Brighter Days Await Maryland Racing

It was just seven months ago that one of the more aesthetically pleasing editions of the Preakness Stakes (G1) took place.

Cool, autumn air. Leaves turning a golden yellow at Pimlico Race Course. An electric race with a filly, Swiss Skydiver , edging Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) winner Authentic   by a neck after an epic stretch duel on that unforgettable Oct. 3 afternoon.

The asterisk, of course, was that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Preakness closed out that disjointed Triple Crown season and only a limited number of people were allowed in Pimlico's decaying facility.

The world has miles to go before life returns to normal, but at least in Maryland, 2021 has generated a return to the Preakness' normal May 15 date on the third Saturday in May. A crowd of about 10,000 will be on hand and, unlike last year, a Triple Crown bid will be on the line when a field of 10 wages war Saturday in the middle jewel of the series—though that may become a moot point if a split sample ultimately confirms the presence of a banned substance in the system of Kentucky Derby victor Medina Spirit .

It may not be a return to the past with six-figure attendance and a raucous crowd in the infield, but it's a big step in the right direction at a time when the start of the impending renovation and rejuvenation of the MJC's facilities is perhaps a year away.

"The fall was not what you want in terms of the Triple Crown, but it was definitely a unique but special edition of the Preakness," said Craig Fravel, CEO of 1/ST Racing, a division of The Stronach Group, which is the parent company of the Maryland Jockey Club, operators of Pimlico and Laurel Park. "Yet it's also spectacular here in the spring and for the Preakness this weekend, people will not be packed in. There will be a more spaced out environment but it will be dressed up nicely. It's not going to be anything like the Kentucky Derby (which had an announced attendance of 51,838). We're making sure we are as responsible as we can be from a COVID standpoint and entertain as many people as can be done safely."

Preparing Pimlico to handle the substantial crowd for the May 14 Black-Eyed Susan Day card on the eve of the Preakness and the following day's massive turnout was never an easy task. And even with Saturday's attendance limited to about 1/14th of the record total of 2017, an older and more crumbling 151-year-old Pimlico complicates matters.

"It's a large effort to improve a place that has suffered from some deferred maintenance," said Fravel, who grew up in Baltimore and accepted a leadership position with The Stronach Group in 2019 after eight years as president and CEO of the Breeders' Cup. "There's a lot of infrastructure that's created just for the weekend. It really is quite an effort. It's right up there with any of the Breeders' Cups that I have been involved in, such as adding infrastructure at Keeneland. And we have one whole section (of the grandstand) at Pimlico that's not useable."

The ticket policy for the 146th Preakness includes an attendee waiver that lists health criteria and an agreement to wear a mask and maintain social distancing. A maximum of four seats will be grouped together.

As much as the pandemic has limited the amount of people that Pimlico and other racetracks across the country can host, the future may not necessarily bring a return to a crowd like the 140,237 who turned out in 2017.  In a world shaped by face masks, vaccinations, and social distancing, events such as the Preakness are changing.

"I can see us returning to a large crowd. We want to keep evolving as an event and make it special so philosophically, whether we get the numbers and atmosphere of the Kegasus (the mascot for the 2011 Preakness) days or not, we will continually evolve. I don't want to make a prediction about the future because there is a whole team of us involved in it, but I don't know if you need to have 120,000 people crammed into a small space forever," Fravel said. "Looking backwards, when I first got to the Breeders' Cup, the emphasis was on crowd size and did we set a record. We evolved the event to focus on quality, with a good crowd that we could take care of and be successful. I think that is aspirationally a good place to go. 

"I think it will change, but people are still a little uncomfortable in crowded places," he added. "Some are perfectly happy with crowds but a majority don't want to be out in the midst of 100,000 people. In two years, maybe. But right now they have gotten comfortable in their living rooms and walking around their neighborhoods and enjoying things with smaller groups of their friends, and I think that will be with us for a while."

Change, in the form of state-of-the-art facilities, is indeed on the horizon for Maryland racing.

In October of 2019 the Maryland Stadium Authority announced it would finance between $375-$400 million to pay for the renovation of Laurel and destruction and rebuilding of the grandstand and clubhouse at Pimlico. The Baltimore track's racing surface will also be rotated to create room for private development to benefit the surrounding community.

"I hope that by 2024 or 2025 the whole package will be bound up in a bow, but that depends on the design. Right now a lot of projects are running into delays due to COVID and shortages, so it's harder to predict these days," Fravel said. "Ultimately when everything is finished, Maryland racing will have facilities that are among the finest on the East Coast. It will be a huge step forward for the business here."

With the February awarding of an architectural and engineering services contract to Ayers Saint Gross, Fravel is hopeful that in about a year construction can begin.

"The process is well underway. The design team has been selected and they are getting their teeth into the project and have seriously begun the planning stages. I think things are moving along well," Fravel said. "The funding is all established in terms of the legal authorization. There are a lot of requirements in the statue that must be complied with before any borrowing can take place so that may not happen for a year. But there is well over $20 million that has been turned over from the existing development funds to fund the planning and design process, so that money is in place and being spent.

"The design process started a few months behind schedule so I can't say when construction will begin. Hopefully, it's within a year," Fravel added. "There are decisions that have to be made that are fundamental to the ultimate design and until the design is set, the phasing and transitions will trail a little bit. I've been through construction projects before and it's a tricky orchestration, especially now with COVID and a shortage of some materials."

Fravel said funds from the MSA should cover all construction costs.

"We're not planning to (add to the $375-$400 million)," he said. "Our hope is that the funding will be sufficient. There are obviously some things at the existing tracks that are salvageable and useable, so we will take advantage of that. But it is not our objective to continue to put money in beyond that."

As MJC and horsemen await the day when ground will be broken to begin the construction, 2021 has been a difficult year. There have been numerous cancellations of racing dates due to an outbreak of equine herpesvirus in March and unsafe racing conditions at Laurel Park last month that forced racing to shift to Pimlico earlier than planned.

Yet for this weekend, with the Preakness back in May and a new era for racing on the horizon, there's a reason for optimism arising out of the myriad of problems and setbacks in the past.

"We'll all been through a traumatic year. Between COVID and the equine herpes breakout and traumas with the track at Laurel, it's been a stressful and difficult year for the tracks and horsemen and horsewomen. But they have been resilient. Horse people persevere. They do this because this is their passion. I'm grateful to everyone who has stuck with it. The casino money is helping the purse pool again. We have great cards of racing this weekend, and anytime you can put on a few days of racing and showcase the sport in a great way you are making progress," Fravel said. "I'm still optimistic. We have something to look forward to. It's going to be good and eventually things are going to turn, and we will look at nothing but positives for a while instead of the string of unfortunate events we have suffered through."