First posted on The Equiery.com (Apr. 5)
A piece in the Daily Record today reports that the Maryland General Assembly has undone the 2023 legislation that created the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority:
“In a surprise development, lawmakers . . . changed course on their merely one-year-old plan for the state to assume ownership of and take on major renovations to Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore and begin an era of state oversight of thoroughbred horse racing, a storied but beleaguered industry.
Under next year’s budget, the state will retain oversight of Pimlico and racing, but it will abandon its plans for a new state nonprofit that would run day-to-day racing and training operations in Maryland.
The Maryland Stadium Authority and the Maryland Economic Development Corporation will assume oversight of the racetrack and the industry.
‘We just wanted some more oversight to be able to understand and know what’s going on in real time, which wasn’t happening,’ Atterbeary said.
Bill Knauf, a former New Jersey racing executive who was named as the first president and general manager of the nonprofit, to be known as the Maryland Jockey Club, declined to comment when reached by text message.”
It is not clear at this time how this decision will affect the Pimlico renovations or the new training track planned at Shamrock Farm in Woodbine.
We will continue to follow this developing story. You can read our previous articles on this topic here and here.