Pimlico rebuild becomes reality

[VeryOldMan]

Originally Posted by Robert Fischer

Fair enough.
My wife just passed away last month.

One of my favorite memories together was Oaks Day, a couple years ago.

Was about $20 for the special 🎟 🎫 tickets. I forget the exact excuse/wording, but basically was a fairly priced opportunity to attend. Leather sofas (saddle pictured) big screen tvs. About the toughest thing was listening to one ownership pitch (which was mildly complimentary if anything).

Was a rare nice winning day. Was up about a grand for weekend and was feeling well enough that was discussing basketball 🏀 coaching with security.

Nothing wrong with Pimlico.
Aside from heartstrings, my next love for LRL = 1m 2nd fin line configuration.

https://twitter.com/jason_kassa/stat...48805665305087

My sincere condolences for your wife. May her memory be for a blessing.

This fellow Marylander hates the two finish lines at LRL. Different strokes, etc.!

[PaceAdvantage]

Originally Posted by Robert Fischer

Fair enough.
My wife just passed away last month.

One of my favorite memories together was Oaks Day, a couple years ago.

Was about $20 for the special 🎟 🎫 tickets. I forget the exact excuse/wording, but basically was a fairly priced opportunity to attend. Leather sofas (saddle pictured) big screen tvs. About the toughest thing was listening to one ownership pitch (which was mildly complimentary if anything).

Was a rare nice winning day. Was up about a grand for weekend and was feeling well enough that was discussing basketball 🏀 coaching with security.

Nothing wrong with Pimlico.
Aside from heartstrings, my next love for LRL = 1m 2nd fin line configuration.

https://twitter.com/jason_kassa/stat...48805665305087

Wow, I am really shocked by this news. I am so very sorry for your loss.

Didn't you get married not all that long ago if memory serves me correctly?

My deepest condolences go out to you and your family. Very sad.

[bisket]

Originally Posted by Robert Fischer

Fair enough.
My wife just passed away last month.

One of my favorite memories together was Oaks Day, a couple years ago.

Was about $20 for the special 🎟 🎫 tickets. I forget the exact excuse/wording, but basically was a fairly priced opportunity to attend. Leather sofas (saddle pictured) big screen tvs. About the toughest thing was listening to one ownership pitch (which was mildly complimentary if anything).

Was a rare nice winning day. Was up about a grand for weekend and was feeling well enough that was discussing basketball 🏀 coaching with security.

Nothing wrong with Pimlico.
Aside from heartstrings, my next love for LRL = 1m 2nd fin line configuration.

https://twitter.com/jason_kassa/stat...48805665305087

I'm sorry for your loss. I noticed your absence and now I know why. My best memory of Laurel is a family memory as well. My twin sons were in middle school, and I had taken them to the track a few times. We go to Laurel for a Sunday afternoon card, and we're in the grandstand. There's only one guy in the boxes up front, and the rest of them are empty. I wanted a chance to sit for an hour thinking they're old enough to understand the mathematics of handicapping. We enter an empty box, and the usher runs us off. LOL the guy in the other box exits, and who is it, but Dickie Small. He graciously says I'm done for the day you can have my box. Fitzhue had been my favorite barn for years. I shook his hand and thanked him. The importance of the day was about to happen. So I'm explaining in simplistic terms how to adjust time and how to transfer beaten lengths to time etc. My son Aj is thrilled to see for the first time, how mathematics he learned in school could be useful. lol Jordan tuned me out a few minutes in. From that day on Aj took an interest in mathematics, and today he has a degree from Rutgers Business School in accounting. He's assistant controller at one of Hopkin's hospitals.

[bisket]

Originally Posted by cj

I've been to Laurel around 1000 times and couldn't tell you a thing about the neighborhood.

I've been to Pimlico about 500 times and never had a single issue with the neighborhood, and I often took the subway then the bus then walked a few blocks. The neighborhood thing is much ado about nothing. Is there a bunch of crimes against horseplayers I'm unaware of? Hell, we're usually broke after the card.

The area around Camden Yards was a wasteland beforehand, but today is some of the most sought after real estate in town. Only a few blocks from Pimlico is Mt Washington and Roland Park. Land values there are in the same ballpark as Montgomery County. I think Pimlico might get the most pushback from that neighborhood than anything in the surrounding area.

[classhandicapper]

Originally Posted by Robert Fischer

Fair enough.
My wife just passed away last month.

I'm very sorry for your loss.

[Ruffian1]

You have my deepest sympathy for your loss Robert.

