Pimlico Race Course

Pimlico Race Course
Pimlico in May 2022
Interactive map of Pimlico Race Course
Location5201 Park Heights Avenue
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Owned byMaryland Jockey Club (Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority)
Date opened1870 (1870)
Screened onNBC (Preakness Stakes)
Course typeFlat
Notable racesPreakness Stakes (G1)
Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2)
Dinner Party Stakes (G3)
Pimlico Special (G3)
James W. Murphy Stakes
Live racing handleIncrease $181,000,000 (2014)
AttendanceIncrease 351,146 (2014)
Official website

Pimlico Race Course is a thoroughbred-horse race-track in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, which hosts the Preakness Stakes (the second leg of the Triple Crown). Its name originated in the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Olde Ben Pimlico's Tavern in London. The racetrack is nicknamed "Old Hilltop" after a small rise in the infield that became a favorite gathering place for thoroughbred trainers and race enthusiasts.

Pimlico was owned by the Stronach Group from 2011 until 2024, when ownership transferred to the state-run Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority (MTROA). Pimlico closed for renovations in September 2024, with all of Pimlico's racing-dates except for the 2025 Preakness Stakes transferred to Laurel Park until completion of the project.