Laurel Park

On March 3, 2019, Happy Farm (Ghostzapper) was claimed by trainer Jason Servis for $30,000 at Aqueduct. The dark bay gelding would remain in that barn for an entire year where he'd go on to finish no worse than second in seven starts - highlighted by a victory in the 2019 GIII Fall Highweight Handicap. Within days of Happy Farm's second-place finish in the GIII Tom Fool Handicap on March 7, 2020, Servis was arrested and charged following a multi-year investigation overseen by the FBI that identified over 30 people...

In advance of the 2025 Pegasus World Cup, 1/ST and the Ed Brown Society have extended their initial three-year partnership to provide opportunities for young people of color to gain industry exposure through internships and scholarships, the owners of Gulfstream Park said in a Thursday release. This year 1/ST will provide $50,000 in funding to cover all costs associated with the paid internship program enabling the Ed Brown Society to identify, recruit and place qualified students. On Saturday at the Pegasus World Cup, the third race will be dedicated to...

Fifty days since his last mount, when he was suspended by HISA for striking a horse in a malicious manner following a race at Parx, Paco Lopez will return Saturday at Laurel, where he will have three rides. They include the mount on Hawkstone (Catalina Cruiser) in the Spectacular Bid Stakes. "I'm feeling good and I've been working very hard to be ready for my comeback," he said. Lopez was aboard National Law (Constitution) in a maiden special weight race at Parx for trainer Jorge Duarte Jr. The horse bore...

Due to the storm that will impact the Mid-Atlantic region, officials at Laurel Park made the decision to cancel their scheduled nine-race program for Sunday, the Maryland Jockey Club announced via press release. Laurel and the MJC OTB network will remain open for simulcasting. Live racing is due to return Friday, Jan. 24 with a nine-race program. The first post is scheduled at 12:25 p.m.

Edited Press Release Famed equestrian and longtime Thoroughbred trainer Rodney Jenkins was honored by the Maryland racing community Tuesday in a memorial service at Laurel Park. Jenkins, a beloved horseman, died Dec. 5 at age 80. "He taught me a lot on how to ride," said jockey Richard Monterrey. "Monterrey, you're riding too low, too high. Monterrey, put your hands down, relax, let the horse stride. He was very aware of everything that was happening. I called him Mr. Jenkins at first, and then I changed it to Papa Jenkins....

In just her fifth full year of training, Brittany Russell topped the annual standings in Maryland for the second consecutive season, and jockey Jaime Rodriguez also repeated as the state's leading rider, the Maryland Jockey Club said in a release on Tursday. In 2023, Russell ended Claudio Gonazlez's six-year reign atop the leaderboard by notching 118 victories at Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, finishing five ahead of runner-up Jamie Ness. Last year, Russell earned 113 victories at Laurel and Pimlico, 16 more than runner-up Ness. Nationwide, she registered 157...

One Man Team (Nyquist) backed up his sparkling debut with another sterling performance in the Heft Stakes to claim his career first black-type. Employing a similar strategy as in his debut Oct. 31, when he took a field gate to wire to win by six lengths, the 5-2 second betting choice once again took command out of the gate. Rating well through :23.22 and :47.18 early splits, he handled a would-be challenger on the turn, and opened a clear advantage coming for home. Coasting home, he was 4 1/4 lengths...

Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) will honor Brandon and Diannah Perry as well as Maryland-based Beyond the Wire with the Allaire du Pont Leadership Award and the Ellen and Herb Moelis Industry Service Award, respectively, during the 35th Annual Stallion Season Live Auction and Celebration Sunday, Jan. 12, the organization announced via press release Friday. The Allaire de Pont Leadership Award being presented to the Perrys is awarded to an organization or individual (s) for philanthropic contributions consistent with the TCA's mission as the charitable arm of the Thoroughbred Owners...

Shamrock Farm near Woodbine in Carroll County has been selected as the home of Maryland's new Thoroughbred training center, the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority announced Monday. Designed to accommodate more than 800 horses with room for future expansion, the new facility is located just 20 miles from Pimlico Race Course. "Our goal is to design and build one of the great equine training centers in the world," said Gregory A. Cross, chairman of the MTROA. "A rigorous examination of many locations in the region showed that this site provides...

The old patriarch can't have failed to notice all the activity around the Gainesway stallion barn, with four new lads settling in and another relatively recent arrival meanwhile leading a desperate race for the freshman laurels. At nearly 23, in contrast, Tapit's own book is being prudently managed and he was confined to 79 mares last spring. Yet this remains not only the neighborhood boss, but also the most venerable stallion in the land. True, the gray's status as America's most productive stallion is inexorably menaced by Into Mischief, who's...

Cruz Ramirez (Good Magic), a 2-year-old debut winner at Laurel Sunday, has been supplemented to Fasig-Tipton Digital's December Sale. Racing for NET Racing and trained by Brittany Russell, the $165,000 Fasig-Tipton October graduate went wire-to-wire to win the six-furlong maiden special weight contest as the odds-on favorite (video). A half-sister to GI Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Secret Circle (Eddington), she is catalogued as hip 346 and is consigned by Elite. Bidding for the December Digital Sale opened last Thursday. Bidding on hips 1-305 closes Tuesday, beginning at 12 p.m. ET....

The GIII General George Stakes and GIII Barbara Fritchie Stakes highlight a 25-strong stakes schedule worth a combined $2.6 million for the winter/spring meet at Laurel Park. The seven-furlong events are part of a Feb. 15 card that also includes the John B. Campbell Stakes and Nellie Morse Stakes, each carrying a $100,000 purse. Three-year-old males and females feature on programs scheduled for Feb. 22, with the one-mile Miracle Wood Stakes for sophomore boys and the seven-furlong Wide Country Stakes for the girls. Those two events serve as lead-up races...