Magna Entertainment, the biggest owner of thoroughbred horse tracks in the U.S. filed for bankruptcy today, and the first thing I thought of was what would happen to the Preakness Stakes, since Magna owns Pimlico Racecourse, the Preakness' home site.
From the articles I've read, it appears that the Preakness Stakes could be offered for bid to other tracks as part of the bankruptcy proceedings. I'm not totally sure if this means any other tracks, or just those in Maryland. Although I haven't had the pleasure of visiting the Maryland tracks, I can't believe that Laurel, or any of the others, would have the infrastructure to host such a big event.
Horse racing is built on tradition, and to me, it would be worrisome to see the Preakness at another track. Crab cakes and Black-Eyed Susans are as much a part of this day as the horses, and hosting it somewhere else just wouldn't be the same.
Stay tuned, and keep your fingers crossed that all works out.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
You stated: "Horse racing is built on tradition, and to me, it would be worrisome to see the Preakness at another track".
ReplyDeleteComment: "Tradition" is one thing, and I agree, but have you been to Pimlico lately? I was there to watch BIG BROWN last May. The place is a dump and in need of millions of $$$ to bring it back. Given the state of the economy, it looks like the place is doomed (how sad).