Maryland Jockey Club

Although the Thoroughbred industry is still trying to come to grips with seismic schedule changes to the Triple Crown that were disclosed last week in two major announcements, members of the Maryland Racing Commission (MRC) largely avoided discussion of the GI Preakness Stakes during Wednesday's monthly meeting. Aside from a perfunctory summation of Preakness-related transactions during the Maryland Jockey Club (MJC) report, plus public comments from two citizens about the Preakness being moved to 22 days after the GI Kentucky Derby and the controversial partnership between Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI)...

The Triple Crown series, which captivated racing fans and provided the sport with some of its most electric moments since the series was first swept by Sir Barton in 1919, passed away Monday. It was 107. The cause of its death was a new series of races announced by the New York Racing Association and Churchill Downs. The six-race series, called the "Thoroughbred Championship Series," will begin with the GI Kentucky Derby and conclude with a championship race at Churchill in September. Many details have yet to be released, but...

Trish Bowman has been named The Jockey Club steward for the New York Racing Association racetracks beginning July 1, 2026, the organization announced Tuesday. "Trish brings a strong combination of regulatory experience, industry knowledge, and sound judgment to this role," said The Jockey Club chair Everett Dobson said. "Her background as a racing official across multiple racing jurisdictions and her work with the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) will be invaluable in maintaining the integrity and safety of racing in New York." Bowman recently served as the associate state...

A $25,000 purse increase will be applied to a quartet of stakes races at Laurel Park for De Francis Dash Day June 27, the Maryland Jockey Club (TMJC) and the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association announced Monday. The Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash is now worth $175,000, while the Deputed Testamony Stakes, Alma North Stakes, and Japan Racing Association Turf Cup each offer $125,000 in purses. The Japan Racing Association Turf Cup, run at 1 1/8 miles on turf, highlights the close relationship between TMJC and the Japan Racing Association...

Tom Chuckas, Tony Salerno and Jason Klouser "are no longer employed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" in their positions under the state Department of Agriculture, according to a brief email from an agency spokesperson. When asked about the reasons for the terminations, the spokesperson wrote that "we do not comment on personnel matters." Chuckas was the ag' department's director of Thoroughbred Horse Racing. He took that position in 2016. Before that role, he was formerly the president of the Maryland Jockey Club. Chuckas attended Tuesday's Pennsylvania horse racing commission meeting....

In an article posted last week in Sports Business Journal, it was reported that the GI Preakness Stakes would be pushed back a week next year to be run three weeks after the GI Kentucky Derby and that the GI Belmont Stakes would also be pushed back by a week. The stir the article caused quickly died down when Maryland Jockey Club President and General Manager Bill Knauf denied that any decisions had been made regarding the date of next year's Preakness. But the story did get some important things...

America's Best Racing, the fan-development platform and national marketing initiative funded by The Jockey Club, will host its 11th annual Pre-Preakness Party May 14 at Laurel Park. Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) and The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation have been named as the event's primary charitable beneficiaries. TAA will present a silent auction featuring premium racing memorabilia and collectibles. "Every ticket sold and every dollar raised at the Pre-Preakness Party makes a direct difference in the lives of off-the-track-Thoroughbreds," said Georganne Hale, senior vice president of Racing Development of The...

With the GI Preakness moving to Laurel for this year's running, attendance will be limited to just 4,800 patrons, according to a spokesperson for 1/ST Racing. The story was first reported by Matt Hegarty in the Daily Racing Form, who provided 1/ST with a list of questions regarding this year's race. Though 1/ST had turned over Laurel and Pimlico to a quasi- public organization now running racing in Maryland, 1/ST maintained the rights to the 2026 Preakness. Over the two days that encompass the GII Black-Eyed Susan and the Preakness,...

It was a good year for the new management team at the Maryland racetracks, where the average daily handle at Laurel was up 13.49 percent and average per-race handle increased by 14.29 percent. To talk about what went right for Maryland racing last year, the future of the GI Preakness Stakes, the decision to form a circuit with Colonial Downs, and to report on the rebuild of Pimlico, Bill Knauf, the president and general manager of the nonprofit Maryland Jockey Club, joined the team for this week's TDN Writers' Room...

One of Maryland's leading trainers, Claudio Gonzalez, has been expelled from Laurel Park according to a story from the Paulick Report Tuesday. A brief statement from the Maryland Jockey Club reads, "Claudio Gonzalez violated the rules of The Maryland Jockey Club and has been expelled from the grounds." While the MJC provided no further information, the Paulick Report article links horses previously trained by Gonzalez to "questionable" homes, saying, "Bev Strauss, founder of MidAtlantic Horse Rescue, told the Paulick Report that a former Gonzalez trainee ended up at a kill...

Vincent "Jimbo" Bracciale, Jr., winning rider of 3,545 races--the bulk of them in Maryland, passed away Dec. 15, according to a release from the Maryland Jockey Club, which will hold a moment of silence and a video tribute after the first race Saturday. Bracciale was 72. Among Bracciale's many career highlights was piloting Ruffian to victory in the 1974 GI Spinaway Stakes and GIII Astoria Stakes. "I've ridden some good horses, but there was nothing to compare to her," said Bracciale said in a 1988 interview. He also rode Broad...

Bill Knauf is the president and general manager of the non-profit Maryland Jockey Club Inc., (MJC), which took over the management of Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course this year. It's a time of tremendous transition in that state, with Pimlico currently being demolished and rebuilt with the goal of all commercial-track Thoroughbred racing in Maryland moving to the new Baltimore venue by 2027. Laurel will then close for racing and training, and a new training facility at Shamrock Farm in Carroll County will be built. Knauf updated TDN on...