Pimlico Race Course - Home of Preakness Stakes Betting

Date Built: 1875
Capacity: 48,500
Track(s) One mile
Dirt Course:1 mile loam oval
Length:Six-furlong and 1 1/4 mile chutes
Width:70 feet
Turf Course:7/8 of a mile inside main track
Turf: Mixture of 50% common rye, 25% Kentucky Blue, and 25% Kentucky 31 fescue
Capacity: 14,852
Preakness Capacity: 93,784

Historic Pimlico Race Course, home of the Preakness Stakes, first opened its doors on October 25, 1870, making it the second oldest racetrack in the nation behind Saratoga. It is also one of the biggest locations for horse betting in America.

Pimlico Race Course is constructed on 70 acres west of the Jones Falls, Maryland. The Maryland Jockey Club purchased the land for $23,500 and built the racetrack for $25,000.

“Pimlico” was the name given the area by English settlers in Colonial times, although the “Pemblicoe” spelling appeared on the original settlement charter granted to a group of Englishmen in 1669. The colonists hailed from an area near London, and harbored memories of a famous landmark “Olde Ben Pimlico’s Tavern.”

En route to becoming a true national treasure, Pimlico has earned its patina of age, weathering small and major wars, recessions, depressions, fires, storms and the simple passage of time.

In 1904, racing at Pimlico ignited unprecedented recognition and interest; Pimlico today welcomes race goers arriving by car, limousine, and even helicopter, as graciously as those who visited when “Old Hilltop” was reached primarily by horse-drawn vehicle, over 130 years ago.

Pimlico has played host to racing icons for over a century, where Baltimoreans have seen the likes of legendary horses such as Man o’ War, Sir Barton, Seabiscuit, War Admiral, Citation, Secretariat and Cigar thunder down the stretch in thrilling and memorable competition.