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Maryland Moves to Buy Laurel Park, Make It Statewide Training Hub

The move is presented as a cost-saving pivot to stabilize Maryland racing.

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Entrance to Shamrock Farm, off Woodbine Road, that is slated to be a horse training facility in Carroll County. The plan is to train and house hundreds of horses and become the new Maryland Stadium Authority Training Center. The property is 640 acres with a stallion barn, attached breeding shed, foaling barn, barren mare/sales/lay-up barn with an exerciser, yearling barn, and numerous run-in sheds in lush green pastures.
The starting gate rests on the dirt course as track personnel ready it for a turf race at Laurel Park on Nov. 20, 2021.
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Overview

  • The Maryland Stadium Authority says it has a tentative deal with The Stronach Group to acquire Laurel Park for conversion into the statewide training center.
  • The price is reported at about $50 million, with acquisition costs to be covered by project funds that may later be offset through MEDCO revenue bonds.
  • Pimlico will be rebuilt to function as a ship-in racetrack, while Laurel consolidates daily training in roughly 1,100 stalls under Maryland Jockey Club management.
  • Officials project roughly $50 million in savings, including $26.3 million from avoiding new stalls at Pimlico and $22.5 million from scaling back a large event center.
  • Laurel is set to host the 2026 Preakness before the race returns to a rebuilt Pimlico in 2027, and a task force will propose alternative uses for the now-shelved Shamrock Farm site.