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Pimlico Race Course is a
thoroughbred horse race Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...
track in
Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore wa ...
, most famous for hosting the
Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Graded stakes race, Grade I race run over a distance of ...
. Its name is derived from the 1660s when
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...
settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Olde Ben Pimlico's Tavern in
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
. The racetrack is
nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...
d "Old Hilltop" after a small rise in the
infield Infield is a sports term whose definition depends on the sport in whose context it is used. Baseball In baseball, the diamond, as well as the area immediately beyond it, has both grass and dirt, in contrast to the more distant, usually grass-c ...
that became a favorite gathering place for
thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...
trainers and race enthusiasts. It is currently owned by the
Stronach Group Stronach Group, doing business as 1/ST, is an entertainment and real estate company in North America with Thoroughbred horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering at the core.Dixie Stakes, Dinner Party Stakes. Approximately 12,000 people attended, many taking special race trains arranged by the Northern Central Railway. Three years later the horse would have the 1873
Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Graded stakes race, Grade I race run over a distance of ...
named in his honor. The track is also noted as the home for the match race in which Seabiscuit beat
War Admiral War Admiral (May 2, 1934 – October 30, 1959) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the fourth winner of the American Triple Crown. He was also the 1937 Horse of the Year and well known as the rival of Seabiscuit in the 'Match ...
in the second Pimlico Special, on November 1, 1938, before a crowd of 43,000. The capacity of the stadium is 98,983. The most notable architectural feature of the original racetrack was the members' Clubhouse, located on the first turn. A "steamboat Gothic-era" design, the Clubhouse was topped by a weathervane that was repainted each year in the colors of the winner of the Preakness. The old Clubhouse was restored in 1956, with private rooms on the third floor named after Triple Crown winners. The President's room contained racing archives, while the second floor contained the Jockey's Hall of Fame. The building was richly decorated and housed a notable collection of racing art. The building burned down when a fire started in the front rooms on June 17, 1966. The only item salvaged was the weathervane, which was relocated to a replica Victorian cupola in the infield. The Preakness Stakes and the Pimlico Special are run at a distance of 1 3/16 miles. The Pimlico track record for that distance is held by
Farma Way Farma Way (April 2, 1987 – November 18, 1999) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and sire foaled in Kentucky. As a four-year-old in 1991 he was one of the leading racehorses in North America, winning the Santa Anita Handicap, Pimlico Sp ...
, who set it while winning the Pimlico Special in 1991. In the century and more since its opening, Pimlico Race Track has weathered much outside history including the 1904 Great Fire of Baltimore, Great Depression of the 1930s, and several notable Baltimore riots. Pimlico also survived Prohibition and even an anti-gambling movement in 1910. As
Alfred G. Vanderbilt Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt Sr. (October 20, 1877 – May 7, 1915) was a wealthy American businessman, and a member of the Vanderbilt family. A sportsman, he participated in and pioneered a number of related endeavors. He died in the sinking of ...
said, "Pimlico is more than a dirt track bounded by four streets. It is an accepted American institution, devoted to the best interests of a great sport, graced by time, respected for its honorable past." The races held at Pimlico, especially the Preakness, draw spectators from the Mid-Atlantic region. In 2007, the official attendance was 121,263 for the Preakness, the most people to watch a sporting event in Maryland history. More than $87.2 million in bets were made. On March 23, 2010, an agreement was reached to sell the two ''Maryland Jockey Club'' tracks (Pimlico and Laurel Park) from Magna Entertainment Corporation to its parent company, MI Development. On May 7, Penn National Gaming, with MI Development, announced they would jointly own and operate the Maryland Jockey Club. Penn National, which began in 1973, operating the
Penn National Race Course Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course is a thoroughbred horse racing race track, track and casino in Grantville, Pennsylvania, east of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Harrisburg. It is owned by Gaming and Leisure Properties and operated by Pe ...
near
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in ...
, has grown to become the largest racetrack operator in the country. In June 2011, The Stronach Group took control of the tracks when MI Development bought out Penn National Gaming's minority stake in the Maryland Jockey Club, which owned
Laurel Park Racecourse Laurel Park, formerly Laurel Race Course, is an American thoroughbred racing, thoroughbred racetrack located just outside Laurel, Maryland which opened in 1911. The track is miles in circumference. Its name was changed to "Laurel Race Course" fo ...
, Pimlico, and
Bowie Race Track The Bowie Race Track was a horse racing track located just outside the city limits of Bowie, Maryland. The one mile oval racetrack, known as Prince George's Park, was opened October 1, 1914 under the auspices of the Southern Maryland Agricultural ...
which is used as a training facility. The Stronach Group is owned by Canadian horse breeder and owner Frank Stronach, who also was MI Development's chairman and chief executive, a position he gave up in order to run Maryland's racetracks. Penn National bought a 49% stake in the Jockey Club in 2010 in hopes of securing a slots license at Laurel Park. In February 2017, the Maryland Stadium Authority released the first phase of a study saying that Pimlico needed $250 million in renovations. In 2018, the track began using a GPS-based timing system. A study into a renovation was ongoing as of January 2018. A report issued on December 14, 2018 suggested the existing buildings be demolished and rebuilt. In a meeting held in June 2018 by the Maryland Stadium Authority, locals "overwhelmingly supported upgrading the track property." The Preakness Stakes took place at Pimlico in May 2019, with media reports suggesting that future Preakness races could be moved to Laurel Park. In October 2019, The Stronach Group reached an
agreement in principle In law, an agreement in principle is a stepping stone to a contract. Such agreements with regard to the principle are usually considered fair and equitable. Even if not all details are known, an ''agreement in principle'' may, for example, outline ...
with the city of Baltimore and groups representing Maryland horsemen that would permanently keep the Preakness at Pimlico. As part of the agreement, The Stronach Group would donate both Pimlico and Laurel Park to newly established government entities that would oversee the properties, with Stronach licensed to conduct the race meets. Pimlico's grandstand would be demolished and replaced with a smaller structure, and temporary seating would be added to handle the attendance during Preakness week. The race track itself would be rotated 30 degrees in order to create nine parcels of land that could be sold for private development, and new barns for horses would be constructed. The Racing and Community Development Act, approved by the Maryland
state legislature A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...
in May 2020, allows the Maryland Stadium Authority to issue $375 million in bonds for the renovation of both Stronach Group tracks.


