and another that will raze Pimlico Race Course as part of a modernization effort.
“So, after decades of trying to figure out what to do with Pimlico, tomorrow it will become a reality,” said Greg Cross, chair of the soon-to-be-disbanded Maryland Thoroughbred Race Track Operating Authority.
The authority Wednesday will seek approval from the Board of Public Works, chaired by Gov. Wes Moore (D), to purchase Shamrock Farm.
The 328-acre Carroll County farm will become a new training facility to support expanded racing at Pimlico.
The nearly $4.5 million purchase price is the highest of three appraisals conducted for the racing authority. The General Assembly in 2024 set aside $110 million for construction of a new, state-of-the art training facility as part of a thoroughbred racing centralization plan.
Cross said the new facility will house 800 horses.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Bryan Sears over at Maryland Matters
