Preakness Stakes May Move To Laurel, Bowie: Report

LAUREL, MD -- Could one of the three legs of the Triple Crown end up right here in Prince George's County? It's possible, according to a report.

WAMU reports the Stronach Group, which owns Baltimore's Pimlico Race Track, where the Preakness Stakes are held, wants to consolidate its racing facilities in Laurel and Bowie and hold the horse race there.

For that to happen, the law would need to be changed, as currently Maryland statute stipulates that the Preakness must remain in Baltimore except in cases of "disaster or emergency."

And Baltimore won't let the Preakness go without a fight. Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh has sued the Stronarch Group for diverting public money to the Laurel Race Track and the Bowie Training Facility, according to the report.

Stronarch Group has invested around $14.3 million in state funds to the Laurel track since 2015, and just $1.4 million to Pimlico.

The Preakness Stakes is the second of three legs of the Triple Crown, the most prestigious horse race competition in the United States. The first leg is the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, Ky., and the third leg is the Belmont Stakes in Elmont, N.Y.

This year's Preakness Stakes will be held on Saturday, May 18. Tickets to the 144th Preakness Stakes and Black-Eyed Susan Day are available now at www.preakness.com. Tickets range from $40 to $720 per person, including multi-day tickets, trackside views from the grandstand and apron and elevated race-day luxury in the Preakness Village.

MAIN PHOTO: BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 19: Justify #7 ridden by jockey Mike Smith holds off Tenfold #6 ridden by jockey by Ricardo Santana Jr., and other horses to win the 143rd running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course on May 19, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)