The Rickman family has announced that they are planning a Las Vegas style development and hotel at Delaware Park. This new development coupled with the 2000 new slot machines that are open 24 hours a day will continue to boost purses at an already popular track.
The state of Maryland failed for the four consecutive year to pass a bill legalizing slots or VLT's. Unfortunately, our bordering states (Pennsylvania, Delaware, W. Virginia) all have legalized gaming. Delaware Park was once a dump. Now they have slots, bigger purses, and a Las Vegas style development. Pennsylvania slot machines will not be operational until October, and they have already started to knock down Penn National to build a $250 million dollar venue. Closer to Baltimore is Philly Park, they are building a $350 million dollar racetrack, hotel, and casino. Maryland has missed the boat on gaming, and it is starting to show.
The spring/summer meet begins a Pimlico today. This meet always had five days of racing per week. Now they have cut it to four days, to help increase the purses. Many of the Maryland trainers have taken stalls up north in Delaware, so they can run horses 7 days a week. Not only are the trainers moving to Delaware and Pennsylvania, but the top jockeys are too. Maryland's top jockey Rosie Napravnik, will ride at Pimlico for 4 days, and at Delaware Park the additional 3 days. It is just a matter of time until Maryland racing will completely fall. We have even heard ramblings that Magna Entertainment is trying to move the preakness to Gulfstream Park. Nobody thought the Colts would leave Baltimore, probably the same people that think Preakness is owned by Maryland!
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2 comments:
The Preakness at Gulfstream - that's a hoot. I wonder how much the 900 available seats would go for that day.
This is an old post but I'll comment anyway. On the moving of the Preakness, I would say Santa Anita should be the track that gets it, giving everyone in America a taste of the Triple Crown. That goes without saying that Polytrack is headed to California which would ruin that idea.
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