Stronach Group (1ST Racing) running/ruining Maryland racing, the gift that keeps on giving... first this:

https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/267887/one-track-plan-looms-more-and-more-likely-in-maryland

then this

https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/racing-suspended-laurel-park-following-catastrophic-injury-death-of-horses/

How long has this gone on?  It's like every 2-3 years the plan changes. Keep changing plans but never do anything.

What a travesty.  The Laurel surface is unsafe and needs to be replaced.  Doh.  Let's keep racing on it. Double doh.  Sacrifice some horses and shut down.

Pimlico is literally falling down.  No worries.

Brilliant.  [sarcasm emoji]

Initial cost projection for both - 375 million USD.  Nothing done.  New cost projection - 600 million USD.   The graft must be elbow deep.

For the longest time it seemed that Stronach's plan was to let Pimlico rot until it's condemned, then they get their wish to consolidate racing at Laurel (with a plan to rebuild the grandstand to host a Breeders' Cup). Now this happens, so back to plan B, or was that C, nah, make that D...  

Like I said, the gift that keeps on giving. 

For a triple crown jewel absolutely work track I ever visited. They tore up track in 2021 and still a  mess. Actually thought Arlington had a chance of picking this up but track owners didnt like that idea.

Frank Stronach is a multi-billionaire... how?

Ah, that's where things get messy.  Frank doesn't own/run "The Stronach Group" (rebranded as "1ST Racing") anymore, his daughter Belinda does. 

Frank owns/runs the "Adena Springs" racing/breeding operations only. NOT the track operator business.

Big family feud and that's how it came out.

and given that "1ST Racing" rolled out the red carpet for the robot syndicates, that's another big reason not to give them your money...  Imagine if a casino let other people cheat but you can't, would you play there?  That's 1ST in a nutshell. 

I agree. Never cared for that guy. That's a whole part of equation in US horse racing probs. 

Oh, now it’s apparently okay again.  Move along, nothing to see here.  

Let's get it right, "that guy" (Frank) no longer owns/runs the tracks nor the betting platform.  His daughter Belinda does. Why she renamed it all "1ST" - to try to distance herself from pops...

Frank only owns/runs the horse side of it (Adena Springs).