Gov. Wes Moore attends his first Preakness as Governor
Updated: 3:08 PM EDT May 20, 2023
JERRY AND DEBORAH. YES. MIKE BAXTER HAS JOINED US. THANK YOU, GUYS. ALL RIGHT. SO GOVERNOR WES MOORE, THIS IS YOUR FIRST PREAKNESS AS GOVERNOR. YES. YOU’VE EXPERIENCED PREAKNESS BEFORE IN THE INFIELD THAT WAS DRESSED LIKE THIS. THAT WAS NOT VERY GUBERNATORIAL, BUT IT WAS THE INFIELD. THAT’S RIGHT. WHAT’S THIS EXPERIENCE LIKE IN. IT’S A BIT SURREAL, BUT IT’S BEAUTIFUL, RIGHT? I MEAN, THIS IS THIS IS MARYLAND’S DAY. THIS IS A DAY WHEN THE WHOLE WORLD IS IS WATCHING US. THE WHOLE WORLD IS CELEBRATING US. THE WHOLE WORLD IS CELEBRATING WHAT MAKES MARYLAND SO UNIQUE. AND WE JUST GOT A LOT TO SHOW OFF. AND SO IT’S A IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY, BUT IT IS IT’S NICE SEEING IT FROM THIS SIDE. YES. OF PREAKNESS AFTER THE 13TH RACE, THE PREAKNESS, YOU WILL GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAND OUT THE WOODLAWN VASE. NOW, WHILE THAT’S LARGELY CEREMONIAL, IT IS ALSO A MOMENT WHERE YOU GET TO PUT THE STATE OF MARYLAND IN THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT ON NATIONAL TV. HOW DO YOU MAXIMIZE THAT LITTLE WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY TO HELP MARYLAND SHINE? WELL, YOU KNOW, I THINK AND I’VE BEEN SAYING IT OVER AND OVER, I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT THIS IS MARYLAND’S DECADE. THIS IS GOING TO BE THE TIME WHEN MARYLAND IS JUST GOING TO MOVE FASTER THAN OTHER STATES THAT MARYLAND REALLY IS GOING TO THRIVE, THAT MARYLAND’S GOING TO COMPETE IN A NEW AND UNIQUE WAY. AND SO I’M FIRST I’M JUST MAKING SURE I’M NOT GOING TO TRIP OUT THERE. THAT’S THAT’S STEP ONE. BUT ALSO, I THINK IT’S GOING TO BE A BEAUTIFUL TIME FOR PEOPLE TO SEE THAT WE KNOW HOW TO NOT JUST PUT ON A GREAT PARTY, BUT WE KNOW HOW TO PUT ON JUST A MAGICAL EVENT THAT THE WHOLE WORLD IS GONNA BE PAYING ATTENTION TO. SO I’M EXCITED FOR IT. WE DO NEED TO TAKE A TURN IN THIS CONVERSATION BECAUSE OF THE BREAKING NEWS THAT WE’VE BEEN REPORTING. SO AS WE HAVE SHARED THIS IS IT CAST A PALL. IT CAST A PALL ON THE DAY. SO FOR YOU AS GOVERNOR, GIVEN WHAT APPEARS TO BE ON SOME LEVEL A CRISIS WHEN IT COMES TO HORSE RACING, WHAT DO YOU DO TO CHAMPION, IF YOU WILL, THE SAFETY OF THE INDUSTRY AND THE SAFETY OF THE HORSES? IS THERE SOMETHING YOU CAN DO? AND WHERE IS THIS ON YOUR RADAR? THERE IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO. AND IT’S VERY HIGH ON OUR RADAR BECAUSE THE THE GROWTH OF THE INDUSTRY IS GOING TO DEPEND ON THE HEALTH OF THE INDUSTRY AND MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE PRIORITIZING THE HEALTH OF BOTH THE THE HORSES AND THE JOCKEYS HAS GOT TO BE THE TOP PRIORITY FOR HOW WE THINK ABOUT THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY GOING FORWARD. YOU KNOW, IN THIS JUST IN THIS PAST LEGISLATIVE SESSION, WE PASSED THE THE THOROUGHBRED RACERS OPERATING AUTHORITY, WHICH IS REALLY SAYING HOW ARE WE IDENTIFYING BEST PRACTICES, HOW ARE WE FINDING OUT WHAT’S WORKING AND HOW ARE WE MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE GOING TO FULFILL AN INDUSTRY THAT HAS HAD SO MUCH PRIDE IN THE HISTORY OF MARYLAND AND WE HAVE PRIDE IN THE FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY OF MARYLAND, BUT IT’S GOT TO IT’S GOT TO START WITH SAFETY. AND SO THIS THE LOSS THAT WE’VE SEEN, SEEN TODAY, IT’S TRAGIC. WE KNOW THAT THAT RACING, RACING DEATHS AND DEATHS OF THE HORSES HAS ACTUALLY BEEN DECREASING OVER TIME. BUT WE KNOW THAT WE’RE NOT DONE. AND THE TRAGEDY OF TODAY IS A IS A REAL REMINDER OF THAT. THE 2020 BOND