PREAKNESS

[horsefan2019]

Originally Posted by castaway01

It's not a literal source of pride as local residents couldn't care less, but he is right that it's something for politicians to brag about.

Yep, how many people would visit that area if there was no Preakness there? Its a great place to get shot, robbed or mugged....

[VeryOldMan]

Other articles in the Baltimore Sun have suggested that Stronach will lease the new Pimlico facility to hold the Preakness meet; the facility will otherwise be used for other community/non-racing events. Seems like a good deal for Stronach - unloads the headache of maintaining Pimlico, gets out of the political crossfire re keeping the Preakness in Baltimore (which Maryland politicians seemingly love more than Maryland residents, and certainly us Maryland taxpayers) and gets $175 million in improvements to Laurel.

As a taxpayer, I want to know who is on the hook for any shortfall in the $348 million if the supposed funding sources come up short. I have a sinking feeling I know who . . . and it isn't Belinda Stronach

Here's a bit from the Sun about the funding:

Crucial to the plan is convincing lawmakers to extend the life of a subsidy for the tracks called the Racetrack Facilities Renewal Account. The state’s casinos each pay a certain percentage of their slot machine profits into the fund, which is used for upgrades at the tracks. Backers of this new Pimlico and Laurel proposal want to use that money to help pay off $348 million worth of bonds, to be issued by the stadium authority, that would finance most of the $375.5 million redevelopment. But casinos are only required to pay the money for 16 years after they open. So, the racetrack renewal money will start running out in 2026 and be gone after 2032. For the plan to work, lawmakers would have to change state law to extend the payments from casinos to cover the 30-year payback of the bonds. The proceeds would be used not only for the Pimlico track and community redevelopment, but also for Laurel Park. Laurel would receive a new clubhouse and training facilities, an all-weather track, new stables and new housing for backstretch workers.

https://www.baltimoresun.com/marylan...gze-story.html

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by Afleet

its a tax thing-people are fleeing the city limits like crazy

No it isn't. Baltimore will still make a good chunk of the revenues even if the thing is staged at Laurel, just as LA makes out reasonably well from BC's in Arcadia.

And Baltimore isn't some wasteland. The inner harbor has had a rennaisance, as has downtown. I am sure if they just developed the Pimlico site with no racetrack, just a simulcast facility and cardroom, and the rest going to mixed use, the city makes a ton more money.

This is pure ego. If I were Stronach, I would move the Preakness to Santa Anita or Gulfstream and just go win my court case over these jerks. Teach them a lesson. Just like the Colts did. But these folks are going to cost their voters hundreds of millions of dollars over this.

[ronsmac]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

No it isn't. Baltimore will still make a good chunk of the revenues even if the thing is staged at Laurel, just as LA makes out reasonably well from BC's in Arcadia.

And Baltimore isn't some wasteland. The inner harbor has had a rennaisance, as has downtown. I am sure if they just developed the Pimlico site with no racetrack, just a simulcast facility and cardroom, and the rest going to mixed use, the city makes a ton more money.

This is pure ego. If I were Stronach, I would move the Preakness to Santa Anita or Gulfstream and just go win my court case over these jerks. Teach them a lesson. Just like the Colts did. But these folks are going to cost their voters hundreds of millions of dollars over this.

When’s the last time you’ve been to the inner harbor? There’s been more crime downtown in the last 5 yrs than the previous 10. The same bank was robbed on a Friday and the following Monday. Not to mention squeegee kids on every other corner. Yankee and red soz games at camden yards used to get 30-40k fans with most coming from out of town. Now they’re getting 15-20k.

[The_Turf_Monster]

Hopefully this means that Pimlico will run for more than 3 weeks. That's easily my favorite track to handicap

[PhantomOnTour]

If, and that's a huge IF, this plan comes to fruition, i hope the rebuild is a configuration that runs more than just 6f and 1m16 on the dirt track.
Pimlico is basically two distances on dirt with the occasional 9f race and 5-5.5f races

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by ronsmac

When’s the last time you’ve been to the inner harbor? There’s been more crime downtown in the last 5 yrs than the previous 10. The same bank was robbed on a Friday and the following Monday. Not to mention squeegee kids on every other corner. Yankee and red soz games at camden yards used to get 30-40k fans with most coming from out of town. Now they’re getting 15-20k.

The Orioles are terrible. When they stop being terrible they will draw fine.

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by PhantomOnTour

If, and that's a huge IF, this plan comes to fruition, i hope the rebuild is a configuration that runs more than just 6f and 1m16 on the dirt track.
Pimlico is basically two distances on dirt with the occasional 9f race and 5-5.5f races

That's what I always hated about the AQU inner dirt. 7 6 furlong races and one at a mile and 70.

[ronsmac]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

The Orioles are terrible. When they stop being terrible they will draw fine.

I’m not talking about the O’s. I’m talking about the yankee and red sox fans that used to flood downtown. I’d see thousands walking around , now maybe a third of the old crowds. I just drove by harbor place. There’s 35000 sq fr for rent if you’re interested.

[The_Turf_Monster]

Baltimore is never going to be a cosmopolitan city, but I've seen significant improvement in the downtown/inner harbor area over the last 15 years. Its main business district will never be midtown manhattan or the loop, but it's making improvements imo

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by The_Turf_Monster

Baltimore is never going to be a cosmopolitan city, but I've seen significant improvement in the downtown/inner harbor area over the last 15 years. Its main business district will never be midtown manhattan or the loop, but it's making improvements imo

Yep.

And a nice mixed use development on Old Hilltop wouldn't hurt the city one bit.

[ronsmac]

Originally Posted by Afleet

its a tax thing-people are fleeing the city limits like crazy

Our overall population has been roughly flat the last few years with a loss of whites and blacks but a gain in hispanics. East Baltimore and the areas around broadway have Hispanic neighborhoods that didn’t exist 20 yrs ago.

[cj]

Originally Posted by ronsmac

Our overall population has been roughly flat the last few years with a loss of whites and blacks but a gain in hispanics. East Baltimore and the areas around broadway have Hispanic neighborhoods that didn’t exist 20 yrs ago.

When I grew up there (left in 1985) there were very, very few hispanics anywhere in the city, let alone entire neighborhoods. Now it is a huge community, particularly between downtown and into Highlandtown. Looked up the latest census and 4.2% of the city was Hispanic or Latino in 2010. I would guess that is going to move up substantially in the 2020 census. It shows 4.3% in 2000 so maybe I'm off base.

I'm not trying to portray this as a negative so please don't take it that way. It has been very noticeable to someone the left a long time ago and visits occasionally, though that is becoming once in a blue moon these days.

[Robert Fischer]

I grew up going to Pimlico a lot (ages 1-12?)(79-92?).
My first preakness, i was about 3 months old (spectacular bid).

Seem to vaguely remember an extended Pimlico meet. I can't remember if Pimlico had more days than Laurel, or if it was about an equal split, or if Laurel had the most days even back then.

It is clear that Stronach has chosen to race predominantly at Laurel.

Today, for most of the year, Pimlico is a sad looking half-open simulcast operation... Within short driving distance of the casino w/ nicer simulcast.


As long as the Preakness is held in respect, I don't really care if they move it to Laurel.

[Afleet]

https://www.baltimoresun.com/marylan...416-story.html

The city lost 7,346 people, or 1.2% of its population, during the 12 months that ended July 1, 2018, according to census figures published Thursday.

The decline, which puts Baltimore’s estimated population at 602,495 as of July 1, 2018, is the biggest loss the city has experienced in a single year since 2001. It also marks the fourth year in a row in which the city’s population has fallen, starting in 2015.