Maryland Horse Breeders Association

The winners of the seventh annual Renaissance Awards, hosted by the Maryland Horse Breeders Association and the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, will be announced each morning at 10:00 a.m. on Maryland Thoroughbred social media platforms beginning Feb. 26 and continuing through Saturday, Mar. 2. Awards will be given for the top Maryland owner, trainer, jockey, dirt horses, turf horses, claimer, Maryland stallion, broodmare and breeder and champion Maryland-breds of 2023. Special awards will be presented to Pimlico and Laurel Park Backstretch Employees of the Year.   The announcement schedule is...

Maryland was one of the breakout states in the American Horse Council's report on the economic impact of the national horse industry, released on Jan. 31. The total economic impact of the industry grew 38% between 2017 and 2022, from $2.1 billion to $2.9 billion. In addition, the industry's direct contribution to Maryland's GDP grew by 40.5% between 2017 and 2022. The industry is responsible for 28,434 jobs, and horse industry wages total more than $1.24 billion. The survey, conducted in 2023 by the American Horse Council, determined that Maryland...

The Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen Association, Maryland Horse Breeders Association, and 1/ST RACING have announced a one-year deal to continue live horse racing in Maryland until December 31, 2024. The deal ensures that the GI Preakness S. will be run at Pimlico in May and provides for ongoing racing operations throughout 2024. "We are pleased to come to terms on a one-year extension to the 2012 agreement with The Stronach Group, 1/ST RACING and Maryland Jockey Club and appreciate the work by all that went into finalizing this deal," said David...

The Maryland Horse Breeders Association has selected three incumbents and one new member to its 2023 Board of Directors. Incumbents returning to the board are Henry S. "Tim" Clark III, Charles C. Fenwick, Jr. and Thomas J. Rooney. William K. Boniface, who has previously served five separate terms on the board, returns. Lisa Hofstetter joins the board for the first time. The five elected members join current directors George Adams, Amy Burk, Michael J. Harrison DVM, Michael Horning, Christine Holden, Ann B. Jackson, Grace Merryman, Kent A. Murray, Gina Robb...

Tuesday's Maryland Racing Commission (MRC) meeting yielded the news that the state's horsemen, breeders, and the operator of Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park have agreed on yet another six-month extension agreement to keep racing going after a 10-year deal expired at the end of 2022. The placeholder agreement will go into effect for the final six months of 2023, and it follows a similar six-month extension reached earlier this year that is set to sunset June 30. The eventual goal is to come up with a longer-term contract. Mike...

Ned Allard will judge the upcoming Maryland Horse Breeders' Association's 89th Yearling Show. Open to all yearlings eligible for Maryland-bred registration, the show will be held July 23 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds' Horse Show Ring in Timonium. A native of Tenafly, N.J, Allard got his start in the business working for trainer George Handy in New England in the late 1950s. In 1970, he opened his own stable at the now-defunct Lincoln Downs in Rhode Island. Among the notable horses trained by Allard is racing Hall of Famer Mom's...

A few hours after the Maryland Jockey Club (MJC), which operates Laurel Park, put out a statement in which it said it had concluded "that there were no issues with the track and that it is safe to race and train," the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (MTHA) and the Maryland Horse Breeders' Association sent a joint email to Maryland Racing Commission Chairman Michael Algeo calling into question the safety of the track and calling the current situation a "catastrophic emergency." There have been off-and-on concerns about the main track at...

Legislation which will create the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority (MTROA) was passed by the state's House of Representatives by a vote of 132-2 on Apr. 10, the last day of the state's 2023 General Assembly session. Previously Senate Bill 720 , which is designed to participate in the development of racing and training facilities in the state and operate in the best interests of Thoroughbred racing, passed the state Senate by a 47-0 vote Apr. 6. The bill also states that, "If necessary, the authority will manage and oversee...

The Maryland Horse Breeders Association and the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association will host a Tesio Talk and continental breakfast in the International Room at Laurel Park on Federico Tesio S. day, Apr. 15. The "Talking Tesio" event begins at 10:30 a.m. and will feature a continental breakfast followed by a panel discussion with industry leaders about Tesio's influence on the breed. Speakers include Country Life Farm's Josh Pons, J. William Boniface, the owner of Bonita Farm, and Ned Moore, owner of Corner Farm in Clark County, Virginia, bloodstock agent, and...

Located in the heart of historic Reisterstown, Md., just down the road from Sagamore Farm, Hall of Fame steeplechase trainer Jack Fisher's Kingfisher Farm, and GreenMount Farm, the birthplace of 2021 Horse of the Year Knicks Go (Paynter), sits the newly opened Maryland Horse Library and Education Center. The one-of-a-kind facility, honoring the robust history of horses in Maryland and serving as a hub for educating the next generation, is housed in the Maryland Horse Breeders Association (MHBA)'s building. The stately brick structure with large, white columns, was originally built...

The grand opening of the Maryland Horse Library and Education Center will be held Dec. 16 at noon, the Maryland Horse Breeders Association (MHBA) and the Maryland Horse Foundation (MHF) announced Monday. The ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place, followed by the MHBA's Christmas open house until 4 p.m. Located at 321 Main Street in the heart of historic Reisterstown, the Maryland Horse Library and Education Center will serve as a hub for learning and collaboration, while honoring the long history of horses in Maryland. The large, airy space includes an...

Eclipse Award-winning sprinters Star de Naskra and Smoke Glacken are the newest inductees to the Maryland Thoroughbred Hall of Fame after a vote by a committee of Maryland racing industry members coordinated by the Maryland Horse Breeders Association and Maryland Racing Media Association. This year's inductees will be celebrated during a ceremony between races at Timonium Saturday, Sept. 3. The newest honorees, with biographies, photos, videos and complete race records, will be showcased on-line at www.mdthoroughbredhalloffame.com. "With the Maryland Thoroughbred Hall of Fame inductees each year we are able to...