Mid-Atlantic

Trainer Howard Wolfendale, a top trainer in Maryland for decades, passed away on Thursday at age 69. He died from complications from a stroke he suffered the previous week. His death was first reported by the Daily Racing Form. "The best horseman I've ever known. We will all love and miss you forever," his daughter Maggie, an analyst at the NYRA tracks, posted on X. Born in Pittsburgh, Wolfendale started his career in 1977 and won his first race that year with a horse named Red Lace. Wolfendale was a...

After some 50 years of helping to run and shape the industry in some capacity or other, Alan Foreman has stepped away from all but a few of his many obligations. It comes on the back of the gradual dissolution of the Thoroughbred Horseman's Association of the Mid-Atlantic region, of which he was chairman and CEO. Foreman was the organization's first executive director. During his 50 years of industry involvement, Foreman was a former counsel to the Maryland Racing Commission, director of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) and vice-chairman...

Ellis Park has postponed Thursday's card and will move it in its entirety to Monday due to extreme heat forecasted for the Henderson, Ky. area, the track announced Tuesday. The National Weather Service has issued an Extreme Heat Warning for the area with heat index values of up to 109 degrees. There are currently no changes to Friday-Sunday's schedule, with daily first posts of 11:50 a.m. CT. Officials will continue to monitor the forecast and make any necessary adjustments. Ellis is the second track to shift racing due to heat...

These are uncertain times for Monmouth Park. The foal crop is down, their horse population is way down, and they're having trouble filling fields. That's what happens when you are one of many players in an overloaded Mid-Atlantic region and you are the only track that does not get revenue from casinos. (Monmouth does get a $10 million subsidy from the state to prop up purses, but that could be reduced to $2.5 million in 2027). Yet, better news may be around the corner. Bills have been introduced to have...

Stepping into the shedrow of Laurel Park's Barn 22 late in the morning on a dark day, all is relatively quiet. Outside of the office, a groom rakes up loose pieces of straw as the horse residing in the first stall peers out inquisitively, all the while his neighbor to the left lies curled up in freshly tossed bedding. Further down, a wheelbarrow sits parked outside of the fifth stall, which is where you'll find trainer Henry Walters as he finishes mucking out. After setting aside the pitchfork and giving...

What will racing look like in 10 years? We asked some of racing's best and brightest to give us their predictions. Corey Johnsen, Longtime track executive, Thoroughbred owner/breeder Anyone who reads this publication understands that our sport has plenty of problems. Issues such as aftercare, ADW/CAW, decoupling, shrinking foal crops and the regulation of safety and integrity dominate the landscape and need to be solved. There have been some recent success stories in working together, so, I am going to focus on some developments which will positively affect our industry...

Eclipse Award-winning jockey Axel Concepcion, who was named top apprentice in 2023, will return to the Mid Atlantic and make his first appearance at Colonial Downs this summer as the 20-year-old has joined the local riding colony for the 2025 summer session. "It feels great to be here," Concepcion said. "I want to take advantage of these opportunities that the trainers are giving me. My goal is to win as many races as I can and to try to win a title." No stranger to the Mid Atlantic circuit, Concepcion...

Grade I winner Cupid (Tapit) will stand the 2024 breeding season at Atlanta Hall in Monkton, Maryland, the farm announced on Monday. The 10-year-old, who previously stood at Ashford Stud in Versailles, KY, since 2018, will be Atlanta Hall's first stallion. "This transfer from Coolmore's Ashford Stud in Kentucky to our prestigious and historic facility marks an exciting new chapter for both Cupid and Atlanta Hall Farm," Garrett Murray, stallion manager and owner of Atlanta Hall, said. "We are honored to welcome Cupid to our esteemed stallion roster, and we...

Winter Storm Elliott is expected to bring gusty winds, arctic cold and threats of flash freezing to the Mid-Atlantic over the weekend. To prepare, the Maryland Jockey Club has postponed its Dec. 26 Christmastide Stakes Day program. "Due to the weather conditions expected throughout the weekend, we decided to cancel our Monday program early and accommodate our fans as well as the horsemen and horsewomen who will be participating in this exceptional day of racing," said Mike Rogers, Acting President of the Maryland Jockey Club. The entire 11-race slate will...

Madeline Rowland's journey to becoming a jockey reached the next level last Sunday when she scored her first win on the NYRA circuit over the Aqueduct main track. Still just a teenager and already over the million-dollar mark in earnings, Rowland knew early on that her future was in horses. "I always grew up around horses," she said. "My dad trained steeplechase horses before he passed and my mom galloped for a little bit and helped my dad train. When I was 12 or 13, I started pony racing and...

Continuing a decades-long regional effort to enact uniform medication, safety and welfare reforms, protocols and rules, a coalition of 31 regulatory and stakeholder organizations representing all seven states in the Mid-Atlantic region have unanimously agreed to work together to implement a new rule that will significantly restrict the improper use of the bronchodilator clenbuterol. Under the current regional rule, clenbuterol may not be administered to a horse within 14 days of a race, and the concentration of the drug in a post-race blood sample may not exceed 140 picograms/ml. The...

A unified set of whipping regulations is in the pipeline for the mid-Atlantic region jockeys, and the plan could be announced by early June with the goal of rolling out the new rules as tracks start to reopen from COVID-19 closures. "We are very actively working on finalizing a riding crop policy--rule if you want to call it [that]--for the mid-Atlantic region that will bring a consensus to the region on the use of the crop," Alan Foreman, the chairman and chief executive officer of the Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, said...