Laurel Park

The Racing and Community Development Act of 2020, a capital plan aimed to protect horse racing in Maryland through the development of Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park, was allowed to pass, without signature, by Gov. Larry Hogan May 7. Passed by the Maryland General Assembly Mar. 18, the legislation clears the way for the Maryland Stadium Authority to provide up to $375 million in bonds, stemming from a combination of funds from the Racetrack Facility Renewal, Purse Dedication Accounts and Baltimore City' video lottery terminal payments and funds from...

The 2020 edition of the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championships Series (MATCH) had been canceled due to the ongoing uncertainty of racing schedules and concerns about purse money due to the coronavirus. The series was set to debut with races split between Laurel and Charles Town Apr. 8. "Obviously, we are all disappointed, but it was the right thing to do", said MATCH Series creator and THA Chairman Alan M. Foreman. "No one wanted to compromise the quality of the event and the brand we are building. MATCH is a luxury, and...

As racing nationwide grinds to a halt in many jurisdictions, the focus--rightfully so--has been on the lifelong racetrackers who have had their Thoroughbred livelihoods upended by the rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus. But what about the up-and-comers who are just now breaking into the sport? Their perspectives are unique and important, too. Take apprentice jockeys. When the game is going full-tilt, hardly a week goes by without news that a "bug" rider has achieved a maiden-breaking victory, complete with the ritualistic dousing of water, eggs, shaving cream, talcum powder,...

Officials at the Maryland Jockey Club announced the cancellation of Friday's scheduled live racing program at Laurel Park and will pause racing indefinitely following an executive order from the office of Maryland Governor Larry Hogan. "In accordance with the Maryland Governor's Executive Orders and as part of the continuing effort to protect the health and safety of essential personnel and the horses they care for, the Maryland Jockey Club will temporarily pause live racing at Laurel Park and Rosecroft Raceway," read a statement. "Our top priority is the well-being of...

Laurel Park's stable area will be closed to horses other than those based at Laurel and Pimlico Race Course, effectively immediately. Shippers will not be permitted, and any that had been entered for Mar. 20-21 at Laurel Park will be scratched. The decision is part of a series of precautionary and safety measures put in place by the Maryland Jockey Club and Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association given the coronavirus situation. Laurel Park is scheduled to offer an 10-race card Mar. 20 and an 11-race card Mar. 21 with access severely...

The Racing and Community Development Act of 2020, which authorizes $375 million to pay for the rebuilding of Pimlico and the refurbishing of Laurel, was passed Wednesday by the Maryland General Assembly, reports the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association. The bill will now go to Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, who is expected to sign it. If signed by Hogan, the Act will go into effect June 1. It has sailed through both Maryland houses. The House passed the conference committee version of the bill by a vote of 113-14 a short...

The Maryland Jockey Club has entered into an agreement with the Cecil County Breeders' Fair and the Fair Hill Foundation to stage the 86th renewal of the Fair Hill Races at Laurel Park Saturday, May 23, 2020. The temporary move is necessitated by ongoing construction to the turf course at Fair Hill which began just after last year's Fair Hill races and includes track realignment, adding advanced irrigation, and building out wider, sweeping, and banked turns to enhance safety measures. The surface was also upgraded to a Kentucky Bluegrass mix...

With a forecast calling for sustained winds of 25-35 miles per hour with gusts as high as 60 mph, officials at the New York Racing Association canceled Friday's live program at Aqueduct. The track remained open for simulcasting. Live racing is scheduled to resume Saturday at 1 p.m. ET with a nine-race card featuring the $100,000 Jimmy Winkfield S. Later in the day Friday, Laurel cancelled after race four of its eight-race program due to similarly gusty conditions.

Victor Carrasco recorded the 1,000 victory of his career when he guided Justin Front (Justin Phillip) to a 1 1/4-length score Sunday at Laurel. "It's a great feeling," Carrasco said of the milestone. "After dealing with so many injuries and having some health issues and everything, it feels amazing." Carrasco won the Eclipse Award as the nation's leading apprentice rider in 2013. The 27-year-old, a native of Guyama, Puerto Rico, graduated from the famed Escuela Vocacional Hipica jockey school and won 11 races in his home country before coming to...

The popular Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championships Series (MATCH) has been renewed for 2020, with an expanded schedule and an increase in owner, trainer and breeder bonus money thanks to new partner racetracks, horsemen's groups and breeder associations, the Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association announced Tuesday. The Series, which returned in 2018 after a 16-year hiatus and works toward the larger goal of coordination in a region with the largest concentration of daily racing in the United States, has grown to 35 stakes at eight tracks with a combined $3.75 million in purses for...

Charlie Marquez rode the first winner of his career with Sierra Leona (Point Given)'s 3/4-length victory at Laurel Park Thursday. It was the eighth career mount for the 16-year-old, who rode his first race Jan. 1 at Laurel. "It feels amazing. I'm only 16; it's a lot to digest," Marquez said. "But I'm glad I'm here and I'm thankful for all the opportunities been given to me. This means so much to me." From Columbia, Maryland, Marquez is the son of 52-year-old Carlos Marquez, Jr., a multiple graded-stakes winner of...