The milestone 150th running of the Triple Crown's middle jewel was the last one to be staged in front of the aging Pimlico grandstand, the Baltimore racetrack known as Old Hilltop – which was built in 1954 and glass enclosed 20 years later. It is due for demolition and replacement with a timeline that calls for construction to be completed so that the 2027 Preakness will return to Pimlico. Meanwhile, the 151st Preakness will be held at Laurel Park in Maryland, which will be closed and presumably developed by Stronach when the new Pimlico is opened and becomes the home of year-round racing in Maryland. In addition to the rebuilding of Pimlico, a new year-round training center will be developed about 30 miles west of Baltimore at the former Shamrock Farm. 1/ST Racing, part of the company owned by Belinda Stronach, sold Pimlico to the state of Maryland for $1, and racing operations are now managed by the new Maryland Jockey Club, a non-profit organization that recently named its first board of directors . Under the arrangement made by the various parties, however, the 2025 and '26 Black-Eyed Susan and Preakness will be run by 1/ST Racing, with the new Maryland Jockey Club taking over in 2027. From that point forward, Stronach will receive a rights fee and percentage of handle as part of the multi-party agreement. After a stormy Black-Eyed Susan Day on Friday, Saturday's Preakness was run under clear skies, the only moisture might have been the tears of nostaglia that flowed over the memories made at this historic racetrack. The images that follow of were provided by Bill Denver's EQUI-PHOTO.
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