In 2024 North American racing participants and fans finally could see a near future in which the homes of its three Triple Crown events would match the stature of the three races.
It's the industry news story that figures to make the biggest impact in the years ahead as the 2027 Triple Crown season could see a Churchill Downs track with even more new seating, a Belmont Park with a new grandstand, and, at long last, a Pimlico Race Course with a much-needed overhaul. These tracks of course are the respective homes of the Kentucky Derby (G1), Belmont Stakes (G1), and Preakness Stakes (G1).
Among the three tracks, Churchill Downs in recent years has led the way in this regard. In 2024 it unveiled a spectacular new paddock that beckoned fans and capped a three-year project that has reshaped the experience of arriving at the Louisville, Ky., track on Kentucky Derby day–or week. With that considerable project completed in time for the 150th Kentucky Derby, owner Churchill Downs Inc. promptly announced further plans for the years ahead.
In October, CDI executives outlined renovations targeted for the seating areas past the finish line over the next three or four years.
"These projects will replace over 10,000 existing seats that currently consist of uncovered box seats and dated dining areas with approximately 16,000 seats representing a variety of premium hospitality experiences," said CDI CEO Bill Carstanjen. "This is a considerable undertaking and will meaningfully increase the number of reserved seats and experiential options at various price points on the front side of the racetrack."
Such projects are nothing new for Churchill, which has used upgraded seating options to significantly add to the profits of Kentucky Derby week.
The New York Racing Association has fully launched a $455 million reconstruction of Belmont Park where, because of the massive construction project, racing didn't take place this year. When completed it will include a new grandstand and clubhouse, new amenities, added infield access, and an all-weather track to facilitate winter racing. Scheduled for completion in September 2026, the aim is to provide a facility with a park-like feel on most race days that has the versatility to ramp up for the big crowds of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.
Accordingly, NYRA will replace the existing 1.25 million-square-foot structure with a roughly 275,000-square-foot building featuring the modern amenities and hospitality offerings today's sports fans expect. The new Belmont Park also will feature significant upgrades to the backstretch.
The multi-year project will generate $1 billion in construction-related economic impact and create 3,700 construction-related jobs. Going forward, racing and non-racing activities at the new venue are expected to generate $155 million in annual economic output and produce $10 million in new state and local tax revenue per year.
"The transformation of Belmont Park will secure the future of Thoroughbred racing in New York State, create thousands of jobs, and drive tourism to Long Island and the region for decades to come," said NYRA president and CEO David O'Rourke. "NYRA is committed to building a world-class destination that will set the global standard for a racing facility, and we thank Gov. (Kathy) Hochul for the opportunity to completely reimagine Belmont."
With racing shut down during the construction years, the 2024 Belmont Stakes was conducted at Saratoga Race Course, where it was warmly received. The June 8 card saw all-sources handle of $125,748,941, a record for Belmont Stakes day in a non-Triple Crown year.
"There was such a great excitement level. There's something special here at Saratoga because of the fans. They are core fans," O'Rourke said. "The Belmont belongs downstate but to bring the race to this fan base and to have them bring the energy they did to the event; that was really something great. I was in the winner's circle for the Belmont and I never felt energy like that before."
The Belmont Stakes again will be contested at Saratoga in 2025 before returning to Belmont Park in June 2026 or June 2027. If it's the latter date, Saratoga would host the Belmont Stakes a third straight year in 2026. NYRA would like to host the Breeders' Cup World Championships in November 2026.
In Maryland, at long last, a plan is moving forward to keep the Preakness in Baltimore and make that facility central to Maryland racing. Pimlico had the biggest need for an overhaul of perhaps any host of a major sporting event in North America. In recent years, part of its grandstand actually was condemned. After years of chatter, discussion, and even artist's renderings but no shovels turning dirt, this plan has legs as an ownership transfer already has occurred.
When the Pimlico renovations are completed, the Baltimore track will become the home of Maryland racing as Laurel Park is closed. As part of the transfer of racing from previous Maryland Jockey Club owner The Stronach Group (1/ST Racing) to the state that took place July 1, TSG will be given ownership of the Laurel Park land, which will be redeveloped.
In the spring, lawmakers approved up to $400 million in bonds to support the project that will see Pimlico revitalized and land acquired for a training center. Plans call for the new Pimlico to be ready for the Preakness Stakes in May 2027, with one edition of the classic being conducted at Laurel in 2026 to allow for construction in Baltimore.
"It's a very unique opportunity to kind of reimagine the sport and start over again. In addition to all of the other problems racing has, our facilities are not competitive in today's marketplace," said Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association general counsel Alan Foreman in August, noting facility success stories in Maryland such as the home of the Baltimore Orioles, Camden Yards. "This is a city and a state known for incorporating new facilities to a new generation of fans and incorporating it into the community. We have a rare opportunity in Maryland."
Three modern venues would figure to be an attractive update to the tradition of the Triple Crown.
"This is our moment," said Todd Gralla of global architectural company Populous, which has been at the forefront of new sporting venues, while speaking at The Jockey Club Round Table on Matters Pertaining to Racing. "We need to take the reins and urge this renaissance in racing ahead. We have people across the industry with the ambition and vision to reimagine how people experience horse racing and
engage more people in this sport."
California's Future
While the new facilities provide a foundation for racing's Triple Crown events, the future of California racing continues to be uncertain with the latest concerns raised by the closing of Golden Gate Fields in June. Golden Gate owner The Stronach Group said it hoped the closing would invigorate racing in Southern California, where it owns Santa Anita Park.
