Pimlico

It was the most literal of dream scenarios. The thing is, it had happened before. From time to time, Valerie Mastromonaco will have a dream--always about a horse--and then something will happen to bring it to life. Nothing dramatic, most of the time. True, once she dreamed that a particular horse in the barn had a problem, and unfortunately turned out to be right. But she doesn't take the phenomenon too seriously, as a rule; nor expect anyone else to do so. "I've no theories," she says. "I just think...

With on-track attendance limited to about 4,800 fans at Laurel and with this year's GI Preakness Stakes drawing a weak field that was missing the GI Kentucky Derby winner and runner-up, there appeared to be a strong likelihood that betting handle would plummet at the middle jewel of the Triple Crown. But that did not turn out to be the case. According to Equibase charts, the all-sources handle for Saturday's 14-race card was $106,982,107. That was a drop of just 2.8% from the $110,043,794 wagered last year when 14 races...

Dr. Dionne Benson and Cricket Goodall will each be honored with the Special Award of Merit on Thursday, May 14 at the Alibi Breakfast at Laurel Park. The Special Award of Merit is given to those who have made a positive impact on the racing industry. Previous recipients have included Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, Jim McKay, Ellen Charles, Beyond the Wire, D. Wayne Lukas and Jerry Bailey. The Alibi Breakfast, which began in the 1930s on the porch of the historic Pimlico Race Course, features a gathering of owners, trainers, jockeys,...

My obsessive nature has been consumed by this Triple Crown spacing mess. It was obvious that Cherie DeVaux was going to decide to skip the Preakness, although I think she was pure in her process. If the industry is trying to grow its appeal beyond the Derby, AND NYRA won't budge from its traditional June date--and for the life of me, I don't know why--why doesn't the Preakness, now with Churchill Downs at the helm, best market the Preakness, and often the Triple Crown, and leapfrog the early June Belmont...

Childs Walker, who has covered Thoroughbred racing in Maryland and nationally for nearly 20 years, has been named recipient of the Old Hilltop Award for covering the sport with excellence and distinction, the Stronach Group announced Tuesday. Walker will be presented with the Old Hilltop Award Thursday, May 14 at the Alibi Breakfast at Laurel Park. The Alibi Breakfast, which began in the 1930s on the porch of the historic Pimlico Race Course, features a gathering of owners, trainers, jockeys, media and fans to celebrate the Preakness and gain interesting...

Two days after Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI) announced its intent to acquire the intellectual property rights to the GI Preakness Stakes and the GII Black-Eyed Susan Stakes for $85 million, the firm's chief executive officer, Bill Carstanjen, said Thursday during a quarterly earnings conference call that the state of Maryland remains "in control" of the overall Thoroughbred racing product and its infrastructure, but that CDI's "real team of experts" is ready to assist if asked to help grow those assets. Although Carstanjen detailed the annual fee structure for licensing the...

Currently 16th on the 'Road To The Kentucky Derby' Leaderboard, the GIII Gotham Stakes winner Iron Honor (Nyquist) will bypass the 'Run for the Roses' and instead point to the 151st Preakness Stakes on Saturday, May 16 at Laurel Park, trainer Chad Brown told 1/ST Racing via a press release on Tuesday. "He's going to go to the Preakness," Brown, a two-time winner of the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown, said Tuesday morning at Churchill Downs. "The only thing is if something weird changes with the [Derby] field, a...

In an article posted last week in Sports Business Journal, it was reported that the GI Preakness Stakes would be pushed back a week next year to be run three weeks after the GI Kentucky Derby and that the GI Belmont Stakes would also be pushed back by a week. The stir the article caused quickly died down when Maryland Jockey Club President and General Manager Bill Knauf denied that any decisions had been made regarding the date of next year's Preakness. But the story did get some important things...

Fasig-Tipton will introduce a new format, date, and restored name for the annual fall yearling sale in Timonium, Maryland for 2026, the auction house announced Monday. Previously known as the Timonium Yearling Sale, the auction will once again be known as the Eastern Fall Yearling Sale, reflecting the deep roots and enduring importance to breeders, owners, and trainers in the region. Major regional developments--the new racetrack construction at Pimlico and Belmont Park--marked a beginning to a new era for the Midlantic and Northeast racing circuits, and spurred changes which include...

With the GI Preakness moving to Laurel for this year's running, attendance will be limited to just 4,800 patrons, according to a spokesperson for 1/ST Racing. The story was first reported by Matt Hegarty in the Daily Racing Form, who provided 1/ST with a list of questions regarding this year's race. Though 1/ST had turned over Laurel and Pimlico to a quasi- public organization now running racing in Maryland, 1/ST maintained the rights to the 2026 Preakness. Over the two days that encompass the GII Black-Eyed Susan and the Preakness,...

The Maryland Jockey Club (TMJC) kicks off its 2026 season with the opening of the Laurel Park Winter Meet on Friday following a successful 2025 ledger. Between Laurel and Pimlico Race Course, the TMJC staged 119 days of live racing comprising 1,109 races. Average per-race handle was $365,637, an increase of 14.29% over 2024. Average daily handle at Laurel and Pimlico was $3,407,493, representing a 13.49% gain over the previous 12 months. Field size was ahead marginally from 7.48 in 2024 to 7.65 last year. The handle for 'Preakness Preview...

What will racing look like in 10 years? We asked some of racing's best and brightest to give us their predictions. Corey Johnsen, Longtime track executive, Thoroughbred owner/breeder Anyone who reads this publication understands that our sport has plenty of problems. Issues such as aftercare, ADW/CAW, decoupling, shrinking foal crops and the regulation of safety and integrity dominate the landscape and need to be solved. There have been some recent success stories in working together, so, I am going to focus on some developments which will positively affect our industry...