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Pimlico Race Course

December 29, 2023

Pimlico Race Course is a thoroughbred horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Olde Ben Pimlico's Tavern in London. The racetrack is nicknamed "Old Hilltop" after a small rise in the infield that became a favorite gathering place for thoroughbred trainers and race enthusiasts.[2] It is currently owned by the Stronach Group.

Pimlico Race Course
Preakness in May 2022
Location5201 Park Heights Avenue
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Owned byStronach Group
Date opened1870; 153 years ago (1870)
Screened onNBC (Preakness Stakes)
Course typeFlat
Notable racesPreakness Stakes (G1)
Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2)
Dixie Stakes (G3)
Pimlico Special (G3)
James W. Murphy Stakes
Live racing handle $181,000,000 (2014)[needs update][1]
Attendance 351,146 (2014)[needs update] [1]
Official website

History edit

Pimlico officially opened in the October 25, 1870, with the colt Preakness winning the first running of the Dinner Party Stakes. Approximately 12,000 people attended, many taking special race trains arranged by the Northern Central Railway.[3] Three years later the horse would have the 1873 Preakness Stakes named in his honor. The track is also noted as the home for the match race in which Seabiscuit beat War Admiral in the second Pimlico Special, on November 1, 1938, before a crowd of 43,000. The capacity of the stadium is 98,983.

The most notable architectural feature of the original racetrack was the members' Clubhouse, located on the first turn. A "steamboat Gothic-era" design, the Clubhouse was topped by a weathervane that was repainted each year in the colors of the winner of the Preakness. The old Clubhouse was restored in 1956, with private rooms on the third floor named after Triple Crown winners. The President's room contained racing archives, while the second floor contained the Jockey's Hall of Fame. The building was richly decorated and housed a notable collection of racing art. The building burned down when a fire started in the front rooms on June 17, 1966. The only item salvaged was the weathervane, which was relocated to a replica Victorian cupola in the infield.[3]

The Preakness Stakes and the Pimlico Special are run at a distance of 1-3/16 miles (9½ furlongs). The Pimlico track record for that distance is held by Farma Way, who set it while winning the Pimlico Special in 1991.

In the century and more since its opening, Pimlico Race Track has weathered much outside history including the 1904 Great Fire of Baltimore, Great Depression of the 1930s, and several notable Baltimore riots. Pimlico also survived Prohibition and even an anti-gambling movement in 1910. A bill sponsored by the state racing commission in 1949 to abandon the track was originally supported by Governor William Preston Lane Jr., who reversed his position in late March.[4] As Alfred G. Vanderbilt said, "Pimlico is more than a dirt track bounded by four streets. It is an accepted American institution, devoted to the best interests of a great sport, graced by time, respected for its honorable past." The races held at Pimlico, especially the Preakness, draw spectators from the Mid-Atlantic region. In 2007, the official attendance was 121,263 for the Preakness, the most people to watch a sporting event in Maryland history. More than $87.2 million in bets were made.

On March 23, 2010, an agreement was reached to sell the two Maryland Jockey Club tracks (Pimlico and Laurel Park) from Magna Entertainment Corporation to its parent company, MI Development. On May 7, Penn National Gaming, with MI Development, announced they would jointly own and operate the Maryland Jockey Club. Penn National, which began in 1973, operating the Penn National Race Course near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, has grown to become the largest racetrack operator in the country.[5]

In June 2011, The Stronach Group took control of the tracks when MI Development bought out Penn National Gaming's minority stake in the Maryland Jockey Club, which owned Laurel Park Racecourse, Pimlico, and Bowie Race Track which is used as a training facility. The Stronach Group is owned by Canadian horse breeder and owner Frank Stronach, who also was MI Development's chairman and chief executive, a position he gave up in order to run Maryland's racetracks. Penn National bought a 49% stake in the Jockey Club in 2010 in hopes of securing a slots license at Laurel Park.

