by Kimber Goodwin

I can’t believe it’s almost time to say goodbye to an old friend. A friend that has been in my life for almost 40 years. It’s funny to think of a building or structure as a friend. But a friend is someone who is there, who is constant, who shares a lot of good times, even some struggles, but they are never changing.

I walked into Pimlico in the fall of 1989, my first job out of college, and something about it touched my soul. She was already a little rundown and tired, but I loved her instantly. I think about all the history that building has watched over. All the horses, all the people and the characters. Many of them are now gone. Their memory still lingers for me when I walk through the grandstand or through the old parts of the building that are only used one day a year.

Soon all of these memories and all of the history will be left in dust and rubble. Never again will be infield reverberate with bands, music (and sometimes debauchery) and people going through their rights of passage as young adults. The laughter and the music and the infamy that was the infield for decades will be only memories. A new version will be rebuilt but it will never be the same. Especially not for those of us that love her just the way she is.

The hallowed halls of the old board structure that has stood for decades will no longer echo with the footsteps of the generations of fans. A racetrack isn’t just a building. It’s a place where family memories are created and shared, where your coworkers become your racetrack family. Everywhere I walk inside of that building brings back a memory of some kind, some experience or some person. The very early mornings of listening to the peaceful hoofbeats on the racetrack when the fog had rolled in and the horses appeared magical as they galloped through it were some of my favorite times. I was working late one night in the infield when I turned around and saw the building all lit up. I can still remember how it beautiful it looked, her flaws disguised by the waning light and how I felt in that moment. I’ll be heartbroken the day the structure is demolished. I might, as we say in the south, have to “take to my bed” for a few days afterwards.

I will be there for the last Preakness to be run at the facility as it stands now. I will be there to honor her legacy and to create one last set of good memories and to say goodbye to my old friend.

~ Kimber started the Sunrise at Old Hilltop tours in 1991

What is Happening to the famed Pimlico Race Course?

by Rich Nilsen

The Maryland Board of Public Works approved a $14.3 million contract to begin demolition and reconstruction of Pimlico Race Course shortly after the 150th Preakness Stakes. Demolition is set to start in June 2025, marking the end of the current facility’s operations. The new facility is expected to be completed by 2027, with the Preakness returning to a redeveloped Pimlico that year.

The plan, known as “Pimlico Plus,” includes a modernized racetrack, a 5,000-seat grandstand, a 1,000-seat event space, a hotel, a sportsbook, restaurants, a reworked infield for festivals, and a 2,000-space parking garage. The new clubhouse will draw architectural inspiration from Baltimore landmarks like the Rawlings Conservatory and the original Pimlico clubhouse.

In May 2024, the state finalized the transfer of Pimlico’s ownership from The Stronach Group to the State of Maryland, ensuring the Preakness remains in Baltimore. This followed years of debate over the racetrack’s future.