TSG said it will focus on transitioning horses from Northern California to Southern California with the goal of increasing field sizes and adding another day of racing to the weekly racing calendar at Santa Anita, come January 2025. The track owner said the consolidation will provide expanded content opportunities, wagering prospects, and will serve to further elevate the overall customer experience at Santa Anita.
But not all parties were on board. When TSG announced its decision, California Thoroughbred Trainers' executive director Alan Balch said his group has great concerns about the consolidation plan.
"The ramifications of this Stronach decision will be far-reaching and long-lasting," Balch said when Santa Anita outlined its plans to close Golden Gate. "They will include, we believe, a great many unintended and mainly detrimental consequences for all of racing and Thoroughbred breeding throughout California and the West, including in Southern California. We can only hope that we are entirely wrong."
With industry players looking for the best path forward, in September the California Horse Racing Board granted Golden State Racing a conditional license to host race dates at Pleasanton (at the Alameda County Fairgrounds), 26 race dates from Oct. 19-Dec. 15. In a Nov. 15 press release, GSR executive director Larry Swartzlander said the dates have provided a chance to show a path forward for Northern California racing. He said there's a new optimism.
"People have a look on their face that we will be here tomorrow," Swartzlander said. But in December Golden State Racing announced that it would not pursue winter-spring race dates at Pleasanton.
The loss of Golden Gate is significant. As BloodHorse senior columnist Jay Hovdey noted, Golden Gate, which had been in continuous operation since 1946, is the fourth California racetrack to be closed since the summer of 2008. That is when Bay Meadows ended its run of 74 years, followed in December 2013 by Hollywood Park after 75 years of operation. Los Angeles County Fair racing at Fairplex Park pulled the plug the following year, 92 years after the first races were run there.
The main problem in California, of course, is that unlike many other racing states, California tracks and purses do not benefit from added gaming. The uncertain times for one of the industry's most important states are a concern. In talking in October about an ownership partnership that supports California racing, Airdrie Stud president Bret Jones noted its importance.
"You just hope that everyone in our industry recognizes the importance of California racing. California racing not only deserves to flourish, but it has to flourish. It is so important in our ecosystem," Jones said. "Kentuckians are manufacturers. Kentucky breeders are manufacturers. And if we don't have that big base—especially a base as important as California—to sell our horses to, then it could be catastrophic for our market."
Improving Safety Stats
Racing continues to see positive trends in equine safety. In 2024 the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, which began fully in May 2023 with the launch of its anti-doping and medication control oversight, reported progress in the area of equine safety.
Based on numbers released in 2024 from The Jockey Club's Equine Injury Database, tracks under HISA's oversight enjoyed the safest season in the 15 years that catastrophic injuries have been tracked. In 2023, tracks within HISA's jurisdiction saw just 1.23 equine fatalities per 1,000 starts, better than the 2022 record EID safety performance of 1.25 for all U.S. tracks.
Those strides occurred despite tracks that remain under state oversight seeing a 32.5% higher rate at 1.63 when compared with tracks under HISA.
"HISA's most important goal is driving down equine fatalities," said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. "We undoubtedly have significant work ahead of us, but I am pleased to see the rate is trending in the right direction. The reduction in the rate of equine fatalities at tracks under our jurisdiction demonstrates that setting high standards for racetrack safety and anti-doping and medication control across the country makes Thoroughbred racing safer."
Of course those numbers serve as reminder that not all tracks are under HISA standards. Tracks in states such as Louisiana and West Virginia continue to operate under state oversight thanks to a court injunction while Texas tracks are not subject to HISA oversight because they're not exporting their racing signals.
Louisiana briefly served up a reminder of one of the pitfalls of the state-to-state approach in the spring when the Louisiana Racing Commission voted to further relax restrictions on clenbuterol and methylprednisolone. After backlash from racing participants and state lawmakers, the LRC rescinded those changes before their scheduled launch and returned to previous standards on those substances.
In court, HISA constitutionality cases continued in 2024. While two Courts of Appeal have found HISA facially constitutional in its rule-making authority, they split on its enforcement powers. As BloodHorse legal writer Dick Downey noted, the divergence in decisions by federal appellate courts about the constitutionality of HISA boils down to one point--whether the legislation creating HISA unlawfully delegates enforcement powers ordinarily reserved to the government.
In October the United States Supreme Court decided to keep the status quo in place while it considers applications to review the legality of HISA.
Baffert Returns to Churchill
While that litigation continues, one long-running case came to an end. Trainer Bob Baffert returned to good standing with Churchill Downs Inc. In January owner Amr Zedan and six-time Derby-winning trainer Baffert agreed to fully dismiss their Kentucky circuit court
appeal of the disqualification of Medina Spirit's win in the 2021 Kentucky Derby.
In April, Zedan Racing Stables unsuccessfully sought an injunction to race Baffert-trained Muth in the 2024 Derby. In July, Churchill Downs Inc. announced that its ban of Baffert and the horses he trains from its racetracks would be immediately rescinded. That ban had been in place since a few weeks after the 2021 Derby.
"We are satisfied that Mr. Baffert has taken responsibility for his actions, completed a substantial penalty, and is committed to running in full compliance with the rules and regulations going forward," Carstanjen said. "All parties agree that it is time to bring this chapter to a close and focus on the future."
In a statement posted to social media, Baffert accepted responsibility for Medina Spirit's failed post-race drug test. Baffert saddled a horse at Churchill Downs Nov. 27, when high-priced juvenile Barnes won his debut in a maiden special weight race.