In February 2017, the Maryland Stadium Authority released the first phase of a study saying that Pimlico needed $250 million in renovations.[6]

In 2018, the track began using a GPS-based timing system.[7]

A study into a renovation was ongoing as of January 2018.[8] A report issued on December 14, 2018 suggested the existing buildings be demolished and rebuilt.[9] In a meeting held in June 2018 by the Maryland Stadium Authority, locals "overwhelmingly supported upgrading the track property."[10] The Preakness Stakes took place at Pimlico in May 2019, with media reports suggesting that future Preakness races could be moved to Laurel Park.[11]

In October 2019, The Stronach Group reached an agreement in principle with the city of Baltimore and groups representing Maryland horsemen that would permanently keep the Preakness at Pimlico. As part of the agreement, The Stronach Group would donate both Pimlico and Laurel Park to newly established government entities that would oversee the properties, with Stronach licensed to conduct the race meets. Pimlico's grandstand would be demolished and replaced with a smaller structure, and temporary seating would be added to handle the attendance during Preakness week. The race track itself would be rotated 30 degrees in order to create nine parcels of land that could be sold for private development, and new barns for horses would be constructed.[12][13]

The Racing and Community Development Act, approved by the Maryland state legislature in May 2020, allows the Maryland Stadium Authority to issue $375 million in bonds for the renovation of both Stronach Group tracks.[14]

"The Great Race" edit

On October 24, 1877, the United States Congress shut down for a day so its members could attend a horse race at Pimlico. The event was a 2½-mile match race run by a trio of champions: Ten Broeck, Tom Ochiltree, and Parole. Ten Broeck, the Kentucky champion, was owned by F. B. Harper. Tom Ochiltree, the Eastern champion and winner of the 1875 Preakness Stakes, was owned by George L. Lorillard, an heir to the Lorillard tobacco fortune. Parole, a gelding, was owned by Pierre Lorillard IV.

Parole, with William Barrett up, prevailed with a late run, crossing the finish line three lengths ahead of Ten Broeck and six ahead of Tom Ochiltree, which had helped to set the early pace with Barbee in the irons.

An estimated 20,000 people crowded into Pimlico to witness the event.

The event is depicted in a four-ton stone bas relief—copied from a Currier & Ives print and sculpted in stone by Bernard Zuckerman—hanging over the clubhouse entrance at Pimlico. It is 30 feet (9.1 m) long and 10 feet (3.0 m) high and is gilded in 24-karat gold leaf.

Description edit

The track has a one-mile dirt oval, surrounding a seven-furlong (7/8 mile) turf oval. There are stables for about 1,000 horses. Pimlico's capacity, including the infield, is over 120,000 people.

The track area is bounded by Park Heights and Winner Avenues to the west, West Rogers Avenue and West Northern Parkway to the north, Preakness Way to the east, and West Belvedere Avenue to the south. (Its namesake street, Pimlico Road, runs from the city line near Greenspring Avenue to Park Heights Avenue south of Cold Spring Lane, but is rendered discontinuous to through traffic between Northern Parkway and Belvedere Avenue.)

Racing edit

The following stakes are run at Pimlico (in order of grade, then year inaugurated):

Grade 1 Stakes Races:

Grade 2 Stakes Races:

Grade 3 Stakes Races:

Listed (ungraded) Stakes Races:

Other notable Stakes Races:

Non-racing events edit

 
Virgin Festival in 2006

Pimlico Race Course was the original US site for Virgin Festival from 2006 through 2008. The first was held on September 23, 2006, featuring bands The Killers, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and The Who.[15] In 2007, it was a two-day festival (August 4–5) and featured The Police, the Beastie Boys, The Smashing Pumpkins, and Velvet Revolver.[16] Its name was altered, to Virgin Mobile Festival, when it returned to Pimlico on August 9–10, 2008, with five headliners: The Foo Fighters, Kanye West, Stone Temple Pilots, Jack Johnson, and Nine Inch Nails.[17] The event moved to Merriweather Post Pavilion in 2009.

Since 2014, Pimlico Race Course has been home to Moonrise (festival), an electronic dance music festival featuring artists such as Above & Beyond, Bassnectar, and Kaskade.

Transportation edit

Pimlico Race Course has typically accessed[citation needed] from either the Rogers Avenue Metro Station to the east in Park Heights, Baltimore, and to the west by the Mount Washington Light Rail station in Mount Washington. For major events, a shuttle is typically in place by the Maryland Transit Administration going to the race course from light rail and metro stations.[18]

