BALTIMORE – Maryland is committing more than half a billion dollars to rebuild Pimlico Race Course and try to preserve its horse racing industry, a gamble made as the project’s costs balloon and its expected returns remain uncertain as the sport shrinks.
The plan calls for $400 million to build a new Pimlico in northwest Baltimore’s Park Heights neighborhood, and another $120 million to convert Laurel Park, 25 miles away, into a year-round horse training center.
State and industry leaders say rebuilding Pimlico and Laurel is key to saving Maryland racing – an industry woven into the state’s identity, farm economy, and hopes for reviving Park Heights…