Maryland Jockey Club

With temperatures set to reach the high nineties this weekend in the Mid-Atlantic region, a number of tracks have announced adjusted schedules, but Monmouth Park officials remain confident that the Saturday card featuring the GI Haskell S. will go off as planned. "First and foremost, we are concerned about the safety of the horses and jockeys and want to make sure we do the right thing," said Dennis Drazin, who heads the management team at the Jersey Shore track. "But we've been on top of it all week and right...

With high temperatures and humidity in the forecast, and in the best interests of its horses, horsemen and fans, the Maryland Jockey Club has pushed back post time for the live 10-race program at Laurel Park Saturday, July 23. The first race, a 5 1/2 furlong claiming sprint for maiden 3, 4, and 5-year-old fillies scheduled on the All Along turf course, will go off at 1:50 p.m. rather than the usual 12:40 p.m. starting time during the 37-day summer meet. The National Weather Service forecast calls for abundant sunshine...

Due to excessive heat forecast for the Mid-Atlantic region, and with an abundance of caution for its horses, horsemen and fans, the Maryland Jockey Club will not host live racing at Laurel Sunday, July 24. Temperatures are expected to reach the mid-90s through the weekend with near-record highs approaching 98 degrees forecast for Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. Races that were in the condition book and all extras for Sunday will now be used for an additional live program Thursday, July 28. Entries will be taken Saturday, July...

Laurel Park's summer meet stakes schedule--anchored by the repositioned $150,000 Frank J. DeFrancis Memorial Dash--features 14 stakes worth $1.3 million. The six-furlong DeFrancis has been moved from its traditional spot on Laurel's fall calendar and will be run July 16 this year. Joining the De Francis on the July 16 program are the $100,000 Alma North S., the $100,000 Big Dreyfus S., and the $100,000 Prince George's County S. All four races are part of the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) Series. The 37-day summer meet opens Friday and continues through...

The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) will have a full lineup of on-site festivities during GI Preakness S. week. "The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance has been a valued partner of the Preakness since 2015," said Maryland Jockey Club Acting President, Mike Rogers. "We at 1/ST and the Maryland Jockey Club look forward to bringing aftercare to the forefront of the Preakness for many years to come. The good work done by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is absolutely vital to ensuring the safety of our equine athletes and the longevity of the sport."...

Beyond the Wire, a Maryland-based Thoroughbred aftercare program, will be honored with the Maryland Jockey Club's Special Award of Merit during the Alibi Breakfast at Pimlico Thursday. The Special Award of Merit is presented to those who have made a positive impact on the racing industry. Past winners include Hall of Fame horsemen D. Wayne Lukas, Jerry Bailey, Ramon Dominguez and King Leatherbury; late Hall of Fame broadcaster Jim McKay, founder of the Maryland Million; and MJC track photographer Jim McCue. "We are honored and really appreciate the recognition, as...

A two-day electronic dance music festival at Pimlico Race Course has forced a dates reshuffling of the first regularly scheduled summer race meet at the Baltimore track in 17 years. The Aug. 6 and 7 Moonrise, which is billed as one of the premier "rave" gatherings on the East Coast, drew about 30,000 people to the Pimlico infield each summer between 2014 and 2019 with no conflicts to the horse racing schedule. That's because the Maryland Jockey Club (MJC) at that time chose to race during the summer months at...

Due to a forecast for rain early next week, work on the Pimlico Race Course dirt surface has been rescheduled for Monday, April 25, through Wednesday, April 27. The work, which entails an examination of previous work done on the base at Pimlico in advance of the spring meet, was scheduled for Easter Sunday, April 17, through Tuesday, April 19. Pimlico and Laurel already were scheduled to close for training on Easter. The Maryland Jockey Club also said that because of the forecast for rain, entries will not be taken...

The Maryland Jockey Club has confirmed that maintenance work on the dirt surface at Pimlico Race Course will begin Easter Sunday, Apr. 17, with plans to reopen the track for training Wednesday, Apr. 20. MJC Acting President and General Manager Mike Rogers said a favorable weather forecast will allow the project to proceed at the preferred time rather than the following week. The track maintenance crew each year has examined the Pimlico surface prior to the May race meet and last year repaired the base in specific areas. Traditionally, there...

Voting is officially open for The Art of Racing, a unique art competition presented by 1/ST and the Maryland Jockey Club in partnership with the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) to honor the GI Preakness S., Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown, and its impact on Baltimore. A total of 147 entries of original, two-dimensional visual art that depict the unique elements of Thoroughbred racing and the Preakness Stakes were submitted for the contest. The winning artist will receive a $4,000 stipend and their artwork will be reproduced and...

GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Knicks Go (Paynter) was honored as 2021 Maryland-bred Horse of the Year during the fifth annual Renaissance Awards held virtually throughout the week of Feb. 28. The awards, which are a collaborative effort between the Maryland Horse Breeders Association, Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association and Maryland Jockey Club, were presented through the MHBA's social media accounts. Also honored were champion 2-year-old male Joe (Declaration of War), champion 2-year-old filly Luna Belle (Great Notion), champion 3-year-old male Jaxon Traveler (Munnings), champion 3-year-old filly Street Lute (Street Magician),...

The Pimlico Spring Meet, highlighted by the GI Preakness S., will offer 16 stakes--10 graded--worth $3.8 million in purses. The $1.5-million Preakness anchors a program of 10 stakes, six graded, worth $2.75 million May 20. Leading the undercard stakes on Preakness Day is the $250,000 GII Dinner Party S. for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/16 miles on the turf. To be run for the 121st time, the Dinner Party is Pimlico's oldest race and the eighth-oldest in the country, first run in 1870. Other graded supporting stakes are the...