by John Pawlak, the U.S. Trotting Association

Columbus, OH — The Baltimore Sun is reporting that Peter Angelos, owner of the Baltimore Orioles, is attempting to purchase Rosecroft Raceway, will resurrect live racing and will attempt to have the installation of slot machines approved at the shuttered Standardbred track.

The newspaper reports that Angelos would pay $9 million for the track, and an additional $5 million should voters and lawmakers permit the Prince George’s County track to install gaming machines.

It all hinges, reportedly, on whether voters and the legislature approve Rosecroft as a gaming site — and if a racino at Rosecroft is operating — not later than Dec. 1, 2012. Local voters, in 2008, voted against permitting the installation of slot machines at Rosecroft, which in part led to the track closing and declaring bankruptcy in July of last year. And Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley also opposed the Rosecroft site.

“We’re thrilled,” Kelly Rogers, president of Cloverleaf Enterprises, owner of Rosecroft, told the Sun. “The Angelos family is a great family in Maryland. They’re going to do great things for Rosecroft. We’re really pleased. It’s been a long winding process.”

The Angelos bid, one of five said to have been presented to the bankruptcy trustee, also hinges on getting a subsidy from slot machine revenue to boost purses at Rosecroft, similar to a deal brokered by state officials for the state’s Thoroughbred racetracks. Angelos reportedly has said he would apply for fall, 2011 racing dates if such a deal can be worked out.

Ralph Hayward, president of the Maryland Standardbred Horsemen’s Association, told the newspaper that the track surface could be in shape for racing in just a few weeks, but cautioned that, “It’s not the shape of the track, it’s getting the horses to come in. You’ve got to get a full complement of horses to fill your schedule. Everybody hasn’t left Maryland yet. They have farms here and they’d like to bring their horses back to race at home.”

The newspaper also reported the successful opening of Ocean Downs’ new racino on Tuesday, saying the 750-slot, 34,000-square-foot facility was well received by patrons and politicians in attendance at the ribbon cutting.