PASSAGE TO FUND THE REBUILDING OF THIS TRACK. WE HAVEN’T SEEN THE FRUITS OF ANY OF THAT YET. DOES THE CLIMATE THAT IS CURRENTLY OVER THE TOP OF THIS HORSE RACING INDUSTRY, DOES IT MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT PROJECT? I THINK IT SHOWS THE URGENCY, RIGHT? IT SHOWS THE URGENCY THAT WHEN WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THE HEALTH OF BOTH THE HORSES AND ALSO THE RIDERS, CONDITIONS ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS AND WHAT EXISTS HAS TO BE A CORE PART OF THAT CONVERSATION, BECAUSE YOU CANNOT YOU CANNOT DISTINGUISH BETWEEN RACING CONDITIONS AND THE HEALTH OF ALL THE PARTICIPANTS INSIDE OF IT. AND I THINK THE OTHER REALLY IMPORTANT THING THAT WE SAW FROM THE BOND PACK PACKAGE AND WHAT WE DID FROM THE ENTIRE GENERAL ASSEMBLY REALLY IS SAYING THAT THE THE GROWTH OF THE INDUSTRY IS NOT JUST WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THE INSIDE OF THE TRACK. IT IS ALSO HOW WE’RE THINKING ABOUT WHAT’S HAPPENING OUTSIDE OF THE TRACK, HOW WE THINK ABOUT THE COMMUNITIES, HOW ARE WE THINKING ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE WANT A SPORT THAT IS GOING TO BE GROWING AND THRIVING AND PROSPEROUS, BUT ALSO A SPORT THAT’S GOING TO BE INCLUSIVE? SO I THINK ALL THOSE FACTORS PLAY INTO HOW THE HOW THE HOW THE NEW AUTHORITY IS GOING TO BE THINKING ABOUT THE INDUSTRY GOING FORWARD. GOVERNOR, I HAVE TO ASK, YOU KNOW, JERRY AND I’VE BEEN DOING THIS A NUMBER OF YEARS, AND EVERY TIME WE’VE HAD A POLITICAL LEADER HERE, A MAYOR, A GOVERNOR, IT’S WE’VE ASKED THE SAME QUESTION. AND EACH YEAR WE COME BACK AND PIMLICO LOOKS THE SAME. AND AND A LOT IN THE COMMUNITY LOOKS THE SAME. SO IT ALMOST FEELS LIKE THE DEFINITION OF INSANITY IS THAT WE KEEP ASKING POLITICAL LEADERS THE SAME QUESTION WHEN WILL THE FACELIFT ACTUALLY TAKE PLACE? A FACELIFT THAT CAN SERVE THE WHOLE COMMUNITY. SO AGAIN, I FIND MYSELF FEELING LIKE I’M ASKING AGAIN, WHAT CAN YOU POSSIBLY TELL ME THAT THAT NO OFFENSE, I WON’T I’M NOT I’M NOT DOUBTING YOUR CREDIBILITY, BUT YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHERE WE’RE COMING FROM TO ASKING THIS QUESTION YEAR AFTER YEAR. AND AND HONESTLY, IT’S A LOT OF THE SAME FRUSTRATION THAT THAT I KNOW I HAD COMING IN. YOU KNOW, WHEN I WHEN I FIRST DECIDED TO RUN FOR I’D NEVER RUN FOR OFFICE BEFORE IN MY LIFE. RIGHT BEFORE I RAN FOR OFFICE, I WAS A I WAS A MILITARY OFFICER AND I WAS A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER. AND I LED ONE OF THE LARGEST POVERTY FIGHTING ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS COUNTRY. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I ONE OF THE REASONS THAT I RAN WAS EXACTLY THE SAME FRUSTRATION THAT YOU LAID OUT WAS WE KEEP ON HAVING THE SAME CONVERSATIONS AND NOT GETTING REAL RESULTS. AND SO THAT’S WHY I THINK WE WANTED TO MOVE QUICKLY WHERE IN JUST OUR FIRST 100 DAYS, WE WERE ABLE TO DO THINGS LIKE PASS THIS NEW AUTHORITY. AND THE NEW AUTHORITY IS GOING TO HAVE AND HAS VERY CLEAR GUIDANCE FROM ME THAT WE ARE NOT GOING TO CONTINUE HAVING THE SAME CONVERSATIONS. WE CANNOT CONTINUE TO ALLOW FOR A MEASURE OF STAGNATION TO TO TO IMPEDE NOT JUST ON AN INDUSTRY, BUT ON A COMMUNITY THAT OUR OUR COMMUNITY DESERVES BETTER. OUR STATE DESERVES BETTER. AND SO AND SO BEING ABLE TO MEASURE SUCCESS, NOT JUST IN TERMS OF OF OF THE RACING ENVIRONMENTS AND THE RACING CONDITIONS, BUT, BUT MEASURING SUCCESS ON WHAT TYPE OF IMPACT HAS IT HAD ON OUR COMMUNITIES, ON MARYLAND, ON OUR ECONOMY AND OUR STORY. THOSE ARE ALL THINGS THAT THAT THIS NEW AUTHORITY IS VERY CLEAR AND HAVE VERY CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS FROM ME THAT I AM GOING TO BE LOOKING AT AND I THINK THE AUTHORITY, AS THEY COME UP WITH THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS, THAT WILL BE THE LENS IN THE WHICH I LOOK AT THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS AS WELL. THIS TRACK HAS A STORY THAT’S 153 YEARS OLD, AND TO HEAR YOU SPEAK, IT SOUNDS LIKE THE NEXT CHAPTER COULD FINALLY BE AN EXCITING ONE. IT IS GOING TO BE AN EXCITING ONE. THE NEXT CHAPTER FOR MARYLAND IS GOING TO BE AN EXCITING ONE, AND THIS IS GOING TO BE A CORE PART OF IT. RACING HAS A BEAUTIFUL AND A DYNAMIC HISTORY AND PAST IN OUR STATE. THERE’S A FOLKLORE AROUND IT RIGHT? AND WE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THIS INDUSTRY, THAT IT IS ONE THAT IS GROWING, THAT IS THRIVING, THAT’S FUN, THAT IT’S INCLUSIVE AND THAT’S SAFE. AND THESE ARE ALL THE BENCHMARKS THAT I THINK WE’RE GOING TO LOOK AT. AND FRANKLY, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE’VE BEEN ABLE TO SHOW IN THE EARLY DAYS OF OUR ADMINISTRATION, WE DO THINGS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. WE HAVE A DIFFERENT TYPE OF BENCHMARK IN TERMS OF HOW WE THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, PERFORMANCE, HOW WE THINK ABOUT MEASUREMENTS. AND I THINK PEOPLE ARE GOING TO SEE THAT IN IN THE RACING INDUSTRY AS WELL. CAN I ASK YOU, IS THIS A PINCH ME MOMENT FOR YOU BEING HERE AS GOVERNOR? YOU’RE GOING TO BE HANDING OVER THE WOODLAWN VASE. THE NATION’S GOING TO BE LOOK, IS THIS A MOMENT YOU GO, YOU KNOW WHAT? I’M GOVERNOR LIKE, YOU HAVE TO HAVE THESE MOMENTS. STILL TRUE? I DO. AND, YOU KNOW, AND IT’S IT IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL THING BECAUSE YOU’RE RIGHT. I MEAN, THIS ISN’T MY FIRST PREAKNESS. IT’S MY FIRST PREAKNESS DRESSING UP RIGHT. BUT BUT, YOU KNOW, BUT BUT THERE IS AND HONESTLY, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS I’M I’M JUST SO THANKFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY THAT THE PEOPLE OF THIS STATE GAVE US IS THAT EVERY DAY IS A PINCH ME MOMENT WHERE I NEVER LOSE SIGHT OF OF THE FACT THAT EVERY MORNING YOU YOU WAKE UP IN GOVERNMENT HOUSE, A BUILDING THAT WAS THAT EVERY SINGLE MARYLAND GOVERNOR HAS LIVED IN GOVERNMENT HOUSE SINCE 1870 THAT EVERY SINGLE DAY YOU GO TO WORK INSIDE OF THE STATE HOUSE, WHICH IS THE OLDEST AND LONGEST OPERATING STATE HOUSE IN THIS COUNTRY. AND EVERY SINGLE DAY YOU FIGHT AND ADVOCATE ON BEHALF OF 6.3 MILLION PEOPLE WHO GAVE YOU THEIR FAITH AND CONFIDENCE THAT YOU COULD LEAD THEM. SO EVERY DAY IS A A VERY MUCH A PINCH ME MOMENT. THIS IS VERY MUCH A PINCH ME MOMENT BEING HERE ACTUALLY THIS CLOSE TO THE TRACK AS WELL. BUT BUT THE BEAUTIFUL THING IS, IS IT’S NOT JUST THAT WE’RE READY, THE STATE’S READY AND WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT ABOUT THE FUTURE GOING FORWARD. GOVERNOR ENJOYED THE PINCH. OH, I’M EXCITED. ALL RIGHT. TAKE US TO BREAK. TELL US WE’
Gov. Wes Moore attends his first Preakness as Governor
Updated: 3:08 PM EDT May 20, 2023
WBAL-TV is joined by Gov. Wes Moore as he enjoys his first Preakness as Governor of Maryland. He discusses the future of horse racing in Maryland including at places other than just Pimlico. He talks about what is being done from Annapolis that will help the industry.
WBAL-TV is joined by Gov. Wes Moore as he enjoys his first Preakness as Governor of Maryland. He discusses the future of horse racing in Maryland including at places other than just Pimlico. He talks about what is being done from Annapolis that will help the industry.
