Timonium’s State Fair Meet: A Highlight of Summer

Planning is underway for the traditional summer meet at the Maryland State Fair at Timonium, which again will offer seven live racing programs this year.

Racing will by held over two weeks, from Friday, Aug. 22, through Sunday, Aug. 24, and Friday, Aug. 29, through Monday Sept. 1. The Maryland Jockey Club will again handle pari-mutuel wagering during the meet.

The Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association at its June meeting signed off on the purse schedule, which will remain the same as 2024. The purse for an open allowance race is set at $54,000, while maiden special weights will go for $42,000. The bottom purse of $15,000 is for $5,000 claiming races, The purse for the highest maiden-claiming races ($40,000 tag, $50,000 for Maryland-bred or -sired horses) is $36,000.

There will be one stakes: the Shine Again, for fillies and mares that have not won an open stakes, on Aug. 23. The purse is $75,000, with an additional $25,000 for Maryland-bred or -sired runners.

This year marks the first time in many that there hasn’t been live racing in July and most of August in Maryland before the fair meet. The Maryland racing industry worked out a plan whereby Laurel Park will be dark, but Maryland-bred and -sired horses competing at Colonial Downs and Delaware Park can earn owner, developer, breeder and stallions bonuses.

In addition, stakes schedules have been modified so that horses bred or sired in Maryland and Virginia can both compete in a series of stakes through March 2026.

Georganne Hale, TMJC Vice President of Racing Development who serves as Racing Secretary at the Timonium meet, said the new schedule could be helpful to field size.

“It might be and I’m hoping since there won’t be racing at Laurel before the meet, it could help Timonium a little,” she said. “We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Hale said there is a meeting of fair officials scheduled for July 9, and at that time she will know whether the popular tiered trainer bonus will return for 2025. College Day at the Races will return, and the MTHA Board of Directors agreed to contribute to the scholarship pool.

The Timonium condition book is online at Equibase.com, with printed books to be available in the near future.

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