Perryman in Harford County could be home to new thoroughbred training facility

BALTIMORE - Maryland's rich horseracing history could be expanding in Harford County.

The state is considering several locations for a new thoroughbred training facility.

One of those locations is Perryman in Harford County.

The state is eyeing farmland in that community. 

They plan to build two training tracks, 640 stalls, and an equine wellness research center on 97 acres of the land.

"We think there is a lot of value left in this area and we want to try to take advantage of that," 3P Steering Committee member Glenn Gillis said.

 Gillis is a member of a group called "Protect Perryman Peninsula," also known as "3P."

Over the last three years, 3P has been fighting to stop a plan to build 5.2 million square feet of warehouse space on this farmland.

The group would rather see a state park built in the space.

They're hopeful they're one step closer to their goal now that the state is interested in the land for the training center.

"We're very encouraged by the heritage that this thoroughbred racing facility would be supporting," Gillis said. "It would go along very nicely with this rural community's character."

County leaders are also throwing their support behind the project.

Last week, County Executive Bob Cassilly sent a letter of support to the state and the County Council unanimously passed a resolution in support of the proposed project.

"I'm excited to see this happen," Harford County Councilmember Jacob Bennet said. "I'm hopeful we can see it happen. By passing this resolution we can show that the Harford County Government stands in unison in support of this possibility."

WJZ did reach out to the state to learn more about when a location will be selected and when construction will begin on the project. We're waiting to hear back.