[bisket]

Stop the presses. Churchill wants in. Although 1st Racing owns the Preakness and no one’s talked to them. Churchill could put a casino at Pimlico. That was the original intention 20 or 30 years ago. Only problem is there’s already a casino in Baltimore city.

https://www.theracingbiz.com/2024/04...NA7jT720ebdOFw

[JustRalph]

Originally Posted by bisket

Stop the presses. Churchill wants in. Although 1st Racing owns the Preakness and no one’s talked to them. Churchill could put a casino at Pimlico. That was the original intention 20 or 30 years ago. Only problem is there’s already a casino in Baltimore city.

https://www.theracingbiz.com/2024/04...NA7jT720ebdOFw

There’s one at Arundel Mills too….about an hour from Pimlico

[bisket]

Originally Posted by JustRalph

There’s one at Arundel Mills too….about an hour from Pimlico

When Stronach negotiated that deal with Joe DeFrancis Jr. with DeFrancis keeping the casino money the state gave two licenses to different companies only a few miles from both tracks. I don’t see how Churchhill’s proposal is any different from 1st Racing’s. The bill already passed the House of Delegates. I think the senate will keep the horseman managing the tracks. That’s a big hill to climb to get another casino license when everything has been settled for 10 years. There’s a casino about 10 miles from Pimlico in Baltimore city.

[bisket]

The senate passed the bill today and the governor will sign in a few days. Done deal.

[bisket]

I'm glad Hegarty included that Stronach failed to apply for casino licensing at Laurel. Which I think is something race fans in California should know. They're working behind the scenes keeping casino money from helping support racing.

https://www.drf.com/news/bill-transf...nd-legislature

[Ruffian1]

Originally Posted by cj

I've been to Laurel around 1000 times and couldn't tell you a thing about the neighborhood.

I've been to Pimlico about 500 times and never had a single issue with the neighborhood, and I often took the subway then the bus then walked a few blocks. The neighborhood thing is much ado about nothing. Is there a bunch of crimes against horseplayers I'm unaware of? Hell, we're usually broke after the card.

Agree CJ.

Laurel's neighborhood is mostly industrial close by. And a few blocks away, it is lower income but that's all Laurel was back in the day. It's fine.

Pimlico's neighborhood was mostly black and fairly poor in the late 70's -90's . Northern Parkway divides a more middle class and Jewish with what is the beginning portion of a rougher part of town. But as for the people that live very near by, when I was young and trained there , I hired a bunch of the local young people as grooms and hot walkers. They were mostly black, fairly poor for the most part were as nice, kind and thoughtful towards others as any group of workers could be. They all walked from home to the barn each morning. Probably 5-6 of them. They respected me as a 22- 23 year old trainer and I respected them. It got to a point where when we were finished and before the first race, 8-10 of use would get into a couple cars and find a local basketball court and play shirts and skins against each other for an hour.

Some of my fondest memories of Pimlico are the younger people that lived near by. They called me "cool capt."
I loved that they liked me and I made sure I reciprocated that feeling towards them. Great group of young men IMO.

[Ruffian1]

Originally Posted by bisket

I'm glad Hegarty included that Stronach failed to apply for casino licensing at Laurel. Which I think is something race fans in California should know. They're working behind the scenes keeping casino money from helping support racing.

https://www.drf.com/news/bill-transf...nd-legislature

Horsemen were told that they applied but failed to send in the 10 Million or whatever dollars with the application making it null and void. After years of pounding the horsemen and workers to support them, they killed any chance on their own.
For me, see you later.. or NOT.

[bisket]

Originally Posted by Ruffian1

Horsemen were told that they applied but failed to send in the 10 Million or whatever dollars with the application making it null and void. After years of pounding the horsemen and workers to support them, they killed any chance on their own.
For me, see you later.. or NOT.

Stronach was contractually forced to put in the application, but it was up to Defrancis to finance it, since he would get the proceeds from a casino. The legislature told Defrancis with the contract between Stronach and Defrancis, the casinos wouldn't be at the tracks. After the casinos were built elsewhere, the horseman formed an organization. The legislature put the purse enhancements form casino revenue in the horseman's organizations name. 1st Racing would come to the horseman every year to get money from the fund to operate the tracks. Of course the horseman would give them the money if they increased racing days. 1st racing wanted decrease days and have higher purses, but they didn't have control of the money, so they had to have more racing days lol. This is why the legislature was open to the horseman running the tracks. They were essentially already doing it. Plus the horseman had the foresight that casino revenue was required and Stronach didn't. This is why 1st racing doesn't own the tracks anymore. They were essentially pushed out.

[bisket]

When I heard the Maryland Stadium Authority was getting involved I knew this would get done...