"The Great Race"

On October 24, 1877, the
United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...
shut down for a day so its members could attend a horse race at Pimlico. The event was a 2½-mile match race run by a trio of champions: Ten Broeck,
Tom Ochiltree Tom Ochiltree (1872–1897), was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1875 Preakness Stakes and several other major stakes. In 1877, he lost in one of the most famous match races of the nineteenth century – a race that had been so ...
, and
Parole Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...
. Ten Broeck, the Kentucky champion, was owned by F. B. Harper. Tom Ochiltree, the Eastern champion and winner of the 1875 Preakness Stakes, was owned by George L. Lorillard, an heir to the Lorillard tobacco fortune. Parole, a gelding, was owned by
Pierre Lorillard IV Pierre J. Lorillard IV (October 13, 1833 – July 7, 1901) was an American tobacco manufacturer and Thoroughbred race horse owner. Early life Born in Westchester, New York, he was the son of Pierre Lorillard III (1796–1867) and Catherine Gri ...
. Parole, with William Barrett up, prevailed with a late run, crossing the finish line three lengths ahead of Ten Broeck and six ahead of Tom Ochiltree, which had helped to set the early pace with Barbee in the irons. An estimated 20,000 people crowded into Pimlico to witness the event. The event is depicted in a four-ton stone bas relief—copied from a
Currier & Ives Currier and Ives was a New York City printmaking business that operated between 1835 and 1907. Founded by Nathaniel Currier, the company designed and sold inexpensive, hand painted lithographic works based on news events, views of popular cult ...
print and sculpted in stone by Bernard Zuckerman—hanging over the clubhouse entrance at Pimlico. It is long and high and is gilded in 24-karat gold leaf.


Description

The track has a one-mile dirt oval, surrounding a seven-
furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hor ...
(7/8 mile) turf oval. There are stables for about 1,000 horses. Pimlico's capacity, including the infield, is over 120,000 people. The track area is bounded by Park Heights and Winner Avenues to the west, West Rogers Avenue and West Northern Parkway to the north, Preakness Way to the east, and West Belvedere Avenue to the south. (Its namesake street, Pimlico Road, runs from the city line near Greenspring Avenue to Park Heights Avenue south of Cold Spring Lane, but is rendered discontinuous to through traffic between Northern Parkway and Belvedere Avenue.)


