Sweeping changes may be on the horizon for thoroughbred racing in Maryland, and the Laurel Park Racetrack is slated to play an integral part. Short-term plans for the track seem optimistic—and even exciting—with the announcement that the Preakness Stakes will likely be moved to Laurel temporarily. But the long-term prognosis is still unclear, leading many residents to wonder if another cherished Laurel venue will soon disappear.
Laurel Park’s Storied History
Laurel Park has a long and illustrious history, having contributed heavily to the success and notoriety of Maryland’s thoroughbred racing. Maryland is believed to have introduced thoroughbred racing to the colonies with the 1743 establishment of the Maryland Jockey Club, the first of its kind. Most races took place at fairgrounds or makeshift tracks, until Pimlico Racetrack was opened in 1870 as the state’s first formal thoroughbred racing venue.
Forty years later, three “miler” tracks opened: Laurel Park in 1911, followed by Havre de Grace in 1912, and Bowie Racecourse in 1914. That was in the heyday of horse racing, when crowds in the thousands flocked to see legendary horses such as War Admiral, Man O’War, and Seabiscuit. Originally, Laurel Park was run by the “Laurel Four-County Fair,” before a New York businessman named James Butler bought the track and began offering races regularly. Together with his general manager—famed racing promoter Colonel Matt Winn (they were credited with making the Kentucky Derby an internationally known race)—Butler put Laurel Park on the map by hosting several “match races,” one-on-one contests between champion thoroughbreds that offered pots of up to $20,000, a staggering amount at the time.
After Butler died, the Maryland Jockey Club purchased the track in 1947 with hopes of moving the Preakness Stakes from Pimlico to Laurel. But the Maryland Legislature voted against it, and the track was sold to Baltimore industrialist Morris Schapiro. His son, John, took the reins as general manager and made major upgrades in the 1950s: the name was changed to Laurel Race Course; a new clubhouse was built and the grandstand was remodeled; both the main track and the turf track were lengthened, in part to better accommodate the prestigious Washington, D.C. International. That annual race, held at Laurel from 1952 to 1995, pitted the world’s best thoroughbreds against each other in a mile-and-a-half contest on turf, drawing celebrities and world leaders to the spectacle.
In the mid-1960s, the grandstand was enclosed in glass to accommodate winter racing. Air conditioning was added in 1984 when Laurel was awarded the state’s summer races—the same year that the track was sold to Frank De Francis and his partners, Robert and Tommy Manfuso. Perhaps the ownership surname best known to Laurel residents of today, the De Francis era was one of modernization. Most notable was the 1985 unveiling of the $2-million Sports Palace, lauded as a game-changer for racing and duplicated soon thereafter in many other tracks around the country. Sports Illustrated featured the high-tech facility in a September 1986 article, describing its computerized handicapping system, video library of past races, and a big-screen theater and four mini theaters where patrons could watch major sporting events as well as live race coverage. A few years later, the addition of inter-track betting marked another industry first for Laurel and was credited—ironically, given recent turn of events—with helping to increase support for racing at Pimlico.
Frank De Francis went on to purchase Pimlico as well. He died in 1989, leaving his youngest son, Joseph, to serve as president of both Laurel and Pimlico. Under Joe’s leadership, the racing facility was renamed to the original Laurel Park, and modernizations continued. Off-track betting was introduced to Maryland racing, all the tracks underwent massive improvements, and the clubhouse was given bigger screens and technology upgrades. Having surpassed Pimlico in size and yearly attendance, Laurel Park enjoyed some of its most profitable years in the mid-90s before revenues started the downward trend that continues to this day. Following several attempts to find a buyer, De Francis announced in 2002 that both Laurel and Pimlico would be sold to Canada-based Magna Entertainment, owned by Austrian-born Frank Stronach, who had been steadily buying tracks across the U.S. for several years. Determined to undo what he described as “decades of mismanagement” of U.S. tracks, Stronach’s efforts to modernize, promote, and reinvigorate thoroughbred racing have not been all that successful. Magna was dissolved in 2000 and the Stronach Group rebranded in 2020 as 1/ST. The organization still owns Pimlico and Laurel Park, but now the fate of both tracks is tied to pending legislation and the outcome of talks between 1/ST and the State of Maryland.
Trouble in the Homestretch
The troubled state of Maryland’s thoroughbred racing industry has been a point of discussion for years. The topic took center stage during the 2008 statewide campaign to legalize slot-machine gambling. As bettors flocked to neighboring states like Delaware, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania to try their hand at the legalized one-armed bandits co-located with horse-racing tracks, Maryland’s own tracks took a major hit in attendance. Tracks in these nearby states were pouring some of the gambling profits into racing purses; higher payouts drew even more people to those venues. Arguing that the only way to keep Marylanders’ gambling money in-state and to save the floundering thoroughbred industry was to legalize slot machines, lobbyists for track owners and thoroughbred farms succeeding in getting the measure on the ballot in 2008. They found an ally in newly elected governor Martin O’Malley, who had voiced support for legalized slots during his 2006 campaign and continued to cite the plan as necessary to save horse racing in Maryland. Voters responded by approving the move, with a 59-percent majority voting “yes” to legalized slots.
