Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan yesterday said that he "wants to keep the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore and is willing to talk about investing state money to do so," according to a front-page piece by Dresser & Barker of the Baltimore SUN. The governor's office issued a statement after Stronach Group, the owner of Pimlico Race Course, this week said that the 147-year-old track likely "would have to be rebuilt" at a cost of $300-500M to "keep the race there rather than move it" to Laurel Park. State House Speaker Michael Busch also "signaled he's open to a state role." Busch "characterized the Pimlico issue as a 'negotiation.'" He said Stronach "picked an appropriate time to start their request and they're waiting for a response next year from the city and the state." Regardless of the top leaders' "willingness to consider a state investment, lawmakers warned that it would be difficult to win General Assembly approval of a sizable investment in a track that survives on the strength of one big day each year." State Sen. Edward Kasemeyer "isn't ruling out what he calls a 'three-way partnership' of the state, the city and the company to rebuild Pimlico." But he said that it is "'hard to imagine' the state spending hundreds of millions to do that as long as the more modern track at Laurel is available." Baltimore political leaders said that they are "committed to keeping the state's largest sporting event at Pimlico." But the city "could face a difficult political challenge if it needs to fight in Annapolis for Pimlico funding" (Baltimore SUN, 5/17).
COST OF TRADITION: Stronach Group COO Tim Ritvo said that there is "no question a renovated Laurel Park could host an exciting and profitable Preakness." However, Baltimore officials said that "would be a terrible blow to the city and the tradition of the race." In Baltimore, Childs Walker writes a move to Laurel would "likely prompt strong reactions in the wider world of racing, which cherishes its history and looks to the Triple Crown series as the highlight of every season." Bennett Liebman, a lawyer-in-residence at Albany Law School and a scholar of racing law and history, said, "It’s not the end of the world, certainly not as bad as if the race left Maryland. But it would be the loss of a significant tradition" (Baltimore SUN, 5/17).
