Alvaro Barajas, who has worked as hot walker at Laurel Park since 2018, has been selected the first recipient of the “Ferris Allen Bootstraps Scholarship,” which awards the winner $10,000 toward his or her college education with the goal of offsetting some of the cost.

Tickets for the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association Christmas Party, which will return to the calendar after an absence of several years, are now available.

Trainers at Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course are encouraged to submit nominations for the MTHA Backstretch Employees of the Year for 2022.

This year’s Toy Drive giveaway will be held Saturday, Dec. 23, in the Laurel Park Track Kitchen. The event will begin at 11 a.m.

The Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association will continue the tradition of offering free dinners prepared by the Paz family at the Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course track kitchens on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 23.