But it is losing its lustre. It will go up against the final round of the PGA and even the Indy 500 in selected years. Also with the TCS, Wes Moore is making a dangerous gambit to not join the TCS.
Laurel put on an excellent show this year hosting the Preakness and the numbers were reflective in handle and TV viewership despite not having a Kentucky Derby winner. The field was deeper and better for the handicapper. Maryland put their eggs in Baltimore/Pimlico and by purchasing the intellectual property right of the Preakness name from the Stronach Group, that upstaged Churchill who made a similar offer.
Churchill last week mentioned the possibility of selling many of its properties including Presque Isle and some casinos. It killed Arlington among other tracks over the recent years and similarly Calder (no longer a horse track but an active casino with Jai Alai) in Miami; but even that is potentially up for sale as of last’s week announcement.
The Black-Eyed Susan card will now be run on Saturday.
The traditional Triple Crown could still be viable based on the news today but that would mean an owner would likely skip any competing race between the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes which could hurt the opportunity to get the $5 million bonus proposed yesterday depending on the schedule of the 6-race slate.