Clark Construction has been selected to complete the first stage of construction services for the rebuild of Pimlico Race Course, putting the company in the driver’s seat for the state-backed building project.

Following stop-and-start-efforts in recent years to renovate the dilapidated racetrack, the state has now budgeted $400 million in bonds to fund a two-part project: Pimlico will be rebuilt using at least $250 million, and a horse racing training facility will be constructed elsewhere in the state using at least $110 million.

Clark was approved this week for a small percentage of that — it received a $900,000 contract from the state for pre-construction services — but the agreement places the company in line for the eventual building contracts, likely worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

The company was awarded the contract over Whiting-Turner, whose fee for pre-construction services would have been $1.85 million, double that of Clark.

The Maryland Stadium Authority board first approved the contract Tuesday, then the Board of Public Works — the state spending board — OK’d it Wednesday.

BPW documents state that the stadium authority “intends to return with a recommendation to enter into a Guaranteed Maximum Price contract for construction services for the first of several bid packages if the performance of the preconstruction services is satisfactory and an acceptable price is negotiated.”

Ayers Saint Gross was selected in 2021 as the architect for the Pimlico rebuild, with assistance from Populous. Once a site for the training track is selected, the stadium authority is expected to select the same design team for that aspect of the project, too.

“There are many reasons why MSA would want the same design team for both the Pimlico project and the training center. As the tracks are essentially the same at both facilities, there is a reduction of risk from a horse safety aspect and cost savings from using the track design from the same consultant, to name a few,” said Stadium Authority Vice President for Capital Projects Gary McGuigan.

Construction at Pimlico is expected to begin immediately after the 2025 Preakness Stakes. The 2026 Preakness would then be held at Laurel Park in Anne Arundel County before the 2027 edition, if the timeline holds, takes place at a revamped Pimlico.