References edit

  1. ^ a b The Racing Biz (2014). Pimlico Spring Meet Shows Gains (Report). The Racing Biz. p. 12. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  2. ^ "History". Pimlico Race Course. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  3. ^ a b Rasmussen, Frederick N. "Much was lost in the great Pimlico fire of 1966". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  4. ^ "Pimlico track gets new life". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. April 1, 1949. p. 18.
  5. ^ Penn National To Jointly Own and Run Pimlico Race Course, Home Of The Preakness
  6. ^ Walker, Childs (May 17, 2017). "Preakness 2017: Shifting the Preakness from Pimlico to Laurel Park might not be such a long shot". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  7. ^ Hegarty, Matt (October 11, 2018), Woodbine, Laurel, Pimlico officially adopt GPS timing system, DRF, retrieved October 14, 2018
  8. ^ Walker, Childs (January 24, 2018), Pimlico Race Course study set to continue, pending commission and stadium authority votes, retrieved October 14, 2018
  9. ^ "Report: Track that hosts Preakness should be demolished". WTOP. 2018-12-14. Retrieved 2018-12-14.
  10. ^ Bechnar, Adam (June 13, 2018), Baltimore denizens back Pimlico overhaul, keeping Preakness, Daily Record, retrieved October 14, 2018
  11. ^ Barker, Jeff (May 11, 2018), "Preakness will return to Baltimore's Pimlico in 2019. After that, the race's home is uncertain", The Baltimore Sun, retrieved October 14, 2018
  12. ^ Barker, Jeff; Wood, Pamela (5 October 2019). "'Historic' deal aims to keep Preakness in Baltimore; track owner, city reach agreement after 4 months of talks". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  13. ^ Hegarty, Matt (5 October 2019). "Coalition lays out plan for major redevelopment of Pimlico, Laurel". drf.com. Daily Racing Form. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  14. ^ "Pimlico to be renovated, keep Preakness after bill passes". NBC. 9 May 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  15. ^ . Virgin Festival. 2006. Archived from the original on February 20, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
  16. ^ Virgin Festival 2007 – Official website.
  17. ^ . Archived from the original on 2012-10-18. Retrieved 2009-04-16.
  18. ^ "Transit Is Your Best Ride to the Preakness Finish Line". May 15, 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2021.