Racing

The following stakes are run at Pimlico (in order of grade, then year inaugurated):
Grade 1 First grade (also called Grade One, called '' Year 2'' in England or Primary 2 in Scotland) is the first grade in elementary school and the first school year after kindergarten. Children are usually 6–7 years old in this grade. Examples by ...
Stakes Races: * The Preakness Stakes (1873) Grade 2 Stakes Races: * Dinner Party Stakes (1870) * George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (1919) Grade 3 Stakes Races: * Pimlico Special (1937) *
Gallorette Stakes The Gallorette Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares age three and older over a distance of miles (8.5 furlongs) on the turf, run annually on Preakness Day at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. Th ...
(1952) *
Chick Lang Stakes The Chick Lang Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses run over a distance of six furlongs during the third week of May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. History The race is named in honor of ...
(1975) *
Miss Preakness Stakes The Miss Preakness Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies over a distance of six furlongs on the dirt held annually run on Black-Eyed Susan Stakes Day at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland as ...
(1986) *
Maryland Sprint Stakes The Maryland Sprint Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds and older over a distance of six furlongs run annually in mid May on Preakness Stakes day at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. History The ...
(1987) *
Allaire duPont Distaff Stakes The Allaire DuPont Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares age three and older over a distance of miles (9 furlongs) run annually in mid May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. History Race name O ...
(1992) Listed (ungraded) Stakes Races: * James A. Murphy Stakes (1966) *
Hilltop Stakes The Hilltop Stakes is an American ungraded Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies over a distance of one mile on turf held annually at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. 2007 Maryland Jockey Club Media Guide, page 44 on March ...
(1973) *
Skipat Stakes The Skipat Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. Contested over a distance of six furlongs on the dirt, it is open to fillies and mares three-years-old and up. The race is during ...
(1993) *
Sir Barton Stakes The Sir Barton Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early December at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. An Ontario Sire Stakes, it is a restricted race for horses age three and older. Raced over a distance of miles ...
(1999) *
Jim McKay Turf Sprint The Jim McKay Turf Sprint is a Listed American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds and up over a distance of five furlongs on the turf held as part of the undercard for the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes annually during the third week of May at ...
(2006) *
The Very One Stakes The Very One Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. Open to fillies and mares three years old and up, it is contested over a distance of five furlongs on Grass, turf. The Very One ...
(1993) Other notable Stakes Races: * Bowie Handicap (1909) * Geisha Stakes (1973) *
Pimlico Nursery Stakes The Pimlico Nursery Stakes was a race for Thoroughbred horses run at Pimlico Race Course from 1909 through 1947. Open to two-year-old horses of either sex, it was run on a dirt track.Pimlico Spring Handicap The Pimlico Spring Handicap was a race for Thoroughbred horses run annually from 1917 through 1932 at Pimlico Race Course racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland. The mile and one-sixteenth race on dirt was open to horses of either sex age three and o ...
(1917) *
Deputed Testamony Stakes The Deputed Testamony Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held in February at Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland. It is open to Maryland-bred three-year-olds and is run at one mile (8 furlongs) on the dirt. The race was run for th ...
(1986) *
William Donald Schaefer Handicap The William Donald Schaefer Memorial Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the third week of May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. A Grade III event open to three-year-old horses and up, it is contested o ...
(1994) *
Henry S. Clark Stakes The Henry S. Clark Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. Open to horses three-years-old & up, it is contested over a distance of one mile on turf.2007 Maryland Jockey Club Media Gu ...
(2001) *
Shine Again Stakes The Shine Again Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. Contested over a distance of one mile and one sixteenth (eight and a half furlongs) on the dirt, it is open to fillies and ma ...
(2006)


Non-racing events

Pimlico Race Course was the original US site for Virgin Festival from 2006 through 2008. The first was held on September 23, 2006, featuring bands
The Killers The Killers are an American rock band formed in Las Vegas in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After going through a number of short-term bass players and drummers in t ...
,
Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates elements of alternative rock, funk ...
, and
The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
. In 2007, it was a two-day festival (August 4–5) and featured
The Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Polic ...
, the
Beastie Boys Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar, programming) ...
,
The Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also referred to as simply Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band from Chicago. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, bassist D'arcy Wretzky, guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Ch ...
, and Velvet Revolver. Its name was altered, to ''Virgin Mobile Festival'', when it returned to Pimlico on August 9–10, 2008, with five headliners: The
Foo Fighters Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) ...
,
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
,
Stone Temple Pilots Stone Temple Pilots (also known by the initialism STP) is an American rock band from San Diego, California, that originally consisted of Scott Weiland (lead vocals), brothers Dean (guitar) and Robert DeLeo (bass, backing vocals), and Eric Kr ...
, Jack Johnson, and
Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band ...
. The event moved to
Merriweather Post Pavilion Merriweather Post Pavilion is an outdoor concert venue located within Symphony Woods, a lot of preserved land in the heart of the planned community of Columbia, Maryland. In 2010, Merriweather was named the second best amphitheater in the Uni ...
in 2009. Since 2014, Pimlico Race Course has been home to
Moonrise (festival) Moonrise Festival is an annual electronic dance music (EDM) festival held in Baltimore, Maryland. In 2013, the festival was scheduled to be held on June 8 and 9 in Port Covington. However, the festival was cancelled due to event organizers faili ...
, an electronic dance music festival featuring artists such as Above & Beyond,
Bassnectar Lorin Gabriel Ashton, better known under his stage name Bassnectar (born February 16, 1978), is an American DJ and record producer. Biography Ashton grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and attended Bellarmine College Preparatory. He initiall ...
, and
Kaskade Ryan Gary Raddon (born February 25, 1971), better known by his stage name Kaskade, is an American DJ, record producer and remixer. ''DJ Times'' voted Kaskade "America's Best DJ" in 2011 and 2013. ''DJ Mag'' named Kaskade fifty-first on its 20 ...
.


Transportation

Pimlico Race Course has typically accessed from either the Rogers Avenue Metro Station to the east in Park Heights, Baltimore, and to the west by the Mount Washington Light Rail station in
Mount Washington Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at and the most topographically prominent mountain east of the Mississippi River. The mountain is notorious for its erratic weather. On the afternoon of April 12, 1934 ...
. For major events, a shuttle is typically in place by the
Maryland Transit Administration The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) is a state-operated mass transit administration in Maryland, and is part of the Maryland Department of Transportation. The MTA operates a comprehensive transit system throughout the Baltimore-Washingt ...
going to the race course from light rail and metro stations.


References


External links


Pimlico Race Course Website

Pimlico
{{Authority control Stronach Group 1870 establishments in Maryland Sports venues completed in 1870