track repairs

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...

Thursday's Maryland Racing Commission (MRC) meeting figured to provide an update on the massive main track base and cushion repair project that has kept Laurel Park dark since Apr. 10 and caused the entire backstretch community to relocate to either Pimlico Race Course, the Timonium fairgrounds, or private stabling. But beyond noting that all horses had been moved out of the Laurel backstretch as of May 26 and thanking horsemen for their cooperation, Sal Sinatra, the president of the Maryland Jockey Club (MJC), which owns Laurel and Pimlico, only reported...