No Live Horse Racing In Maryland?

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- You may not know this, but as of right now, there will be no live horse racing at all next year in Maryland.  This means thousands of jobs are on the line.  Political reporter Pat Warren has more.

The effort to clear the hurdles that jeopardize racing at Pimlico and Laurel Park started at the State House Monday with the admitted disadvantage that, heritage and tradition aside, business is business.

"One of the obligations that the owners of Magna have with their license is a certain obligation to a minimum amount of racing days  in order to be licensed to operate that business in our state," said Governor Martin O'Malley.

In a campaign against slots at the mall, race track owners warned that the vote to put slots at Arundel Mills instead of reconsidering Laurel would be the kiss of death for live horse racing in Maryland. 

Last week, the owners of Pimlico and Laurel Park made an offer the state racing commission had to refuse: a plan to cut racing to just a mere 30 days at Pimlico and 17 at Laurel. 

The horse industry protested it would essentially put them out of business.

Monday, the state called the parties to the table to try to find a compromise between all and nothing, something that might involve giving the track a bigger cut of the slots revenue.

"I suppose one of the big questions that Magna has to face is whether they're in here for the long haul," O'Malley said.

O'Malley didn't attend the meeting but his intent is to avoid the drastic action of taking over the track to protect the Preakness by power of eminent domain.

"The real answer I think is going to be worked out somewhere between all of the parties involved here," O'Malley said.