ANNAPOLIS (AP) — Gov. Martin O’Malley has been quick to enact a Maryland law to create extra protections to keep the Preakness Stakes horse race in Baltimore.

The move to give Maryland eminent domain authority to buy the second leg of the Triple Crown was among the first bills to be signed Tuesday, a day after the state’s legislature adjourned.

The race is a centerpiece of Maryland’s horse racing industry, and O’Malley pushed for the law in case federal bankruptcy proceedings of Magna Entertainment Corp. steer the race to an owner who wants to move the Preakness.

Critics of the new law say it won’t be of any use in a federal case, but O’Malley says the state must do all it can to protect a large sporting event that generates big revenue for Maryland.

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On the Net:

Read Senate Bill 1072: http://mlis.state.md.us/2009rs/billfile/SB1072.htm