Maryland Jockey Club President Tom Chuckas went on the record as saying that Laurel Park would close and racing at Pimlico Racecourse would be drastically reduced
with the green light for expanded gaming at the Arundel Mills Mall. Although, Frank Stronach has since gone on the record as saying quite the opposite.
A report by the Baltimore Sun has quoted Stronach, who holds controlling interest the Maryland Jockey Club -- and thus the two racetracks -- via MI Developments, as saying that he is hoping to strike a deal with state horsepeople and racing officials.
After a recent vote went in favour of expanded gaming at the Arundel Mills Mall, Chuckas said retraction within the state's racetrack industry would be occurring. That position prompted David Cordish, president of the Cordish Company, to say that his company would be delighted to take over the tracks and revive the racing industry in the state.
"I don't believe in making rash decisions," Stronach was quoted as saying yesterday via the Baltimore Sun article. "I'd like to sit down with the horse racing board and with the major horsemen to come up with solutions."
Stronach was also quoted as saying, "The main thing is that we keep the tracks open and more or less run reasonably the same days that we ran the last two years."
Stronach also explained the decision-making process in this instance to the Baltimore Sun.
(With files from the Baltimore Sun)
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