Countdown to the 151st Running of the Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park

Journalism Wins!

(Photo: Angie Kozlowski)

Horse racing fans were treated to a fabulous final running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico, before the old venue was shut down to be demolished, rebuilt, and reopened. If the 150th Preakness Stakes was to be an audition before a new or next generation of horse racing fans, it nailed it.

It was a fast-paced, exhilarating race with the runner-up from the Kentucky Derby—who was the favorite to win the Preakness when the Derby winner took a pass on the middle jewel of the Triple Crown—running an improbable, incredible, wildly exciting, come-from-the-back-of-the-pack race to win it by more than a nose, but not much more, as it appeared in real time.

Journalism, despite being the favorite, ran behind five other horses in the nine-horse field for much of the race. He did not look like the favorite early in the competition. However, when Journalism and jockey Umberto Rispoli made their move, it was along the inside of the track. Rispoli and a determined Journalism saw daylight through a narrow path. It became treacherous when the two horses to either side of Journalism came into physical contact with the favorite. Horse and jockey broke through the tussle and, once cleared of traffic, gained speed and chased down the leader, Gosger, for the win.

Bring on the Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park

Attention now turns to Laurel Park, where year-round thoroughbred racing (except for the state fair at Timonium) in Maryland will take place until the construction at Pimlico and a new training center are completed.

The President and General Manager of the Maryland Jockey Club, Bill Knauf, said, “The next month and a half to two months are focused on the move-out.” He added that the Maryland State Archives are at the racetrack and are “retaining the items that need to be preserved for historical significance.”

Knauf also noted that they are still transitioning some of the staff to Laurel Park, and that “we’re basically getting out everything that we can that needs to either move to Laurel or be safe for the new Pimlico.” He said, “There’s plenty of items that are reminiscent of the old Pimlico, and we want to retain that feel for the new one.”

What exactly and how much of what Knauf described as reminiscent of the old venue is being retained for the newly built Pimlico remains to be determined. First, it must all be assessed by the State Archives. Maryland State Archivist Elaine Rice Bachmann indicated that, as of June 12, 2025, the Archives has, “not yet processed the collections that we’ve just retrieved from the buildings.”

Moving forward with the full-scale transition to Laurel Park, the Maryland Jockey Club hopes to continue to build awareness among bettors that Maryland has “good horses and good horsemen.”

Just as Saratoga Springs has been the host of the Belmont Stakes race for the past two years, Laurel Park will have at least one more year to show off the many endearing aspects of the venue’s history, and the quality of the racing, horses, and horsemen that have brought crowds and excitement to the track over the years.

Fans of Laurel Park, The Laurel History Boys, and Voices of Laurel were treated to a Day at the Races in October 2024, in an early kickoff to this year leading up to the 2026 Preakness Stakes, when all eyes will be on Laurel. Our Fall 2024 issue was a celebration of Laurel Park and offered several stories focused on its history. Links to this issue and those stories can be found at https://tinyurl.com/y72wfa8u.

Jeff Krulik contributed to this story.

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Angie Latham Kozlowski is a staff writer and member of the Board of Directors for the Laurel History Boys. In addition to her investigative reporting, her articles frequently spotlight Howard County.