Laurel Park

The Maryland Jockey Club, which operates Laurel Park, announced late Friday that racing at Laurel has been cancelled at least through this weekend. "The Maryland Jockey Club (MJC) announced that after consultation with the Maryland Racing Commission, racing will be cancelled this weekend at Laurel Park while MJC works with the Maryland Racing Commission to understand and address any issues of concern raised relating to recent injuries," the statement read.  "MJC will also be discussing plans for implementation of updated safety and veterinary protocols similar to those that have been...

In a press release sent out just 50 minutes before the post time for the day's first race, Laurel Park management announced that the Saturday card had been postponed. The reason given was an "abundance of caution to do a full evaluation of the racing surfaces." According to multiple sources, two horses broke down during training hours Saturday. One of the horses had to be euthanized and the other did not. There were no incidents during racing on Thursday and Friday. Maryland Jockey Club Acting President Mike Rogers sent a...

Heading into Friday's closing day winter meet card, Jaime Rodriguez and Jamie Ness appear poised to top the jockey and trainer divisions for Laurel Park's concluding Winter Meet. Rodriguez, 32, holds an 11-win advantage over five-pound apprentice Jeiron Barbosa in the rider standings, 58-47, with eight races remaining. Rodriguez is named in four races Friday, while Barbosa is named in six. It will be the first riding title in Maryland for Rodriguez, who also leads with $1.9 million in purse earnings from 209 mounts. He led the Delaware Park standings...

The Maryland Horse Breeders Association and the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association will host a Tesio Talk and continental breakfast in the International Room at Laurel Park on Federico Tesio S. day, Apr. 15. The "Talking Tesio" event begins at 10:30 a.m. and will feature a continental breakfast followed by a panel discussion with industry leaders about Tesio's influence on the breed. Speakers include Country Life Farm's Josh Pons, J. William Boniface, the owner of Bonita Farm, and Ned Moore, owner of Corner Farm in Clark County, Virginia, bloodstock agent, and...

3rd-Laurel, $52,600, Msw, 3-10, 3yo, f, 5 1/2f, 1:05.39, ft, 12 3/4 lengths. GOODGIRL BADHABITS (f, 3, Mastery--Dazzler, by Vindication), the 11-10 favorite for this unveiling on the back of four speedy works over this surface--including a five-furlong bullet in 1:00 flat Mar. 1--never gave them a chance. Blinkered and speeding to the lead after breaking only fairly, the filly put up :22.58 and :46.32 splits from the rail and was seven lengths ahead with three-sixteenths of a mile to race. She continued to build on that advantage while not...

Winners of the sixth annual Renaissance Champion Awards, a collaborative effort between the Maryland Horse Breeders Association and the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association which recognizes excellence in Thoroughbred racing and breeding in Maryland in the past year, were announced the week of Feb. 27 on the MHBA's social media accounts. Awards for the 2022 season will be presented at Citron on the Waterfront at Quarry Lake in Baltimore County on Friday, April 14. To view the full list of winners, click here.

Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky. Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where. With the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) having gone into effect on July 1, the TDN will also post a roundup of the relevant HISA-related rulings from the same week. NEW HISA STEWARDS RULINGS The following rulings were reported on HISA's...

by Justin Stygles The racetrack can be a special place. In the last year alone, I've been fortunate enough to see some wonderful things, from talking with Barbara Livingston and Sarah Andrew at morning workouts, to watching William Buick win races at Newmarket's July Festival and again at Saratoga. I would argue that one of my most memorable days of racing was a reggae-filled afternoon during the Joe Hirsch Turf Invitational card last October at the Belmont at Aqueduct meet. Until Saturday. The Winter Festival at Laurel Park was set...

Tracks across the country will hold a moment of silence Feb. 18 in memory of the late jockey Avery Whisman. The Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, in coordination with racetracks across the country, is leading the initiative in an effort to shed light on mental health awareness and the challenges jockeys face. Jockeys at all participating tracks will wear black armbands in tribute to Whisman, who died suddenly Jan. 11 at the age of 23 following a prolonged struggle with the physical and mental demands placed on riders. The 1/ST properties:...

Jockey Jorge F. Hernandez captured his first win in the United  States when guiding Queen Cadence to victory in the first race at Laurel Park Sunday. A multiple group-stakes winning jockey in his native Chile, the 33-year-old Hernandez's first domestic win came in his 27th mount. He also finished fourth on Shoulda Had It for owner-trainer Mario Serey, Jr. in Sunday's second race. "I am really happy. I was waiting for it. After having five seconds in a month, I wanted to get that first win out of the way,"...

Riding high off an exceptional year in 2022, where she was the leading trainer at Laurel Park's fall and spring meet and tied for the lead at the Preakness Meet at Pimlico, Brittany Russell is poised for another strong showing this year. The Laurel-based conditioner got the season off to a good start two weeks ago when Prince of Jericho and L Street Lady, both by Munnings, swept the two $100,000 stakes races for 3-year-olds on Jan. 21 at Laurel. "It was really exciting to have two stakes winners in...

Claudio Gonzalez and Jevian Toledo both enjoyed career highs as they defended their titles as the Maryland Jockey Club's leading trainer and jockey, respectively, in 2022. Gonzalez, a 46-year-old cancer survivor from Chile, finished with 74 wins at Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course to edge Brittany Russell and Jamie Ness, who tied for second with 73 wins apiece. It marked the sixth consecutive year that Gonzalez has led the Maryland standings, averaging 101 wins per season. He captured Laurel's winter stand to open 2022, his 19th individual meet title...