Racing: Preakness to stay at Pimlico

A deal among state horse racing leaders, track owners, breeders and state officials was hammered out last week that will keep the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore.

The Preakness, the second jewel in American racing's Triple Crown, is staged every year in mid-May, two weeks after the series opens with the Kentucky Derby and three weeks before the final showdown in the Belmont Stakes.

The race had been threatened and was a likely target to be moved after proposals to reduce the Maryland horse racing season. The deal redirects up to US$4 million ($5.3 million) of state slot machine income to pay for operating costs, rather than improvements. Horsemen would contribute US$1.7 million.