Pimlico to race only 12 days in 2017

[PhantomOnTour]

Originally Posted by cj

On Preakness Day you will never, ever have any problems because of the neighborhood. If you want to talk about the facility, sure, it needs work. But nobody is getting mugged or robbed or shot or anything around Pimlico on the big day.

Thank you for this...folks would have everyone believe that we are running for our lives once we leave the facility.
Not true

The neighborhood surrounding Fairgrounds in NOLA isn't exactly Beverly Hills either.

[SuperPickle]

Originally Posted by PhantomOnTour

Thank you for this...folks would have everyone believe that we are running for our lives once we leave the facility.
Not true

The neighborhood surrounding Fairgrounds in NOLA isn't exactly Beverly Hills either.

The issue isn't the crime it's four fold...

1. With the overall decline in the sport the ownership has made the decision to renovate Laurel which races a lot more. It would be a horrible business decision to do large scale renovations at both tracks.

2. Pimlico is totally landlocked. You have no additional land to work with so in a renovated you'd have to essentially rebuild the same thing. Also it makes any renovation more time consuming and expensive. Everything has to be torn down and then build back up.

3. Even if you wanted to renovate pimlico there's no way to do it without moving the Preakness for 1-2 years. Since you'd have to move it anyway why not just move it permanently?

4. The combination of 1-3. Pimlico is past its lifespan. Laurel is renovated. Sooner or later you have to pull the plug on pimlico.

[burnsy]

Originally Posted by MonmouthParkJoe

I am really not surprised at all honestly.

Agreed, I have not been there since 2009 when Rachel won and that's probably the only reason I went. The place has some nice things going on once you get in but its in bad shape. The first thing was getting in, the traffic and parking situation was a joke. They wanted like 90 bucks to park my rented car so I parked in the hood for 20. The place is so out of date (at that time) I had to chuckle. Like I said there were some good times on the infield between volley ball and a set of ZZ Top but I don't even know if half of those people were betting or better yet even paying attention to the races. The "paddock" to how they lead the horses to the track reminds me of Finger Lakes for crying out loud. Although, I did walk right up on the Preakness field as they were being led in, the guards and cops held up a make shift "rope" to keep the crowd back . People complain about the housing in NY which has been mostly renovated. The backstretch worker situation there is like tobacco road.

Like I said, its going on 8 years ago so I don't know if they've worked on it since then but I'm in no hurry to run back there unless another horse like Rachel runs. I don't know if people get jumped but I'm pretty street smart for an upstate NY guy and my "spider senses" led me to hide my bankroll before I left the facility. If there were a "poster child" of why tracks can't keep pace with the "new gaming", Pimlico Race Track is it. The racing was great that day, the place was some what of an eyesore.

[NTamm1215]

Originally Posted by PhantomOnTour

Thank you for this...folks would have everyone believe that we are running for our lives once we leave the facility.
Not true

The neighborhood surrounding Fairgrounds in NOLA isn't exactly Beverly Hills either.

My friend and I walked all the way around and through the neighborhood and out to the main street go to towards 95 after the 2011 Preakness and it was perfectly fine. Now, I told him I wouldn't like making that walk at 2:00 AM. It was, as you say, no issue whatsoever on Preakness day.

The neighborhood around FG is brutal. I usually try to get through it as quickly as possible and the first floor at FG is also less than stellar.

[Tom]

Pimlico is my favorite track.
Love betting their races.

[burnsy]

Originally Posted by PhantomOnTour

Thank you for this...folks would have everyone believe that we are running for our lives once we leave the facility.
Not true

The neighborhood surrounding Fairgrounds in NOLA isn't exactly Beverly Hills either.

I would not say I ran for my life but I would not walk through there with a buzz on. Or with my money in my wallet. Then again, I live in Saratoga where you can leave your cooler and walk away and practically leave your car unlocked in the place you pay to park if its in someone's yard.

The track knows people don't want to park out there, that's why they charge like 100 dollars to park (on grounds) on Preakness Day. I had a car I rented so who gives a crap, but I wouldn't want my own car out there. It was not real bad but it was not Saratoga either, that's for sure. I walk around there with a buzz on, with almost no fear, in Baltimore, you better have your wits about you, that's all I'll say about this. Besides that, the place itself is run down and outdated and not in a quaint antique kind of way.

[sharkie187]

Originally Posted by NTamm1215

The neighborhood around FG is brutal. I usually try to get through it as quickly as possible and the first floor at FG is also less than stellar.

Hollywood Park was just as bad (probably worse!) Even getting to the track was a scary adventure in the early 90s driving through really rough neighborhoods. But the uneasy feeling didn't go away once you're in the first floor of General Admission area or the first floor of the Club House. That uneasy feeling was everywhere pretty much and the employees poor attitudes didn't help either. It wasn't until you got to either the second floor of the Club House or the Turf Club that things felt better. But adter the races, you had to drive home and in the winter time that meant driving in the dark through the already scary neighborhood.
A lot of us were relieved when the CHRB dropped the 25-30 mile rule for OTB on live racing which meant that we could now go to Santa Anita to wager Hollywood Park. But that only led to further dismay on Hollywood Park.

[dilanesp]

On the first day of Pimlico my true love gave to me, a Preakness and a pick 3.

On the second day of Pimlico my true love gave to me, two Black-Eyed Susans and a Preakness and a pick 3.

On the third day of Pimlico my true love gave to me, three French imports two Black-Eyed Susans and a Preakness and a pick 3.

On the fourth day of Pimlico my true love gave to me, four cheap claimers three French imports two Black-Eyed Susans and a Preakness and a pick 3.

