The Maryland Jockey Club, the corporate parent of Pimlico Race Course, was first chartered in 1743 and is the oldest organization in all of sports in North America. The MJC and the Maryland racing industry have never before faced challenges that are as daunting and formidable as those they now face.
The MJC and Maryland racing enjoyed record years in the mid-1990s by virtually every statistic. Unfortunately, 1995, the high-water-mark year for Maryland, also marked the beginning of slots at Delaware Park. Racing jurisdictions in Delaware, West Virginia and Pennsylvania - armed with thousands of slot machines - have now become major competitors, dealing body blows to Maryland's horse industry.
The solutions to this situation are straightforward:
* The future ownership of Pimlico and Laurel Park must resolved quickly.
* Laurel must get back into the competition for the Anne Arundel slots license, and win the license.
* Laurel must be transformed into a major destination/entertainment venue, with first-class restaurants, entertainment options and new infrastructure that serve both slots and racing patrons. Laurel will thus become the backbone and the primary economic engine for the revitalization of the Maryland horse industry.
* Revenues from Laurel must finance a complete overhaul of Pimlico, whereby Pimlico would be re-created specifically to host the Preakness, becoming a world-class venue for a world-class event.
If these goals can be accomplished, Maryland will regain its rightful place of leadership in the horse industry.
Joseph DeFrancis is the former owner of the Maryland Jockey Club.
