Marylanders Speak Up on Pimlico

Image: 
Description: 

Photo: Maryland Jockey Club
Trainer Mike Trombetta

The Dec. 12 news of a study done by the Maryland Stadium Authority regarding the future of Pimlico Race Course caused quite a commotion among Marylanders the following day. The plan for demolishing and rebuilding "Old Hilltop" carries a $424 million price tag.

BALAN: Maryland Stadium Authority Calls for Rebuilt Pimlico

Below are comments from horsepeople, farm owners, and stallion operators who all have a stake in not only the continued success of Pimlico and the Preakness Stakes (G1) but the Thoroughbred industry in the Free State:

"Everyone could have guessed to put something there worthwhile was going to be tremendously expensive," said trainer Mike Trombetta. "That's a $424 million question: Where does the money come from? Is it possible to be done?

"It's very hard to take something out of play that has been there so long. The reality is, the way that it is in today's world … Pimlico has been left behind. They either have to do away with it or fix it. They can't keep doing it the way they are doing it. I understand how they got to this point, and it's been a long time coming, but it's here.

"You think about the football stadium (M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Baltimore Ravens). They raised $250-300 million from the lottery and things like that to put the stadium down there. Think about how much use it doesn't get. They play eight or nine games there a year. When you put it in that kind of perspective, it seems like the redo of Pimlico is a doable possibility. The other side of that is, we don't race there that much anymore. But there's a reason for that. Could we race more there in the future if there was something better? Everybody would like that idea, but that's up to our leaders. You can do anything if you come up with the money."

Trainer Katy Voss is a former president of the Maryland Horse Breeders Association. She is hopeful the study will lead to a rebuild at Pimlico.

"My personal opinion is year-round racing needs more than one facility," she said. "Hopefully, they can make it work. Being at the same track 365 days a year is tough on the track, and you need a break. Horses need that, too.

"Way back in the beginning of the discussion of all this, we said, 'You know, Pimlico used to have a fall meet.' And Tim Ritvo (of The Stronach Group) said we could do that. If you rebuilt the track, people would want to race there more. At a minimum do a Keeneland-like thing with a few weeks of racing in the spring and a few weeks in the fall.

"Moving the Preakness out of Baltimore would be a disaster for the city. It would be their loss. It seems as there's a will. … Let's see if they can find a way. The city gets it. They know how important it is. I think they are committed to do what it takes, and the state and The Stronach Group will work with it to make something happen.

"The Stadium Authority has done some fantastic things. Think about Camden Yards and the impact it's had on the city. It's incredible. Everyone around the country knows that. This could be this century's thing for Baltimore."

ANGST: New Pimlico Would Emphasize Preakness, Versatility

Like many Marylanders involved in the racing industry, Lacey Gaudet grew up at Pimlico. The trainer is the daughter of conditioner Eddie Gaudet, who died this year.

"That number ($424 million) is pretty daunting when you read that," she said. "They are doing the right thing by having the (Stadium) Authority step in. I don't think it should be just on the Maryland racing community to revitalize Pimlico on its own. The Stronach Group has done a fantastic job of revitalizing racing in Maryland as a whole, and everything is looking up here.

"Certainly, Pimlico has a lot of history. It is a historical building, but it's old and needs a lot to make it safe. My dad always thought that Pimlico, over the last couple of years, wasn't on the improve. I think that does scare away a little of the public."

"It's something trying to keep the Preakness at Pimlico," said Bill Boniface of Bonita Farm. The former rider and trainer is 76 and went to his first Preakness more than 60 years ago. "It's the second-oldest racetrack in America. … It would be a shame to lose it.

"They did spend a lot of money creating the clubhouse area and grandstand area at Laurel, and they are trying to get the Breeders' Cup. To me, to move the Preakness to Laurel, it takes away the continuity. I'm just old fashioned about the heritage part of it.

"They are talking about reopening the training track at Bowie. They have to have a certain amount of stalls. You can't have just one racetrack. They don't have enough stalls only at Laurel. They've just been using the 'new' barns at Pimlico on the backside. Hell, they were new 50 years ago."

Josh Pons, who operates Country Life Farm near Bel Air, Md., is also a past president of the MHBA.

"I don't have that same vibe. I have a feeling that they would prefer to have everything at Laurel," he said. "It's a bigger market, but I think they underestimate the connection Marylanders have for the Preakness at Pimlico.

"It would be a really sad thing for Baltimore—instead of energizing the area just to move to Laurel. It might make economic sense, and maybe that is where it will land, but I'm in favor of the rebuild and so is everybody you talk to in Baltimore. They just don't want to lose part of their identity.

"That stuff is important to people. That connection. … There are 15 colleges in Baltimore with young people, and if they reached out to them and made the day pleasant and did sort of a Keeneland thing … they just haven't exhausted all of the sepia-toned, good-old-days nostalgia that is out there. You don't need a new plant to do that, but the problem with Pimlico is 75 years of deferred maintenance.

"If you wait around long enough, everything will come back. There are sections of D.C. and Baltimore that (were) absolutely ignored 30-40 years ago, and now they've come back. I just hope they don't look at the price tag of the rebuild and go, 'Well that decides it. We're going to Laurel.'"