Unlike the stereotypical short-term life of campaign promises, the vows to direct a percentage of gambling profits to help save the state’s storied horseracing industry actually have been honored. Legalized gambling has grown in the state since 2008, adding table games and online betting to the mix, resulting in a boon for the state’s coffers. Gambling revenues now mark the fourth-largest source of the state’s income, behind corporate, individual, and sales taxes, respectively, according to the Maryland Comptroller’s Office. In 2023, the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency’s annual report cited a profit of over $1.5 billion from legalized gambling for that fiscal year, with $92.1 million given to the thoroughbred industry.
Yet, despite the influx of funding, both Laurel and Pimlico have consistently lost money for the past decade, following a nationwide trend that has seen many tracks suffer annual losses in the tens of millions. The general public’s interest in the sport has waned, as people are drawn instead to competing sports such as the NFL or NASCAR, and at-home entertainment options like video games and streaming entertainment. Gamblers no longer have to drive to a track to place bets, with many local OTB venues and even online apps that provide wager-from-home convenience.
In addition, a wave of horse deaths at tracks around the country in 2023 placed scrutiny on track conditions and brought out animal-rights protests. This included Laurel Park, where a cluster of deaths occurred in November 2021 and April 2023, leading to a temporary halt in racing for investigations. While some track improvements and maintenance changes were recommended as preventative measures, ultimately the horse deaths at Laurel, which occurred alarmingly close together, were determined to fall within the norms of the industry—Laurel and similar size tracks reportedly average 30 horse deaths a year.
All these factors have led state and local legislatures, sportscasters, columnists, the public, and even horse-racing insiders to question just how much more public money should continue to go toward what appears to be a troubled, dying industry. Debates began over the fate of both Pimlico and Laurel Park: Should plans continue to upgrade both facilities? Should Pimlico be closed and all racing moved to Laurel? Should the upgrade funding be directed toward Pimlico, which would then host all Maryland thoroughbred racing, with Laurel serving as a training facility? Or would it be more cost-effective to close Laurel and sell the land?
An Ending Still Unwritten
A 2022 in-depth report by the Maryland Stadium Authority evaluated the state of both facilities to help answer those and many other questions. The report cited the need for major repairs at Laurel Park, where some of the original 1911 buildings are still in use, horse stables are not up to standards, and staff housing is inadequate. The surrounding wetlands were deemed problematic for new construction, although a parcel of land off Brock Bridge Road was believed to be suitable for potential expansion. Citing Laurel’s strong middle-class economy and centralized location between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, the report theorized that Laurel Park might be the better bet, over Pimlico, to serve as the state’s premier thoroughbred racing facility.
However, less than two years later, the opposite conclusion was reached by the newly formed Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority. In a January 2024 report to the General Assembly, the MTROA advocated a $440-million modernization of Pimlico, to include year-round racing, a new hotel, and a 2,000-car parking garage. This plan seems to be on track, with the mid-March announcement that 1/ST would donate Pimlico to the State of Maryland and with the subsequent introduction of a bill to the Maryland General Assembly to fund the renovation project, which could begin as early as this summer. As of press time, the stated plan calls for the Preakness Stakes to be held at Pimlico, as usual, during renovations in 2024 and 2025; however, the 2026 Preakness would be shifted to Laurel Park—for just that one time, assuming the Pimlico renovations are completed on schedule.
What, then, lies ahead for Laurel Park after its time in the spotlight? The mid-March announcement gave no prognosis, and in fact it did not include Laurel on the list of sites that could potentially become training tracks, as had previously been theorized. In covering the announcement, local newspapers and TV stations almost unanimously took the angle of “Laurel Racetrack’s Days are Numbered.” Stories centered on whether Laurel could still be converted to a training facility or closed altogether when the Pimlico rebuild is complete. The Washington Post speculated that 1/ST would “most likely sell or redevelop Laurel Park for other uses.” Of course, the proposed plan still has to be approved by the General Assembly, whose legislative session is set to end on April 8. That’s just a few weeks before the running of the 149th Preakness at Pimlico.
Seemingly lost in the coverage is a “buried lede” for local residents: the fact that the Preakness will be run in Laurel in two years. Having such a world-renowned event right here in Laurel could spell a boon for local businesses and bring a lot of excitement to the area. And if racing at Laurel Park ultimately is shut down, at least the famous venue will have gone out with a bang by hosting one of the most important events in the Sport of Kings.
Brenda Zeigler-Riley contributed to this article.
Diane Mezzanotte holds a Journalism degree from Penn State University. She retired from the Department of Defense in 2019, following a 34-year career.