What's Happening Across Maryland Racing

The Maryland Racing Commission June 7 approved a proposed regulation that would make a 1.5% assessment on claimed horses mandatory rather than voluntary.

Have you worked on the backstretch in Maryland in the last three years? Are you enrolled in a four-year degree program at a college or university? Do you have a passion to continue working in the Thoroughbred industry upon graduation?

Harper’s First Ride, who earned just shy of $700,000 and won the Grade III Pimlico Special in 2020, has been retired through the Beyond The Wire program and currently resides at MidAtlantic Horse Rescue in Warwick, Md. He was bred by in Maryland by Sagamore Farm.

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority’s Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program was relaunched May 22, and was in effect again in Maryland beginning May 25 at Pimlico Race Course.

Maryland Racing Commission Chairman Mike Algeo was presented with the Maryland Jockey Club’s Special Award of Merit during the May 18 Alibi Breakfast at Pimlico Race Course.

The Preakness Stakes post-position draw will be held Monday, May 15, at Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Baltimore and will include a public concert by English musician John Waite, who is known for his many popular songs in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

After days of negotiations, the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association and Maryland Horse Breeders Association reached an agreement with the Maryland Jockey Club on hiring consultant John Passero to examine the Laurel Park dirt surface and make recommendations for its improvement in the wake of a string of equine injuries during training and racing.

In an effort to improve communication and productive discussion amongst our community, the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association is testing the concept of WhatsApp groups specific to the following groups: Laurel Park trainers, Pimlico Race Course trainers, and Maryland jockeys.

Legislation that will create the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority, an entity that will participate in the development of racing and training facilities in the state, passed the state Senate by a 47-0 vote April 6 and the House of Representatives by a vote of 132-2 on April 10, the last day of the 2023 General Assembly session.

The resumption of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority’s Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program has been moved to May 22.

Virtual sign-ups for the Maryland Backstretch Pension Plan have been a success the last three years and continue to be available with a deadline of June 1, 2023 at backstretchpension.com.

Jeff Kreimer, Director of Health and Safety for MJC, provided the following reminders and updates on fire and health safety as summer approaches.