LAUREL, Md. (AP) 鈥� The crowds that once packed dressed in their best to watch champions like Secretariat and Seabiscuit have long since disappeared. For one final weekend, they are coming back.
Grandstands that typically sit empty will again fill with patrons in tailored suits, flowing dresses and stylish hats as Laurel Park hosts the on Saturday, the second leg of Triple Crown. It will be the first time the track has hosted the race and is a final chapter of sorts, with racing expected to end next year before the property is converted into a training facility.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a really special day,鈥� said jockey Sheldon Russell, who will ride hometown horse Taj Mahal 鈥� trained by his wife, Brittany Russell 鈥� at the couple鈥檚 longtime home track. 鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of sad because they鈥檙e going to get this moment in the spotlight on their way out.鈥�
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.
鈥淭he actual event is what we have,鈥� said longtime Maryland trainer Ferris Allen. 鈥淭he 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鈥檛 get that out of a casino.鈥�
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鈥檚 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.
鈥淵ou would go to Laurel on a Saturday and find thousands of people,鈥� said DiPietro, who served as Laurel鈥檚 mayor from 1978 to 1986. 鈥淢en were in suits. Women were dressed to the nines. And you went there to have a great time from 12 o鈥檆lock to 6 o鈥檆lock.鈥�
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鈥檚 old spirit 鈥� 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.
鈥淎 lot of people don鈥檛 realize how interesting horse racing is,鈥� said Danny Dambrauskas, a 77-year-old Laurel resident who first came to the track in the 1960s to sell newspapers as a teenager. 鈥淚f you can go out here on a beautiful day and watch horses race, it鈥檚 terrific. Just terrific.鈥�
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.
鈥淚鈥檝e seen many, many people and horses come and go,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he 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.
鈥淣ever say never,鈥� Allen said. 鈥淚 understand that鈥檚 the plan for it to be closed. But sometimes these plans change.鈥�
An uncertain future
Pimlico Race Course, the traditional home of the Preakness, is undergoing after Maryland took ownership of the track in 2024. Under the state鈥檚 plan, thoroughbred racing would eventually consolidate at Pimlico while Laurel Park is converted into a training facility.
The state鈥檚 $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.
鈥淚 get the history of horse racing, but at some point, you know, we have to get to it sink or swim,鈥� state Treasurer Dereck Davis said at a hearing last week. 鈥淐an it survive? We can鈥檛 keep pouring massive amounts of dollars into this industry, just for the third weekend in May.鈥�
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 racing track, closed in 2024. Aqueduct Racetrack in New York is slated to close later this summer after more than 130 years, with Belmont Park set to reopen.
Experts point to a range of pressures, from the rise of online gambling to scrutiny over and treatment.
Yet the sport still shows flashes of strength. This year鈥檚 Kentucky Derby 19.6 million television viewers, while attended in person.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a contraction that has been taking place, and it鈥檚 quite painful to a whole lot of people,鈥� Allen said. 鈥淏ut this sport鈥檚 not going anywhere.鈥�
A hometown ending
This year鈥檚 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 , eliminating any chance for a Triple Crown winner this year.
Still, for those able to attend Laurel鈥檚 first Preakness since the race began in 1873, the atmosphere remains special.
“I wouldn鈥檛 miss it,鈥� said Fred Ball, who has been coming to Laurel since the 1990s. 鈥淚’m still excited.鈥�
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.
鈥淟aurel鈥檚 kind of given us everything. It鈥檚 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鈥檚 pretty cool,鈥� Russell said.
Added her husband ahead of his ride this weekend: 鈥淚鈥檇 be very surprised if anyone leaves and has anything bad to say about Laurel.鈥�
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AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno in New York contributed to this report.
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