On May 16th, 2026, Napoleon Solo won the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes. For Chad Summers, victory marked a turnaround for the man who nearly considered quitting five years ago. For Laurel Park, it marked the first and last Preakness Stakes it will host. After all, it’s reportedly set to close down, Summers is not shying away from giving his verdict.

“I thought Laurel put on a great show this week,” Summers said in an interview. “I thought it was a great crowd. The ones that were here, I wish we could have a little bit more, but it’s a shame that Laurel’s gonna close because it’s a wonderful facility. It’s great to train at.”

He added, “So it’s just an omen to get back here and, and then this is the icing on the cake to get the victory for sure.”

The trainer was speaking in the aftermath of winning his first-ever Preakness, but a lot of fans had echoed his thoughts. After all, this comes on the back of Maryland Governor, Wes Moore, revealing that the iconic racecourse is set to close down to become a training facility. That’s after the government spent close to half a billion dollars on renovating Pimlico racecourse.

The renovations at Pimlico are why Laurel Park got the chance to host the first and what seems to be its only Preakness. However, this isn’t the first time that has happened. The Preakness has moved outside Pimlico twice in the past, once in 1890 to Morris Park, and then Gravesend Racetrack hosted the race between 1894 and 1908. From before 1890 to after 1908, Pimlico has been the host.

Behind Summers’ sentiment lies a financial reality. The state of Maryland has been struggling to deal with the cost, even if Laurel Park remains a historic racecourse. That, combined with a lack of upkeep at the racecourse and a few premier races, has led to a drop in attendance. Bob DiPietro even talked about it, saying, “You would go to Laurel on a Saturday and find thousands of people.”

The former mayor of Laurel was talking about a period that almost feels like it was a century ago. In reality, it was closer to forty years ago, when DiPietro was mayor of the town. However, with the state’s deal for Shamrock Farm not working out, they’ve been looking for alternatives. Their focus eventually hit Laurel Park, and for a moment, they considered renovating the location.

That would see Pimlico become a training facility, with Laurel Park as the new host. However, that plan was eventually scrapped, and instead, the opposite is set to happen, provided everything goes through. That hasn’t gone down well, though, as many believe that the track’s spirit is still alive and kicking, even if it is slated to be closed.

“Chad’s right, Laurel’s a gem. Makes no sense. Are they gonna ship all those horses to Pimlico? Mess,” wrote one fan on X.

That sentiment has quickly spread across social media, with them questioning whether Maryland is making the right decision. Many believe Laurel Park still has plenty of life left in it and weren’t shy about voicing their frustration online.

Fans voice frustration over potential Laurel Park shutdown

“It’s really rather devastating that we’re losing Laurel Park, and it’s not being reported that the history is being lost. For example, Seabiscuit ran at Laurel,” one fan wrote on X.

That race took place in October 1938, when Seabiscuit finished second to Jacola, who set a new Laurel Park record. It didn’t seem to deter Seabiscuit. He would go on to beat War Admiral in the “Match of the Century” less than a month later at Pimlico. But the history the user was talking about points more to Laurel Park having been around for 115 years.

During that period, it has seen quite literally everything. So much so that during the First World War, they briefly converted the racecourse into a military camp. That kicked off a storied period in time for the racecourse, including Secretariat and Barbaro winning the Laurel Futurity. Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention performed as well as Led Zeppelin, turning up for a performance.

Laurel Park has acted as more than a racecourse at times. Even James Brown held a performance alongside Miles Davis, Etta Jones, and a catalogue of others over the years. Because for many regulars, the racecourse was more than just a place to watch horses run. For Ferris Allen, that’s exactly what it has felt like over the years.

“I’ve seen many, many people and horses come and go,” Allen told AP news. “The memories of watching that stuff as it happened and watching those guys day in and day out were really special to me.”

After all, Allen watched Secretariat race there and then became a trainer himself, competing alongside Spectacular Bid and Bud Delp. Yet, he maintains faith that the plan may not go through. However, some fans remain confused about why it is closing.

“Congrats to all. I don’t get why they are closing. It looked beautiful on the TV. Jim McKay is probably spinning in his grave,” a fan commented on X.

However, they haven’t ratified the deal just yet. While they presented it, a state legislative committee must sign off on it. Yet at the moment, they have imposed a 45-day delay in approving the sale to conduct further checks. Those checks are mainly due to the poor deal the state of Maryland made for Shamrock Farm in early 2026.

They purchased it instead of turning it into an all-year training facility, but had to scrap the plan amid rising development costs and environmental issues. Thus, to ensure they don’t repeat the same mistake, the committee is being much more thorough. It does offer Laurel Park a stay of execution for the moment, although time is ticking down on the iconic racecourse.