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Laurel Park will host a scaled-down version of the Preakness Stakes Saturday while Pimlico, the traditional home of the second leg of Triple Crown, is being rebuilt. (Photo by John Rydell/Maryland Matters)
Ron Sargent is thrilled that his hometown of Laurel will finally get the chance to host the Preakness Stakes this weekend, the second jewel in thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown.
As a kid, Sargent used to walk his own horses to Laurel Park for exercise. For the past 50 years, he’s owned Outback Leather, not far from the track on Main Street, where he makes custom saddles for racehorses and is often called on to make last-minute repairs for jockeys.
So hosting the Preakness at Laurel Park, while Pimlico undergoes a $400 million renovation, is kind of a big deal.
But Sargent is also a realist. He knows that Saturday’s 151st Preakness at Laurel Park will look nothing like the wild spectacle at Pimlico, with crowds often exceeding 120,000. Thousands jammed the infield, creating an often raucous atmosphere with live bands performing all day long.
The Laurel Park crowd will be limited to 4,800. No live music, and no fans or corporate tents will be allowed in the infield, most of which sits in a floodplain and is considered protected wetlands.
“It’s going to be a more intimate atmosphere,” said Dan Illman, director of communications for the Maryland Jockey Club. “People are going to be able to get up close and personal with the horses. You can go down to the paddock and see the horses before the Preakness, and to see the athletes in action, that’s what’s going to be different here.”
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Ron Sargent examines custom-made saddles at his shop, Outback Leather, on Main Street in Laurel. (Photo by John Rydell/Maryland Matters)
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Outback Leather provides custom-made saddles for horses at nearby Laurel Park, and is often called on for last-minute repairs to tack. (Photo by John Rydell/Maryland Matters)
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Fans watch the races from the rail at Laurel Park in this file photo. (Photo by John Rydell/Maryland Matters)
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Laurel Park, this year's home to the Preakness Stakes, which is schedule to return to Pimlico next year under an ambitious reconstruction schedule. (Photo by John Rydell/Maryland Matters)
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Unlike the infield at Pimlico, home to thousands of fans for the Preakness Stakes, the infield at Laurel Park is a lake. (Photo by John Rydell/Maryland Matters)
Compared to Pimlico’s urban setting in Northwest Baltimore, Laurel has an almost small-town charm, with a thriving Main Street that is home to gift shops, boutiques, restaurants and taverns.
“I love Laurel, and it sets up really well for the size of event that they have to have this year,” said Cricket Goodall, executive director of the Maryland Horse Breeders Association. “We don’t have the Derby winner [Golden Tempo], but we have bigger fields, which is what a lot of bettors like.
“Yes, it’s unusual and yes, it’s something new, but we are all looking forward to a brand-new facility at Pimlico next year, and if that takes this year and into next year to get that, I think we’re all looking forward to it,” said Goodall. She continues to run the annual Jim McKay Maryland Million Day at Laurel Park in October, which features Maryland-bred horses.
State racing officials are determined to bring the Preakness back to Pimlico in 2027, even if the massive reconstruction project is still not fully completed. Meanwhile, live racing at Laurel Park is expected to continue into 2027 and could resume after next year’s Preakness, if the renovated Pimlico complex is still under construction. Eventually, though, racing will end at Laurel Park and it will be converted to a training facility run by the state, leaving Pimlico as the only track in the state for thoroughbred racing.
“At one time, the plan was to close down Pimlico and move the Preakness to Laurel, but politically, that was not an option,” said Katherine M. Voss, a veteran trainer and president of the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association. “Obviously everyone feels very strongly that the Preakness belongs in Baltimore.”
Laurel Park will also host the annual Black-Eyed Susan Day on Friday, which features races for 3-year-old fillies. It’s often known as “ladies day out,” with women sporting fancy hats and bright-colored dresses.
Despite the massive refurbishment of Pimlico, Maryland’s racing industry still faces major financial challenges in consolidating the two tracks to reduce long-term debt.
Churchill Downs Inc. recently announced it reached an agreement to acquire the intellectual property rights of the Preakness Stakes and Black-Eyed Susan Stakes from 1/ST Racing, owned by the Canadian-based Stronach Group, for $85 million. The state has 60 days However, the state of Maryland is apparently negotiating a similar deal to purchase full ownership of the Preakness Stakes brand and intellectual property rights. Under state law, Maryland has 60 days to match a similar offer from Churchill Downs.
Gov. Wes Moore recently announced the state plans to purchase Laurel Park and convert it into a year-round-training facility. However, a state legislative committee must sign off on the deal and has imposed a 45-day delay on approving the sale to further examine the details.
Earlier this year, the state purchased Shamrock Farm in Carroll County with plans to convert it into a training facility. But the project was scrapped amid concerns about escalating development costs and environmental concerns.
State Sen. James C. Rosapepe (D-Anne Arundel and Prince George’s) admits “The racing industry is not all that it used to be, and so the state has had to repeatedly try to come up with fixes, and sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. But on Saturday, we can celebrate having the Preakness in Laurel and not worry about all the moving parts.”
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