External links edit

  • Pimlico Race Course Website
  • Pimlico

39°21′13″N 76°40′23″W / 39.35361°N 76.67306°W / 39.35361; -76.67306

December 29, 2023
pimlico, race, course, thoroughbred, horse, racetrack, baltimore, maryland, most, famous, hosting, preakness, stakes, name, derived, from, 1660s, when, english, settlers, named, area, where, facility, currently, stands, honor, olde, pimlico, tavern, london, ra. Pimlico Race Course is a thoroughbred horse racetrack in Baltimore Maryland most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Olde Ben Pimlico s Tavern in London The racetrack is nicknamed Old Hilltop after a small rise in the infield that became a favorite gathering place for thoroughbred trainers and race enthusiasts 2 It is currently owned by the Stronach Group Pimlico Race CoursePreakness in May 2022Location5201 Park Heights AvenueBaltimore Maryland U S Owned byStronach GroupDate opened1870 153 years ago 1870 Screened onNBC Preakness Stakes Course typeFlatNotable racesPreakness Stakes G1 Black Eyed Susan Stakes G2 Dixie Stakes G3 Pimlico Special G3 James W Murphy StakesLive racing handle 181 000 000 2014 needs update 1 Attendance351 146 2014 needs update 1 Official website Contents 1 History 1 1 The Great Race 2 Description 3 Racing 4 Non racing events 5 Transportation 6 References 7 External linksHistory editPimlico officially opened in the October 25 1870 with the colt Preakness winning the first running of the Dinner Party Stakes Approximately 12 000 people attended many taking special race trains arranged by the Northern Central Railway 3 Three years later the horse would have the 1873 Preakness Stakes named in his honor The track is also noted as the home for the match race in which Seabiscuit beat War Admiral in the second Pimlico Special on November 1 1938 before a crowd of 43 000 The capacity of the stadium is 98 983 The most notable architectural feature of the original racetrack was the members Clubhouse located on the first turn A steamboat Gothic era design the Clubhouse was topped by a weathervane that was repainted each year in the colors of the winner of the Preakness The old Clubhouse was restored in 1956 with private rooms on the third floor named after Triple Crown winners The President s room contained racing archives while the second floor contained the Jockey s Hall of Fame The building was richly decorated and housed a notable collection of racing art The building burned down when a fire started in the front rooms on June 17 1966 The only item salvaged was the weathervane which was relocated to a replica Victorian cupola in the infield 3 The Preakness Stakes and the Pimlico Special are run at a distance of 1 3 16 miles 9 furlongs The Pimlico track record for that distance is held by Farma Way who set it while winning the Pimlico Special in 1991 In the century and more since its opening Pimlico Race Track has weathered much outside history including the 1904 Great Fire of Baltimore Great Depression of the 1930s and several notable Baltimore riots Pimlico also survived Prohibition and even an anti gambling movement in 1910 A bill sponsored by the state racing commission in 1949 to abandon the track was originally supported by Governor William Preston Lane Jr who reversed his position in late March 4 As Alfred G Vanderbilt said Pimlico is more than a dirt track bounded by four streets It is an accepted American institution devoted to the best interests of a great sport graced by time respected for its honorable past The races held at Pimlico especially the Preakness draw spectators from the Mid Atlantic region In 2007 the official attendance was 121 263 for the Preakness the most people to watch a sporting event in Maryland history More than 87 2 million in bets were made On March 23 2010 an agreement was reached to sell the two Maryland Jockey Club tracks Pimlico and Laurel Park from Magna Entertainment Corporation to its parent company MI Development On May 7 Penn National Gaming with MI Development announced they would jointly own and operate the Maryland Jockey Club Penn National which began in 1973 operating the Penn National Race Course near Harrisburg Pennsylvania has grown to become the largest racetrack operator in the country 5 In June 2011 The Stronach Group took control of the tracks when MI Development bought out Penn National Gaming s minority stake in the Maryland Jockey Club which owned Laurel Park Racecourse Pimlico and Bowie Race Track which is used as a training facility The Stronach Group is owned by Canadian horse breeder and owner Frank Stronach who also was MI Development s chairman and chief executive a position he gave up in order to run Maryland s racetracks Penn National bought a 49 stake in the Jockey Club in 2010 in hopes of securing a slots license at Laurel Park In February 2017 the Maryland Stadium Authority released the first phase of a study saying that Pimlico needed 250 million in renovations 6 In 2018 the track began using a GPS based timing system 7 A study into a renovation was ongoing as of January 2018 8 A report issued on December 14 2018 suggested the existing buildings be demolished and rebuilt 9 In a meeting held in June 2018 by the Maryland Stadium Authority locals overwhelmingly supported upgrading the track property 10 The Preakness Stakes took place at Pimlico in May 2019 with media reports suggesting that future Preakness races could be moved to Laurel Park 11 In October 2019 The Stronach Group reached an agreement in principle with the city of Baltimore and groups representing Maryland horsemen that would permanently keep the Preakness at Pimlico As part of the agreement The Stronach Group would donate both Pimlico and Laurel Park to newly established government entities that would oversee the properties with Stronach licensed to conduct the race meets Pimlico s grandstand would be demolished and replaced with a smaller structure and temporary seating would be added to handle the attendance during Preakness week The race track itself would be rotated 30 degrees in order to create nine parcels of land that could be sold for private development and new barns for horses would be constructed 12 13 The Racing and Community Development