Maryland leader pushes plan to keep Preakness Stakes in state

Maryland’s decision to match Churchill Downs Inc.’s $85 million offer kept the Preakness Stakes tied to the state, and Mark Anthony Thomas has emerged as one of the central civic figures pushing that outcome into a durable plan. Thomas, the president and CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee, has helped connect business leaders, political officials and racing stakeholders around a Maryland-led future for the race as the state tries to hold onto one of Thoroughbred racing’s most visible brands.

The move matters because the Preakness is more than a single day at the track. State leaders have framed it as a cornerstone of Maryland’s history, culture and economy, and the ownership battle turned that symbolism into a hard business question. Without Maryland’s buyback, Churchill Downs would have controlled the first two legs of the Triple Crown beginning in 2027, a shift that would have moved a major piece of racing power away from Baltimore and toward Kentucky.

Thomas has been one of the people translating that emotional case into a practical one that state officials could support. “Ownership ensures that the decisions shaping the future of the Preakness are made in the interest of Maryland and that the equine industry,” Thomas said. That argument has resonated beyond the race itself, because the state has tied the deal to jobs, Maryland farms, the Park Heights Renaissance effort and the broader equine economy.

The timing also lines up with a major reset on the ground. The 151st Preakness Stakes ran at Laurel Park on May 16, 2026, while Pimlico Race Course is being redeveloped for the race’s return in 2027. Maryland’s plan calls for Pimlico to become the permanent home of state horse racing and to host about 120 racing days a year once the rebuild is complete. That means the intellectual-property fight was never just about a logo or a name; it was about where the race is run, how the weekend is packaged and what kind of infrastructure will support it.

The new Maryland Jockey Club is set to retain complete control, rights and benefits of Preakness weekend, a structure that state and racing officials believe will be crucial as Maryland tries to keep the event viable on the Triple Crown calendar. Thomas’s role, as the first Black president and CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee, gives the effort added weight in a city where the race, the redevelopment and the business case for keeping the Preakness in Maryland are now bound together.