A bill that would allow for the revival of the Washington D.C. International and provide a $500,000 bonus to Maryland-bred or sired horses who run in the GI Preakness S. unanimously passed the state's House of Delegates Monday with a 137-0 vote. The state's Senate passed the bill 46-0 last month and it now only needs the signature of Governor Larry Hogan to become law. The bill provides $500,000 for three years to the Maryland International, a turf race to be contested at Laurel Park, provided the race is a Grade I stakes. It also allows the Maryland Racing Commission to use “money from a specified unclaimed prize fund to be distributed to pay Maryland-bred or -sired horses who win the Preakness Stakes or are eligible for purses from the Preakness Stakes.”
“We're extremely excited about the opportunity to revive the Washington D.C. International at Laurel Park,” said Sal Sinatra, President and General Manager of the Maryland Jockey Club. “The International was one of the world's premier turf races, and we want to bring it back bigger and better than ever. We're extremely grateful for all the support from the State of Maryland, horsemen, breeders and fans. We also want to thank Delegate Jay Walker who introduced the bill and Delegates Kevin Hornberger and Ric Metzgar for co-sponsoring the bill. We continue building Maryland racing, but running the International again and making it a major turf race on the world's racing calendar is one of our major priorities. We hope to use the International as a major prep for the Breeders' Cup, an event we hope to host in the near future.”
First run in 1952, the Washington D.C. International attracted horses from across the globe and was won by such racing stars as Kelso, All Along, Bald Eagle, Fort Marcy, Paradise Creek, Mac Diarmida, Dahlia, Sunshine Forever and Vanlandingham. It was last run in 1994.
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