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TO KEEP THIS 150-YEAR-OLD TRADITION. >> IT WAS BORN HERE, IT WAS RAISED HERE, IT WAS NURTURED HERE, IT IS GROWN HERE, IT IS CRITICAL. THEO: IT IS A TRADITION ANDRE DAVIS DEFENDED WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE LAWSUIT. FILED BY THE STRONACH GROUP. CLAIMS STRONACH IS VIOLATING THE LAW BY MOVING THE RACE TO PAMLICO COUNTY. STATE LAW SAYS IT CAN ONLY BE MOVED AS A RESULT OF A DISASTER OR EMERGENCY. >> NOT INVESTING IS NOT A NATURAL DISASTER AND THE OWNERS HAVE DONE A GOOD JOB AT MAKING SURE MONEY GOES ELSEWHERE SO THEY DO NOT INVEST IN PIMLICO AND AT THE SAME TIME, WHEN YOU DO NOT INVEST AND THINGS CRUMBLE OR DETERIORATE TO THE POINT WERE YOU CANNOT HAVE PEOPLE THERE, THEY CAN SAY THIS IS A NATURAL DISASTER. THAT IS A SLAP IN THE FACE TO THE COMMUNITY, SOMETHING THEY ARE DOING INTENTIONALLY AND WE CANNOT LET THEM DO IT. THEO: THEY HAVE USED THE MAJORITY OF THE STATE AID TO INVEST IN THE RURAL AND NOT HIM AGO. THE COMPANY IS BACKING CURRENT LEGISLATION THAT WOULD ALLOW THE MARYLAND ECONOMIC AILMENT CORPORATION TO ISSUE 80 MILLION WORTH OF BONDS TO PAY FOR LOW ORAL IMPROVEMENT AND $40 MILLION FOR THE BOWIE TRADING CENTER. IT WOULD COST $400 MILLION TO REBUILD PIMCO AND IN A POLL RELEASED THIS MONTH, 63% OF DEMOCRATS OPPOSE REBUILDING IN THE CITY. 77% OF DEMOCRATS -- REPUBLICANS OPPOSE. IF THE CITY GETS HIS WAY, BALTIMORE WOULD BE AWARDED THE TRACK THROUGH EMINENT DOMAIN. >> THERE’S NO TRIPLE CROWN WITHOUT THE PREAKNESS AND NO PREAKNESS WITHOUT THE PREAKNESS INVOLVED. WE ARE NOT SO FAR. HE IS ONE OF THE THREE RESIDENTS WHO FILED THAT LAWSUIT AGAINST A GROUP AND HE SAYS THAT LATER TODAY, HE PLANS TO WITHDRAW HIS NAME FROM THE LAWSUIT BECAUSE HE SAYS HE WILL BE VOTING ON BILLS SURROUNDING THIS ISSUE AND DOES NOT WANT THERE TO BE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST. THEO HAYES, WBAL-TV 11 NEWS, ANDRE: THE COUNTY HOUSE HAS MANY OF THE RACE HORSES THAT TRAIN. HOW IS BALTIMORE COUNTY REACTING? THEO: I SENT SEVERAL QUESTIONS TO THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE AND THEY SAID OVER A STATEMENT THAT SAYS PREAKNESS BELONGS IN BALTIMORE AND WE SHOULD DO EVERYTHING TO KEEP IT AT PIMLICO.

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There is reaction from those behind the lawsuit filed to keep the Preakness at Pimlico in Baltimore City. Both sides of the suit sticking to their guns, the city saying owners are breaking the law, owners saying the suit is unfounded.The mayor, City Council and city residents have been rallying for the past few weeks over this issue. But now it's in the hands of a Circuit Court. And the city hopes condemnation among other reasons will be how they are able to keep the 150-year-old tradition intact."It was born here, it was raised here it was nurtured here it has grown here and it's critical," said Baltimore City Solicitor Andre Davis. It's a tradition Davis defended outside the Board of Estimates meeting Wednesday morning, when asked about Tuesday's lawsuit filed against the Stronach Group, the company that owns the Pimlico track and Preakness race.The suit -- filed by Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh, city council and three city residents -- claims Stronach is openly planning to violate Maryland law by moving the race to Laurel Park in Anne Arundel County after the year 2020.State law says it can only be moved as a result of a disaster or emergency."Not investing in a race course is not a natural disaster and I think the owners of Pimlico Race Course have done a really good job in making sure money goes elsewhere so they don't invest Pimlico and when you don't invest to the point where things deteriorate to the point where you can't have people there, then they can say it's a natural disaster. I think that's a slap in the face to the community and something very intentional that they are doing and we can't let them do it," said Delegate Tony Bridges, D-Baltimore City.The lawsuit asserts that since 2011, Stronach has used the majority of its state aid to invest in Laurel and not Pimlico.The company is even backing current legislation that would allow the Maryland Economic Development Corp. to issue $80 million worth of bonds to pay for Laurel improvement and $40 million for the Bowie training center.It would cost $400 million of taxpayer funds to rebuild Pimlico in Baltimore City and in a Gonzalez poll released this month, 63 percent of Democrats oppose rebuilding in the city, while 77 percent of Republicans oppose it.The Stronach Group, said, in part in a statement, "The poll clearly illustrated that the majority of Marylanders do not support the use of state dollars to rebuild the track."If the city gets its way, Baltimore would be awarded the track through eminent domain."There's no Triple Crown without the Preakness, and there's no Preakness without Preakness in Baltimore City," said Davis.Bridges, who represents the 41st district, is one of the three residents who was listed in the lawsuit, said he may withdraw his name from the lawsuit because he may be voting on bills surrounding the issue and doesn't want a conflict of interest. Baltimore County could be affected by this. Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski's team responded in a statement, saying in part, "Preakness belongs in Baltimore and we should do everything we can to keep it at Pimlico." They say they stand with their city partners and county delegation to "keep it where it belongs."