On the fifth day of Pimlico my true love gave to me, five winning tickets, four cheap claimers three French imports two Black-Eyed Susans and a Preakness and a pick 3.

On the sixth day of Pimlico my true love gave to me, six bridgejumpers jumping five winning tickets four cheap claimers three French imports two Black-Eyed Susans and a Preakness and a pick 3.

On the seventh day of Pimlico my true love gave to me, seven trainers doping six bridgejumpers jumping five winning tickets four cheap claimers three French imports two Black-Eyed Susans and a Preakness and a pick 3.

On the eighth day of Pimlico my true love gave to me, eight jockeys stiffing seven trainers doping six bridgejumpers jumping five winning tickets four cheap claimers three French imports two Black-Eyed Susans and a Preakness and a pick 3.

On the ninth day of Pimlico my true love gave to me, nine bettors betting eight jockeys stiffing seven trainers doping six bridgejumpers jumping five winning tickets four cheap claimers three French imports two Black-Eyed Susans and a Preakness and a pick 3.

On the tenth day of Pimlico my true love gave to me, ten vendors vending nine bettors betting eight jockeys stiffing seven trainers doping six bridgejumpers jumping five winning tickets four cheap claimers three French imports two Black-Eyed Susans and a Preakness and a pick 3.

On the eleventh day of Pimlico my true love gave to me, eleven pickpockets picking ten vendors vending nine bettors betting eight jockeys stiffing seven trainers doping six bridgejumpers jumping five winning tickets four cheap claimers three French imports two Black-Eyed Susans and a Preakness and a pick 3.

On the twelfth day of Pimlico my true love gave to me, twelve selectors selecting eleven pickpockets picking ten vendors vending nine bettors betting eight jockeys stiffing seven trainers doping six bridgejumpers jumping five winning tickets four cheap claimers three French imports two Black-Eyed Susans and a Preakness and a pick 3.

Merry Christmas everyone.

[JustRalph]

Originally Posted by cj

The city of Baltimore will fight tooth and nail to keep the Preakness, even if it means running 1 or 2 days a year only at Pimlico.

Do they deserve it?

[tanner12oz]

Yeah but it is a 100% clusterf#&*. I've seen medical emergencies and such that were not handled well.at all. Only a matter of time before someone croaks on preakness day. Pimlico wants it to be some big drunken kegfest and with that comes problems. I go to various big races various tracks and pimlico is by far the worst in every aspect

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by cj

The city of Baltimore will fight tooth and nail to keep the Preakness, even if it means running 1 or 2 days a year only at Pimlico.

There is something about this that I have always meant to comment on. Baltimore and Maryland have made a lot of threats with respect to the Preakness, including to take legal action to prevent Stronach from moving it. To me, this is very similar to the frivolous land claims that NYRA used to prevent New York from engaging another operator to operate the New York tracks in the wake of NYRA's corruption scandal.

Like the frivolous NYRA claim, any claim by Baltimore or Maryland would have cost a bundle to litigate, which means that it will likely do its job and keep the Preakness at Pimlico. (That's how NYRA stayed in control of the New York tracks-- by threatening endless and costly litigation.) But the claim would be frivolous. The Preakness is the Stronach Group's intellectual property. It can be held anywhere the Stronach Group wishes to hold it. There's no legal basis for the city or state to prevent this from happening, and federal trademark law would preclude any court remedy. Further, the contracts that give the Preakness its status as the second leg of the Triple Crown cannot be interfered with by any state or local government. The Stronach Group owns that right as well.

So if Stronach wants to move the Preakness badly enough, he will be able to do it, no matter what the city or state say about the issue. He'll just have to pay a bunch of money to litigate a court case over it.

[the little guy]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

There is something about this that I have always meant to comment on. Baltimore and Maryland have made a lot of threats with respect to the Preakness, including to take legal action to prevent Stronach from moving it. To me, this is very similar to the frivolous land claims that NYRA used to prevent New York from engaging another operator to operate the New York tracks in the wake of NYRA's corruption scandal.

Like the frivolous NYRA claim, any claim by Baltimore or Maryland would have cost a bundle to litigate, which means that it will likely do its job and keep the Preakness at Pimlico. (That's how NYRA stayed in control of the New York tracks-- by threatening endless and costly litigation.) But the claim would be frivolous. The Preakness is the Stronach Group's intellectual property. It can be held anywhere the Stronach Group wishes to hold it. There's no legal basis for the city or state to prevent this from happening, and federal trademark law would preclude any court remedy. Further, the contracts that give the Preakness its status as the second leg of the Triple Crown cannot be interfered with by any state or local government. The Stronach Group owns that right as well.

So if Stronach wants to move the Preakness badly enough, he will be able to do it, no matter what the city or state say about the issue. He'll just have to pay a bunch of money to litigate a court case over it.

Frivolous would be a very good word for this post.

[cj]

Originally Posted by JustRalph

Do they deserve it?

Sure, the city does a good job.

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by the little guy

Frivolous would be a very good word for this post.

Every word in it is true, TLG. Sorry you work for an organization that lied in court, but you do.

[Redboard]

This is a tough one. One of the things the industry does “right” is the TC races. All three of them get decent TV ratings, good crowds and high handles. Hate to see them change something that “works.” I think they ought to have it at Pimlico as long as the structure can safely hold together. Parking ‘s not an issue IMO. I park in the surrounding neighborhood where the local entrepreneurs are out in force and charge much less than the track does. It’s a tradition. Hey, it’s where Seabiscuit beat War Admiral.
Now if they have to sink a lot of money into the racetrack then I would think long and hard before I do that. Apparently, the Maryland Stadium Authority is currently doing a study on the future of Pimlico. I would be shocked if this study recommended major renovations.