Pimlico Race Course

1/ST and France Galop have partnered with the aim of increasing international participation, the two companies announced on Wednesday. The new partnership will begin with the $100,000 GIII Gallorette S. at Pimlico Race Course on May 18, Preakness Day. Whichever horse wins the Gallorette, will automatically qualify to run in the €250,000 G1 Sumbe Prix Jean Romanet S. at Deauville on Aug. 18. A travel stipend will also be provided. 1/ST has previously partnered with Ascot Racecourse on Gulfstream Park's Royal Palm Series which targets Royal Ascot's juvenile races, as...

Leo Kahl's 'First Turn' has been named the winner of Preakness: The Art of Racing, a nationwide art competition celebrating the unique elements of the Preakness S. and Thoroughbred horse racing. The winning artwork was announced at an honorary ceremony in the Brown Center at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Senior Advisor of Arts & Culture for the City of Baltimore Tonya Miller Hall was in attendance, representing Mayor Brandon Scott. MICA dignitaries, Park Heights's City Council representatives and 1/ST RACING leadership also attended the announcement alongside participating artists....

The Stronach Group has entered into a 'binding commitment' to donate Pimlico Race Course to the state of Maryland, a move that will allow the state to take over operations at the track, the Baltimore Banner reported Thursday afternoon. According to the report, the transfer could occur as early as this summer, per state officials, with the state taking over racing operations in 2025. The report says that the transfer will enable the state of Maryland to earmark hundreds of millions of dollars towards modernizing the track as well as...

A new $25-million racing and incentive series connecting Preakness 149, The California Crown, and the 2025 Pegasus World Cup was announced via press release by 1/ST Friday. Featuring more than $12.5-million in elevated purses and $7.5-million in incentives for both dirt and turf runners, there is a $5-million additional bonus on the line to the owner (s) of the horse who wins the 149th GI Preakness S., GI California Crown, and GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational. Turf horses will have a similar series and prize structure, with a $2.5-million bonus...

To avoid any potential conflict-of-interest issues, Tom Rooney, an appointed voting member of the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority (MTROA), has recused himself from any further decision making in the selection of a year-round training center, said Alan Foreman, another voting member of the non-profit. The new organization is positioning itself to assume control of day-to-day racing operations in Maryland, pending legislative approval. In a proposed plan, The Stronach Group, which owns Pimlico Race Course, would turn over ownership and daily operations of the track to the state and to...

The year 2023 was a pretty rough one for the sport of horse racing, and there was little to suggest that this year would be any different. The sport seems to be caught in a downward spiral as we move from one crisis to another and are left to wonder "what next?" So far this year, the answer to that question is that maybe things will be better in 2024 than we might have thought. There have been several recent positive developments for the sport, many of them having to...

An online community meeting for members will be hosted by the Board of Directors of the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (MTHA) on Thursday, Jan. 11 at 11 a.m. ET to discuss the reports recently released on behalf of the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority (MTROA). The MTROA has been examining options for the future of the Thoroughbred racing and breeding in the state, specifically facilities and operating models. The reports are to be considered by the Maryland General Assembly, which begins its 2024 legislative session Jan. 10. MTROA Chair Gregory...

The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) will be the recipient for this year's Canter for a Cause charity event, set to take place on Sunday, Oct. 29 at Pimlico Race Course, the aftercare organization announced on Tuesday. Sponsored by the Maryland Jockey Club, Canter for a Cause will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with all proceeds going to the TAA. Canter for a Cause gives horse owners the opportunity to ride their personal horse on a racetrack and also help promote second careers for Thoroughbreds. Named for exceptional...

Michael Algeo, who has served on the Maryland Racing Commission (MRC) since 2016 and was chairing that board, resigned from both positions, effective immediately, June 14. Frank Vespe of Maryland's "Off to the Races Radio" was first to report the scoop on his show's June 17 broadcast. Algeo's departure accentuates a time of regulatory upheaval within Maryland racing that in recent months has been marked by three other long-serving commissioners (David Hayden, Tom Bowman, Tom Winebrener) also either resigning from the MRC or not having their terms renewed by the...

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...

4th-Pimlico, $54,160, Msw, 5-25, 2yo, f, 4 1/2f, :52.90, ft, 1/2 length. KRISTINACHRYSALIS (f, 2, Maximus Mischief--Tiz Her Now, by Tiznow) notched the first winner for her freshman sire (by Into Mischief) and former 'TDN Rising Star' with a maiden-breaking score at Old Hilltop. Flashing early speed along the rail, the 9-2 chance contested the lead with 7-5 favorite Buckin' Great (Great Notion), but around the far turn the bay filly began to get away from her rival and went on to graduate by 3/4 of a length over the...

Pimlico, the home of a Triple Crown race, is rundown and needs to be torn down and rebuilt. Its sister track, Laurel isn't in much better shape. To have two tracks in such condition does not make for a sustainable model for the future of Maryland racing, a problem that track owners and politicians have been trying solve for more than a decade. But the latest round of give-and-take appears to have yielded a solution. Money once earmarked for a rebuild of both Pimlico and Laurel is expected to be...