16-05-2025
Preakness 2025: Pimlico is being rebuilt. What's changing and where is the race next year?
The stage is set for the 150th running of the Preakness on Saturday, the final race at Pimlico Race Course before the track undergoes a massive overhaul that will include its demolition and complete rebuild.
In June, workers at Pimlico will begin moving out, putting up fences and handling pre-demolition utility work among other steps to get ready for the tear-down.
The overhaul was needed because of the track's age. Opened in 1870, the facility has numerous issues, including leaky ceilings, a single elevator that doesn't always work, and a section of the grandstand that had to be condemned in 2019 because it could no longer safely support patrons.
The new clubhouse is planned, modeled after the Rawlings Conservatory botanical garden in Druid Hill and the original Pimlico clubhouse that burned down decades ago. It will have a colonnade and rooftop balconies that overlook the track, which Craig Thompson of the Maryland Stadium Authority said is 'a nod to the porches of the original clubhouse.'
Barns on the east side of the track will be able to house about 400 horses.
Pimlico currently hosts about 15 racing days per year. However, the reconstructed course would feature more than 100 live racing days yearly. In addition, racing and daily training will provide year-round economic activity, entertainment and jobs for the Park Heights community.
The oval track at Pimlico will not be rotated or moved from its current alignment. Historians have supported keeping the current racing oval to maintain Pimlico's longstanding tradition.
In addition to the new track at Pimlico, a new hotel and event space are planned.
The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development has invested $10 million to support housing, job training, workforce development and other community initiatives in Park Heights.
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Baltimore-based Henson Development Co. and The NHP Foundation plan a massive redevelopment in the 4600 and 4800 blocks of Park Heights Avenue, near the track. Construction will include an apartment building, 17 single-family detached homes to be sold, and new water, sewer and street infrastructure across 17 acres.
The new race course is expected to generate $52.7 million in state economic activity, including $48.8 million in Baltimore City, according to the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority.
The facility will also support about 500 jobs and be a year-round hub of economic activity in Park Heights, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said.
The Pimlico upgrade is expected to cost $400 million, paid by state bonds. The Board of Public Works — which includes Moore, Comptroller Brooke Lierman and Treasurer Dereck Davis — approved $14.3 million for the demolition and start of construction. The board approved about $890,000 in pre-construction work in October.
In addition, the state also approved nearly $4.5 million to purchase that training site, which will be known as 'Shamrock,' in Woodbine.
The Preakness will move to Laurel Park in 2026, and if the rebuild remains on schedule, a new Pimlico will welcome the historic race back in May 2027.
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