This morning, Maryland’s Board of Public Works (BPW) approved a $15.2 million contract for the demolition work at Pimlico, which is set to begin shortly after the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes later this month. The demolition is the first phase of the Pimlico Plus project, which includes a new clubhouse and renovated facilities at the track and a new, state-of-the-art Thoroughbred training facility. BPW also approved the $4.48 million purchase agreement for Shamrock Farm in Woodbine, which will be the site of the training facility.
Each member of the BPW acknowledged that the Pimlico project promises to revitalize not just the Thoroughbred racing sector but also the entire Park Heights neighborhood. Governor Moore said that the project will increase the number of racing days at Pimlico from 15 to approximately 100, and that it will bring year-round economic activity to the area on non-racing days.
Governor Moore praised the hard work of Greg Cross, the Chairman of the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Authority (MTROA), as well as that of MTROA’s Executive Director Marc Broady. He complimented the Chairman for the Board for the Maryland Stadium Authority, Craig Thompson, and his entire staff for their close cooperation with MTROA over the past few months.
During the discussion period, Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman asked Thompson, “is this just a pipe dream that we can revive racing?”
She said “this has to be successful” because the State does “not want to put good money after bad” into the racing sector, notwithstanding the potential, substantial, economic opportunities for Park Heights.
She asked Craig Thompson to confirm that when Pimlico Plus is complete “there’s nothing more that we, the State, can do.”
Craig Thompson agreed with Lierman that the State will have done “everything it can” to revitalize Maryland racing. He said that going forward “each and every one of us needs to participate in Park Heights events on non-racing days,” and that each of us must “spread the word.” He also said that each Thoroughbred racing stakeholder needs to “take personal responsibility” for making racing successful.
Lierman then observed that “MTROA is going away and the new Maryland Jockey Club doesn’t have a board yet.” She said that there are “a lot of cooks in the kitchen” which makes it “hard to determine where the buck stops.”
She said to Thompson: “I implore you to stay focused and help us understand how there is going to be oversight when there are so many different bodies involved.” Furthermore, “how do we ensure that we are keeping a close eye” on the project?
Thompson responded that “there is a lot of communication and cooperation right now” among MTROA, the Maryland Stadium Authority (which will handle the design and construction), and the Maryland Economic Development Corporation (which is the entity that will handle the financing).
Lierman asked Thompson to confirm that “[a]t the end of the day, these decisions on expenditures will be made by your board and the board of the [new] MJC, is that correct?”
Thompson answered, “yes.”
With respect to the Shamrock Farm acquisition, Cross told BPW that “every Carroll County Commissioner signed a letter saying yes, they want to have the facility there.” He also said that the current owners of Shamrock, the Rooney family, did not negotiate over the purchase price. According to Cross, the Rooney family told him that they would agree to “whatever the state wants to pay.”
Kenneth Kiler, President of the Carroll County Commissioners, confirmed for BPW that the Commission had adopted a resolution in May 2024 to support the Shamrock Farm training facility, and that the county was also investing $1.5 million in the project over the next 2 years.
Kiler closed by telling BPW that he had been a hot walker at Pimlico in the 1960s, earning $2 per horse, so the new training facility would be near and dear to his heart.
