The more things have changed, the more they have remained the same or slid downhill at Laurel Park and Pimlico during the past decade.

There are some genuinely first-rate new wagering and dining areas inside the clubhouse and grandstand at Laurel. But somehow they haven’ t made up for the eyesore and public relations nightmare created by the cracking and popping plate glass windows across the front of the building.

Improvements to Pimlico’ s infrastructure, including removal of fire and safety hazards, are real and doubtless cost millions. Still, the overall condition of the aging plant and its painfully cramped indoor paddock draws unflattering comments year-round, and a chorus of complaints at Preakness time. Is Magna about to work magic on all this? Don’ t bet on it.

The announcement that Frank Stronach’ s Magna Entertainment intends to purchase a majority interest in Maryland’ s two major Thoroughbred tracks has captured the attention of the press, in particular that of Maryland’ s major daily newspaper, the Baltimore Sun.

Racing almost never makes big headlines, at least in Maryland, any more. However, Frank Stronach’ s vision of razing and rebuilding Pimlico while temporarily relocating the Preakness to Laurel was the lead item on page 1 of The Sun on August 5, taking precedence over a bombing that killed at least nine people in northern Israel, and the importance of health care issues in the 2002 elections.

It’ s wonderful, and reassuring, to know that the Preakness can generate that kind of concern. And, as any public relations consultant will tell you, all publicity is good publicity. But Stronach’ s purchase is not a done deal.

Lots of things can happen between now and the as-yet-unspecified date (perhaps this fall) when the tracks change hands. Tear it down? He doesn’ t own it and maybe never will. Maryland horsemen tended to greet all the talk with a collective, and probably more realistic, ho-hum.

Remember the grand plan for the rebuilding/refurbishing the backstretches in the early 1990s that was accompanied by blueprints showing quadrants to be completed by specified dates? A lot of people who have been training horses in Maryland all this time have yet to see any construction project in their quadrants.

Magna’ s track record in fulfilling promises for capital improvements is no better than that of the Maryland Jockey Club and in fact may be worse. Grand plans to make destination entertainment centers of Magna’ s flagship tracks Santa Anita and Gulfstream are stalled, and possibly soon to be installed in the land of discarded dreams along with the MJC’ s backstretch overhaul.

In fairness, it must be noted that projects of such scope take almost unfathomable amounts of time and money, and Stronach’ s race track-buying spree has been underway for only a few years. However, the outward signs are not encouraging.

Magna’ s finances took a turn for the worse right after the company announced plans to buy Laurel and Pimlico. Its stock has dropped sharply in late June shares in the company (listed under the symbol MIEC on NASDAQ) traded for $7 a share; on August 8 the stock closed at $3.85.

Poor second-quarter earnings prompted Magna’ s chief executive officer Jim McAlpine to start talking about reining in the company’ s spending in early August. The way out for everyone, of course, is slot machines. If the 2003 General Assembly approves, and Maryland’ s next governor (whoever that may be) signs into law, a bill to allow slot machines most preferably at race tracks only Maryland’ s racing industry will begin to spiral upward.

From then on, it’ s a matter of steering the ship, rather than continuously patching up the holes in the bottom. Stronach may buy the tracks, or he may not.

His vision of a brand-new Pimlico may fade away perhaps to be replaced with a super-track that would take the place of both Pimlico and Laurel (now there’ s a dream worth pursuing). But for real change, positive change, to occur the Maryland tracks must have slot machines. Without them, plans and blueprints lead nowhere.

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