Purchase The Preakness Spring, among other things, is the start of horse racing season. I am not a horse racing buff. I have only been to the Preakness once, though I have been to various tracks and always manage to watch the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness on television.

There is something about horse racing that captures the imagination. It is the combination of watching exquisite animals and the excitement of sport at its most basic level. A coach of mine once said racing is true sport, the rest are just games. Racing is competition in its purest form – the winner is the one that gets to the finish line first. There are no referees or umpires to affect the outcome; and no coaches that can make a difference in the last minute with a key time out or play calling. As an athlete, you have no teammates you cannot rely on.

The Preakness was a Baltimore and Maryland state treasure long before the Orioles and Ravens came along. But unlike those two teams which have beautiful stadiums to play in, Pimlico is a dump. It needs to go, but The Preakness must be preserved.

With Magna Entertainment, the owner of Pimlico, filing for Chapter 11, the Governor quickly secured passage of a bill giving the state eminent domain over The Preakness Stakes.

It now needs to take the next step. As important a symbol as The Preakness is to Baltimore and Maryland, the state should exercise eminent domain right away and take over operation of the track and The Preakness.

But the state shouldn’t stop there – it should build a new track downtown, near Camden Yards and near the Middle Branch and move the Preakness there.

Like Oriole Park, a state of the art facility could be built that is elegant and a pleasant place to be on a warm spring afternoon or summer’s night. Like the ball park, it could evoke the history of racing in Maryland. It could borrow from Saratoga with its pastoral feel and mimic Churchill Downs’ grandeur. It could be built to make smaller crowds enjoy the intimacy and the excitement of being close to the horses yet accommodate the large crowds that will come for the Preakness every year. Slots, which have had a hard time attracting interest from private investors, could be located there too. With Oriole Park and Ravens (does anyone really call it M & T Bank?) stadium, the new track would become the third jewel in Baltimore’s sporting crown.

Those in favor of a free market that keeps government out to the hands of private enterprise will yowl. Plus, they will say that horse racing is a dying sport and a certified money loser (all true).

Parents and community activists will say that the money spent on a new track would be better spent on schools (I don’t disagree).

But Camden Yards and the Ravens stadium are much more than places to watch games. They are symbols of a revitalized Baltimore and a source of pride to the community. And not insignificantly, they provide a lot of jobs in relation to the tourism and hospitality industry. It was Mayor and Governor Schaefer's vision that created those facilities. It is time to use that same boldness to save The Preakness by building a new facility.

A new track would fit that mold of public works projects that add to the City’s ambience and image. It would enhance the appeal of The Preakness which is losing its luster because Pimlico has become so seedy. And what of Pimlico? Tear it down and sell it to a developer for some other use that is more in keeping with the community where it is located.

My bet is that a new track will rekindle interest and excitement in horse racing. Where will the money come from you ask? The Preakness is a brand that has tremendous value. With that asset, we can figure it out.  10:07 AM •