An abrupt shift in state policy has Maryland horsemen scratching their heads and worrying – yet again – about the future of their industry.

House and Senate negotiators working to hammer out an agreement on Maryland’s budget unexpectedly agreed Friday to eliminate the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority (MTROA) two years earlier than its originating legislation had specified.

The decision first was reported by The Daily Record.

The budget must pass by the session’s end Monday.

Legislative leaders characterized it as a decision likely to lead to better outcomes and not one which signifies any change in the state’s commitment to the Thoroughbred industry.

The Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (MTHA) said in a statement that the Pimlico Plus plan crafted and overseen by the MTROA “remains fully on track.” That plan calls for the closure of Laurel Park, the creation of a training center, and the consolidation of all racing and much training at a revitalized Pimlico Race Course.

The nonprofit Maryland Jockey Club (TMJC) created by the MTROA to operate day-to-day racing also remains intact, although that organization has no board of directors. The MTROA’s failure to date to name a board of directors for TMJC has stirred frustration among some in the Thoroughbred industry.

The budget submitted to the General Assembly by Gov. Wes Moore (D) requested approximately $3.5 million in funding for the MTROA. That will now be zeroed out.

Of more import, the MTROA was charged with overseeing the Pimlico Plus plan, which calls for up to $400 million in state bonds to be floated to finance the creation of the new training center, slated to be at the Shamrock Farm property in Woodbine, and the construction of a new Pimlico to replace the current tumbledown facility.

Instead, the Pimlico Plus plan will be overseen by the Maryland Stadium Authority – the public entity best known for building Oriole Park at Camden Yards and the Ravens’ M & T Bank Stadium – and the Maryland Economic Development Corporation (MEDCO), whose ambit is “to assist in the expansion, modernization, and retention of existing Maryland business, and to attract new business to the State.”

In theory, the plan will see demolition begin on the existing Pimlico facilities following the Preakness May 18. The Preakness is expected to take place at Laurel Park in 2026 and then return to Pimlico for the 2027 edition.

The legislation to effectuate the Pimlico Plus plan, which passed in the 2024 session, nearly went off the rails itself, with Senate President Bill Ferguson calling the bill a “hot potato” after Senators reluctantly approved it.

The MTROA leadership is a board chaired by Greg Cross, a partner with the Venable law firm. His leadership stirred some exasperation in the racing community, which at times felt they were left in the dark.

Legislative leaders, it seems, may have felt the same way.

“We just wanted some more oversight to be able to understand and know what’s going on in real time, which wasn’t happening,” said Del. Vanessa Atterbeary, a Democrat representing Howard County and the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee.

Sen. Guy Guzzone, another Howard County Democrat, who is chair of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, told The Baltimore Banner, “There is a belief that we will get a lot better results and more accomplished by shifting some of the authority to some known entities, and that’s what we’re doing,”

But Cross told The Banner that the timing was right because the MTROA had “almost totally completed” the tasks it had to accomplish.

The MTHA struck an optimistic tone.

“The MTHA looks forward to working closely with MEDCO and as a partner with The Maryland Jockey Club as the industry transitions to a new, state-of-the-art Pimlico facility and a world-class training center at Shamrock Farm,” the group said in a statement.