Celebrating the final moments at a dilapidated venue that they helped push from a years-long redevelopment rut to a $400 million reimagining of Maryland's premier horse racing attraction, Maryland politicians showed out Saturday for an annual mix of politicking and sporting at the 150th Preakness Stakes.
"People are excited about what the future is going to hold," Gov. Wes Moore said inside the track at Pimlico Race Course about an hour before the main event.
"The state has made a historic investment in ensuring that we can not just have a future for Pimlico, but a prosperous future for Park Heights as well. And now we just make sure we execute," Moore said.
Moore and other Maryland officials who've supported the state's nearly shovel-ready plan to tear down Pimlico and rebuild it were among the spectators who made the annual pilgrimage to the storied site's "inner circle" Saturday.
Hundreds of guests filtered in and out of adjoining tents hosted by the Maryland Department of Commerce and the Democratic Governors Association -- one being a gathering sponsored by taxpayers to the tune of roughly $200,000 every year, and the other was a fundraiser for the national group looking to elect governors like Moore.
Officials say the state tent -- like the redevelopment plans -- is an economic development tool to entice more investments in the state.
Catered with hors d'oeuvres and cocktails, the tents are usually adjacent to each other with a clear view of the finish line -- though this year they were in a different location nearby the exclusive chalet, where Aston Martin cars sat on display in the grass and VIPs sipped champagne and cocktails in Adirondack chairs and on a deck overlooking the Winner's Circle.
The new spot inside the "inner circle" also meant a less direct view of the finish line, making Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, Comptroller Brooke Lierman and others exit in order to view the twice-hourly races up close before returning.
Other officials who stopped by included U.S. Rep. Johnny Olszewski Jr., Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman and several state lawmakers. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott -- moving with a large crowd -- stopped to take multiple selfies along the way in the same spot that Baltimore native and NBA hall-of-famer Carmelo Anthony did the same a few hours later.
"It's another day where Baltimore and Maryland [are] highlighted, not just locally, but nationally," Olszewski said. "It's just really exciting to see so many people taking in the day, celebrating another great Baltimore tradition."
Like everything else at Preakness, the taxpayer-sponsored tent will move to Laurel Park next year before returning to a renovated Pimlico in 2027.
The $500 million project, set to begin next month, is a long-delayed milestone. It lagged for years as costs rose and interest in lifting up the industry with taxpayer money wavered.
After state lawmakers initially approved $375 million in bonds to remake both Pimlico and Laurel Park in 2020, the plans were stalled for three years until 2023, when the state created a new Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority to figure out the next steps. One year later, a revised plan approved by Moore and the Maryland General Assembly authorized $400 million in bonds to redevelop just Pimlico, establish a new training facility and invest in the Park Heights community.
Moore and others said at the time that it was essential to save an industry that was a major attraction to the state and invest in Park Heights.
After a 2025 legislative session in which officials were forced to resolve a $3.3 billion deficit, the investment in horse racing, which will be paid out over decades, will still require work to ensure a return on investment, Moore said Saturday.
"We know how much work we have ahead of us," he said. "We know that this is not going to be a simple endeavor. We're doing something that hasn't been done before. We're investing in not just an industry. We're investing in neighborhoods. We're investing in communities. This is not easy work, but it's why we're so focused on making sure that we get it right."
Olszewski, who represents parts of Baltimore City and Baltimore and Carroll counties, also said it will still take careful guidance to ensure the project is worth the effort.
"I don't think anything in a vacuum generates success. It has to be the work here, plus the broader work in the community -- the housing work, the economic development, the workforce," Olszewski said. "If we do our job over the next several years as this site is being lifted up, then it will be a major positive impact for the area."
The state will be newly on the hook for horse racing's success in more ways than just rebuilding the racetrack.
As part of the deal struck last year, the longtime private operator of racing in the state, The Stronach Group, transferred that work to a new state-created nonprofit called the Maryland Jockey Club.
The authority established two years ago was shut down ahead of schedule, with lawmakers approving the end of that group during their session this year. The Maryland Stadium Authority, which is handling construction at Pimlico, took over more responsibility and said it would audit the authority's expenses.
As for the race itself, Moore, donning a checkered light gray jacket and fedora, said about an hour before the race that he was going for American Promise. Olszewski said he was going for the favorite -- and eventual winner -- Journalism.
"Not having the winner of the [Kentucky Derby] come makes it a lot easier to make that prediction," Olszewski said. "But who's not rooting for journalism these days?"