Laurel Park waited 114 years for the Preakness. It may be a farewell as much as a debut

“It’s going to be a really special day,” said jockey Sheldon Russell, who will ride hometown horse Taj Mahal — trained by his wife, Brittany Russell — at the couple’s longtime home track. “It’s kind of sad because they’re going to get this moment in the spotlight on their way out.”

Founded in 1911, Laurel is the latest of many storied racetracks to close in recent decades as attendance dwindles and gambling increasingly moves online. To the people who still spend their days there, the loss goes beyond the betting window.

“The actual event is what we have,” said longtime Maryland trainer Ferris Allen. “The gambling dollar can be put into a slot machine, put on a roulette wheel. It can be put on a crap table. But the pageantry and the majesty of the race horse, you can’t get that out of a casino.”

The people who stayed

Laurel has served as everything from a World War I military camp to a stop for rock legends like Led Zeppelin. Its signature races, including the Washington International and Laurel Futurity, once drew celebrities such as Elizabeth Taylor. It’s a rich history the Laurel Historical Society is using to highlight with an exhibit this month.

Bob DiPietro remembers what it looked like growing up.

“You would go to Laurel on a Saturday and find thousands of people,” said DiPietro, who served as Laurel’s mayor from 1978 to 1986. “Men were in suits. Women were dressed to the nines. And you went there to have a great time from 12 o’clock to 6 o’clock.”

Things look different now. On many race days, only a couple hundred people scatter across the track's apron while much of the grandstand sits empty. Sections of seats have been ripped out and never replaced. The venue's age shows throughout, exemplified by the press box elevator, which still uses an old handle switch instead of up-and-down buttons.

Yet beneath the worn exterior remains a version of the track’s old spirit — a place where admission costs nothing. Retirees study racing forms beside construction workers still in boots. Conversations bounce between English and Spanish. Some patrons arrive in suits, others in stained work shirts. Regulars greet bartenders by their first names before running to betting windows with high hopes.

“A lot of people don’t realize how interesting horse racing is,” said Danny Dambrauskas, a 77-year-old Laurel resident who first came to the track in the 1960s to sell newspapers as a teenager. “If you can go out here on a beautiful day and watch horses race, it’s terrific. Just terrific.”

For some, the loss will extend to the track itself. Allen, who has racked up more than 2,300 wins in his career, said many in the industry lament the loss of a beautiful grass course.

Allen has based his operation at Laurel since 1979. He came to the track as a child, taking a bus from Richmond, Virginia, with his family to attend the famed Washington International. Over the years, he watched Secretariat race there and trained alongside Hall of Famers including Spectacular Bid and trainer Bud Delp.

“I’ve seen many, many people and horses come and go,” he said. “The memories of watching that stuff as it happened and watching those guys day in and day out was really special to me."

Allen will have several horses racing throughout Preakness weekend. He doesn't look at it as a final farewell, saying some are still hopeful Laurel's fate will change.

“Never say never,” Allen said. “I understand that’s the plan for it to be closed. But sometimes these plans change.”

An uncertain future

Pimlico Race Course, the traditional home of the Preakness, is undergoing a $400 million redevelopment after Maryland took ownership of the track in 2024. Under the state’s plan, thoroughbred racing would eventually consolidate at Pimlico while Laurel Park is converted into a training facility.

The state’s $48.5 million acquisition was delayed earlier this week after a legislative committee requested a cost-benefit analysis and 45-day review period. Laurel had previously been slated for demolition.

“I get the history of horse racing, but at some point, you know, we have to get to it sink or swim,” state Treasurer Dereck Davis said at a hearing last week. “Can it survive? We can’t keep pouring massive amounts of dollars into this industry, just for the third weekend in May.”

The uncertainty surrounding Laurel comes as horse racing continues to contract nationally. Since 2000, 28 thoroughbred racing tracks have closed across the country, according to data compiled by the Keeneland Library. Freehold Raceway, the nation's oldest horse racing track, closed in 2024. Aqueduct Racetrack in New York is slated to close later this summer after more than 130 years, with newly renovated Belmont Park set to reopen.

Experts point to a range of pressures, from the rise of online gambling to scrutiny over horse deaths and treatment.

Yet the sport still shows flashes of strength. This year’s Kentucky Derby drew a record 19.6 million television viewers, while more than 150,000 attended in person.

“There’s a contraction that has been taking place, and it’s quite painful to a whole lot of people,” Allen said. “But this sport’s not going anywhere.”

A hometown ending

This year’s Preakness arrives with a strange mix of excitement and limitation.

Attendance has been capped at 4,800, a steep drop from the more than 46,000 people who attended the Saturday of Preakness weekend last year at Pimlico. Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo also will not run, eliminating any chance for a Triple Crown winner this year.

Still, for those able to attend Laurel’s first Preakness since the race began in 1873, the atmosphere remains special.

"I wouldn’t miss it,” said Fred Ball, who has been coming to Laurel since the 1990s. “I'm still excited.”

There is also the possibility of a storybook ending for the track itself.

Brittany Russell, whose first win came at Laurel and has a barn at the track, will have her first horse in the Preakness as she tries to become the first female trainer to win the race. The horse, Taj Mahal, has won all three of his races at Laurel.

“Laurel’s kind of given us everything. It’s gotten my business and my career going, and the fact that my first Preakness runner is going to be here the year it is, it’s pretty cool,” Russell said.

Added her husband ahead of his ride this weekend: “I’d be very surprised if anyone leaves and has anything bad to say about Laurel.”

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AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno in New York contributed to this report.

AP horse racing: https://apnews.com/hub/horse-racing