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Nominations Sought For Backstretch Employees Of The Year
Trainers at Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course are encouraged to submit nominations for the MTHA Backstretch Employees of the Year for 2023.
The MTHA, as it has in previous years, will recognize one backstretch employee at each racetrack based on the nominations. The awards will be presented in early 2024. The deadline to submit nominations is Dec. 31.
“Our backstretch workers are incredibly important to our industry,” MTHA President Tim Keefe said. “They arrive at the track in the darkest hours of the morning and are doing jobs that any nine-to-fiver just couldn’t comprehend. They feed a barn full of horses, scoop manure from stalls, and lift hay, straw and water. The groom bathes them when they get back from the track - all before the rest of the world wakes up.
“They are very dedicated and spend most of the day making sure the horses are well taken care of. They always put the needs of the horse before their own. They know the personalities of their horses and every blemish on every inch of their bodies. The best feeling these workers experience is taking a horse in their care on race day and watching it come down the stretch to win or at least place well.
To submit a worker to be considered email their name, position and a summary of why they deserve this award to info@mdhorsemen.com.
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With the approval of legislation that authorizes the redevelopment of Pimlico Race Course and creation of a not-for-profit operator under the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority, the planning process for operations after Jan. 1, 2025, has hit high gear.
Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association Executive Director David Richardson met with horsemen and employees at Pimlico Race Course April 26 to discuss plans by Maryland Jockey Club to transition workers and horses later this year to Laurel Park as part of the ongoing plan to redevelop Pimlico.
