Why Is Pimlico Race Course Being Demolished? Here’s How Pimlico Became Home to USA’s Iconic Horse Racing Event

“Today we take another step toward a new, reimagined Pimlico,” said Maryland Governor Wes Moore, as per citybiz.co on May 12. Just days ahead of this announcement, on May 7, the state of Maryland released the design concepts for the new Pimlico Race Course. The big announcement came less than a week ahead of one of the year’s biggest horse racing events, the Preakness Stakes.

As you may have already guessed, to build something new, you have to demolish the old. So, about the Preakness Stakes? And why is the iconic ‘Middle Jewel’ of the prestigious Triple Crown being demolished to make way for a “reimagined Pimlico” in the first place? Well, to answer the first question, the 2025 Preakness Stakes is going nowhere despite the demolition announcement.

While the demolition will happen, it’s not scheduled to kick off before sometime in June, as per NBC Sports. Now, as to why it’s happening, it comes down to necessity and safety concerns. As iconic as the Pimlico Race Course has become, it’s also quite old. We’re talking about more than a century over here. Although renovations happened in the 1950s, no further renovations can help alleviate the safety concerns of hosting thousands of people every year.

In 2019, Pimlico shut down 7,000 grandstand seats out of safety concerns. While the city did discuss renovation plans, those never materialized. Now, five years later, the Board of Public Works, Maryland General Assembly, Maryland Stadium Authority, Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority, and local partners are set to rebuild the facility from the ground up.

“We are excited to deliver a new, modern Pimlico for racing fans and the Park Heights community,” said Stadium Authority chairman Craig Thompson. How expensive is the project? Well, as per NBC Sports, the Pimlico Race Course reconstruction project will cost around $400 million. This won’t count the “at least $110 million” that the State of Maryland will channel into Shamrock Farm in Carroll County.

Since the new Pimlico won’t open its doors until 2027, the Shamrock Farm will be the hub for the state’s thoroughbred racing in the meantime. And yes, that means the 2026 Preakness Stakes will happen somewhere else. But don’t worry, the race that made the venue so iconic won’t be away for too long.

The Preakness Stakes has moved away from the Pimlico Race Course before

There are several reasons why Pimlico became such an iconic venue. Take the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes, for example. Named after Maryland’s state flower, the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes has been part of the Preakness week since 1919 and remains one of the nation’s premier G2 dirt races for sophomore fillies. However, it’s undeniable that the Preakness Stakes played a huge role in making the track as famous as it is.

Yet, did you know that the Preakness Stakes came three years after the original Pimlico Race Course opened its doors on October 25, 1870? And it wasn’t until three years later that the first Preakness Stakes happened in 1873. What’s more? The second stop of the Triple Crown became the ‘Preakness Stakes’ only after the then-Governor of Maryland, Oden Bowie, named it after the horse that won the inaugural race, Preakness.

Since then, trainers, riders, horses, and the Triple Crown have made the Preakness Stakes, and in turn Pimlico, as iconic as it is today. But that doesn’t mean the Preakness hasn’t moved venues in the past. Just like the 2026 Preakness Stakes will move 20 miles away from the reconstruction site to Laurel Park, the Preakness moved to Morris Park in New York in 1890.

After a three-year pause, it moved again to Gravesend, New York, before finally returning to Pimlico in 1909. And since then, for over a century, man and beast alike have etched history at Pimlico. The 1 3/16-mile distance of the Pimlico Race Course is shorter than both Churchill Downs (Kentucky Derby) and the final Triple Crown stop, the Belmont Stakes.

Yet, don’t make the mistake of thinking that the Preakness at Pimlico is a short race. The track is still longer than many other horse races. In fact, legendary trainers like Bob Baffert, who have won multiple Triple Crowns, have found the most success at the Preakness.

So it’s not surprising to see why Maryland is spending $400 million to reconstruct the Pimlico Race Course grandstand. As the governor said, the iconic venue and its equally iconic main event play a big role in “driving” economic growth in Baltimore. The new Pimlico will only help “secure the future of Preakness in Maryland.”