Act approved by the Maryland state legislature in May 2020 allows the Maryland Stadium Authority to issue 375 million in bonds for the renovation of both Stronach Group tracks 14 The Great Race edit On October 24 1877 the United States Congress shut down for a day so its members could attend a horse race at Pimlico The event was a 2 mile match race run by a trio of champions Ten Broeck Tom Ochiltree and Parole Ten Broeck the Kentucky champion was owned by F B Harper Tom Ochiltree the Eastern champion and winner of the 1875 Preakness Stakes was owned by George L Lorillard an heir to the Lorillard tobacco fortune Parole a gelding was owned by Pierre Lorillard IV Parole with William Barrett up prevailed with a late run crossing the finish line three lengths ahead of Ten Broeck and six ahead of Tom Ochiltree which had helped to set the early pace with Barbee in the irons An estimated 20 000 people crowded into Pimlico to witness the event The event is depicted in a four ton stone bas relief copied from a Currier amp Ives print and sculpted in stone by Bernard Zuckerman hanging over the clubhouse entrance at Pimlico It is 30 feet 9 1 m long and 10 feet 3 0 m high and is gilded in 24 karat gold leaf Description editThe track has a one mile dirt oval surrounding a seven furlong 7 8 mile turf oval There are stables for about 1 000 horses Pimlico s capacity including the infield is over 120 000 people The track area is bounded by Park Heights and Winner Avenues to the west West Rogers Avenue and West Northern Parkway to the north Preakness Way to the east and West Belvedere Avenue to the south Its namesake street Pimlico Road runs from the city line near Greenspring Avenue to Park Heights Avenue south of Cold Spring Lane but is rendered discontinuous to through traffic between Northern Parkway and Belvedere Avenue Racing editThe following stakes are run at Pimlico in order of grade then year inaugurated Grade 1 Stakes Races The Preakness Stakes 1873 Grade 2 Stakes Races George E Mitchell Black Eyed Susan Stakes 1919 Grade 3 Stakes Races Pimlico Special 1937 Gallorette Stakes 1952 Chick Lang Stakes 1975 Miss Preakness Stakes 1986 Maryland Sprint Stakes 1987 Dinner Party Stakes 1870 Listed ungraded Stakes Races James A Murphy Stakes 1966 Hilltop Stakes 1973 Skipat Stakes 1993 Sir Barton Stakes 1999 Jim McKay Turf Sprint 2006 The Very One Stakes 1993 Allaire duPont Distaff Stakes 1992 Other notable Stakes Races Bowie Handicap 1909 Geisha Stakes 1973 Pimlico Nursery Stakes 1910 Pimlico Spring Handicap 1917 Deputed Testamony Stakes 1986 William Donald Schaefer Handicap 1994 Henry S Clark Stakes 2001 Shine Again Stakes 2006 Non racing events edit nbsp Virgin Festival in 2006Pimlico Race Course was the original US site for Virgin Festival from 2006 through 2008 The first was held on September 23 2006 featuring bands The Killers Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Who 15 In 2007 it was a two day festival August 4 5 and featured The Police the Beastie Boys The Smashing Pumpkins and Velvet Revolver 16 Its name was altered to Virgin Mobile Festival when it returned to Pimlico on August 9 10 2008 with five headliners The Foo Fighters Kanye West Stone Temple Pilots Jack Johnson and Nine Inch Nails 17 The event moved to Merriweather Post Pavilion in 2009 Since 2014 Pimlico Race Course has been home to Moonrise festival an electronic dance music festival featuring artists such as Above amp Beyond Bassnectar and Kaskade Transportation editPimlico Race Course has typically accessed citation needed from either the Rogers Avenue Metro Station to the east in Park Heights Baltimore and to the west by the Mount Washington Light Rail station in Mount Washington For major events a shuttle is typically in place by the Maryland Transit Administration going to the race course from light rail and metro stations 18 References edit a b The Racing Biz 2014 Pimlico Spring Meet Shows Gains Report The Racing Biz p 12 Retrieved June 18 2014 History Pimlico Race Course Retrieved July 14 2012 a b Rasmussen Frederick N Much was lost in the great Pimlico fire of 1966 baltimoresun com Retrieved 15 May 2021 Pimlico track gets new life Spokesman Review Spokane Washington Associated Press April 1 1949 p 18 Penn National To Jointly Own and Run Pimlico Race Course Home Of The Preakness Walker Childs May 17 2017 Preakness 2017 Shifting the Preakness from Pimlico to Laurel Park might not be such a long shot The Baltimore Sun Retrieved June 1 2017 Hegarty Matt October 11 2018 Woodbine Laurel Pimlico officially adopt GPS timing system DRF retrieved October 14 2018 Walker Childs January 24 2018 Pimlico Race Course study set to continue pending commission and stadium authority votes retrieved October 14 2018 Report Track that hosts Preakness should be demolished WTOP 2018 12 14 Retrieved 2018 12 14 Bechnar Adam June 13 2018 Baltimore denizens back Pimlico overhaul keeping Preakness Daily Record retrieved October 14 2018 Barker Jeff May 11 2018 Preakness will return to Baltimore s Pimlico in 2019 After that the race s home is uncertain The Baltimore Sun retrieved October 14 2018 Barker Jeff Wood Pamela 5 October 2019 Historic deal aims to keep Preakness in Baltimore track owner city reach agreement after 4 months of talks The Baltimore Sun Retrieved 6 October 2019 Hegarty Matt 5 October 2019 Coalition lays out plan for major redevelopment of Pimlico Laurel drf com Daily Racing Form Retrieved 6 October 2019 Pimlico to be renovated keep Preakness after bill passes NBC 9 May 2020 Retrieved 10 May 2020 Virgin Festival by Virgin Mobile Virgin Festival 2006 Archived from the original on February 20 2012 Retrieved July 15 2012 Virgin Festival 2007 Official website Virgin Mobile Festival 2008 Official website Archived from the original on 2012 10 18 Retrieved 2009 04 16 Transit Is Your Best Ride to the Preakness Finish Line May 15 2019 Retrieved August 19 2021 External links editPimlico Race Course Website Pimlico39 21 13 N 76 40 23 W 39 35361 N 76 67306 W 39 35361 76 67306 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Pimlico Race Course amp oldid 1156979444, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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