BALTIMORE _ Imagine a crowd of 75,000 _ not the record-setting 135,000 of last year _ with patrons dressed in casual-chic clothing streaming into $1,000-a-head luxury suites.
Imagine an empty infield, with a concert and picnic area pushed to the side rather than roaring in the center of the track.
Imagine looking out from the grandstand and seeing suburban strip malls and apartment complexes rather than the skyline of downtown Baltimore.
This is the vision of a Preakness held at Laurel Park instead of the race's traditional home at Pimlico Race Course.
As preparations accelerate for the 142nd Preakness this weekend, state and city officials, along with the owner of Maryland's two major tracks, are busy discussing whether Pimlico has a future. But if no public or private entity steps forward to pay for a rebuild or significant renovation of the dilapidated facility _ price tag starting at a minimum of $250 million, according to the first phase of a Maryland Stadium Authority study released in February _ there could soon be serious debate about moving the state's largest sporting event to Laurel.
"We will wait to see what happens in Baltimore. If there's an appetite for the state to build a new stadium there, we're all in," says Tim Ritvo, chief operating officer for the racing division of the Stronach Group, which owns both Pimlico and Laurel Park. "But if not, we have a backup plan."
Ritvo says there's no question a renovated Laurel Park could host an exciting and profitable Preakness.
Baltimore officials say that would be a terrible blow to the city and the tradition of the race.
"It would be a totally different event," says state Del. Sandy Rosenberg, a Baltimore Democrat whose district includes Pimlico. "It would be a painful decision what to do on Preakness day if the event were in Laurel. I've been going since I was a teenager."
Current state law says the Stronach Group could move the race to another track in Maryland "only as a result of disaster or emergency." And elected officials, from Gov. Larry Hogan to Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh, have said the Preakness should remain where it is.
Hogan said Tuesday that he wants to keep the Preakness in Baltimore and is willing to work out a deal if the price is right.
But with the Stadium Authority study of Pimlico's future headed for a second phase, no one has stepped forward with a plan to finance a renovation or rebuild of the venerable facility.
