Don’t sleep on the future of Pimlico

Visitors to the 147th running of the Preakness Stakes, particularly those swaddled in the customary finery befitting the second jewel of horse racing’s Triple Crown, can surely be forgiven if they arrive this Saturday at Pimlico Race Course, take their seats, order their bourbon-laced Black-Eyed Susans and express the following thought to their companions: “What a dump.” Even dressed up for this nationally televised event, Pimlico is no Ascot Racecourse in England. Perhaps it’s the 7,000-seat section of the historic grandstand that had to be closed three years ago and remains deserted and covered by a tarp.