Maryland lawmakers OK plan to rebuild Pimlico

ANNAPOLIS, MD. >> Maryland lawmakers approved a plan to rebuild Baltimore’s storied but antiquated Pimlico Race Course and transfer the track to state control. The measure would use $400 million in state bonds to rebuild the home of the second jewel of horse racing’s Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes.

The 105-32 vote in the Maryland House sends the bill to Gov. Wes Moore, who has expressed support for it.

Under the plan, the Preakness would relocate to Laurel Park in 2026 while the new facility is being built, before returning to Pimlico, likely in 2027. The temporary move would come as the third Triple Crown race, the Belmont Stakes, is scheduled to return to Belmont Park from a two-year hiatus at Saratoga

Race Course while the New York track undergoes a $455 million reconstruction.