Laurel Park

Concerns over the safety of the troubled main dirt track at Laurel Park have quieted since racing was halted there Apr. 21-28. Mike Rogers, the president of the racing division for 1/ST Racing, which owns both Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, told the Maryland Racing Commission (MRC) Tuesday that several "tweaks" to the maintenance routine represent the only significant changes to the surface since racing resumed Apr. 29. The tone was noticeably less tense and in-person attendance was diminished during the MRC's regular monthly meeting at Laurel May 2....

Laurel Park will be open for training on Thursday and Friday, with the intent to run this Saturday, Apr. 29, Alan Foreman, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (THA), said by phone Wednesday afternoon. Last Saturday's cancelled Apr. 22 card of 98 entries included a pair of $100,000 races in the Native Dancer S. and the Primonetta S., scheduled for the main track. This time around, the racing office has taken 116 entries over 11 races with the same slate of five stakes. The decision...

The Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (MTHA) and the management team at 1/ST Racing announced an agreement Tuesday morning that will allow for the MTHA's preferred track maintenance consultant, John Passero, to be retained to perform testing that will hopefully lead to the latest round of fixes in a years-long series of safety woes that have plagued Laurel Park's main dirt track. The agreement, which was announced at an emergency meeting of the Maryland Racing Commission (MRC) Apr. 25, put off for the time being any action by the commission that...

A few hours after the Maryland Jockey Club (MJC), which operates Laurel Park, put out a statement in which it said it had concluded "that there were no issues with the track and that it is safe to race and train," the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (MTHA) and the Maryland Horse Breeders' Association sent a joint email to Maryland Racing Commission Chairman Michael Algeo calling into question the safety of the track and calling the current situation a "catastrophic emergency." There have been off-and-on concerns about the main track at...

The Maryland Jockey Club (MJC), which cancelled racing this weekend after two fatalities at Laurel Park Thursday, issued a new statement late Saturday regarding the status of the Laurel surface. The statement appears in full below: The Maryland Jockey Club has cancelled its Thursday, Apr. 27 racing program at Laurel Park due to insufficient entries. The racing office will be open and taking entries Sunday for the Friday, Apr. 28 program. We acknowledge the recent statements in the press regarding the safety of our racing surface. However, we want to...

The Maryland Jockey Club, which operates Laurel Park, announced late Friday that racing at Laurel has been cancelled at least through this weekend. "The Maryland Jockey Club (MJC) announced that after consultation with the Maryland Racing Commission, racing will be cancelled this weekend at Laurel Park while MJC works with the Maryland Racing Commission to understand and address any issues of concern raised relating to recent injuries," the statement read.  "MJC will also be discussing plans for implementation of updated safety and veterinary protocols similar to those that have been...

In a press release sent out just 50 minutes before the post time for the day's first race, Laurel Park management announced that the Saturday card had been postponed. The reason given was an "abundance of caution to do a full evaluation of the racing surfaces." According to multiple sources, two horses broke down during training hours Saturday. One of the horses had to be euthanized and the other did not. There were no incidents during racing on Thursday and Friday. Maryland Jockey Club Acting President Mike Rogers sent a...

Heading into Friday's closing day winter meet card, Jaime Rodriguez and Jamie Ness appear poised to top the jockey and trainer divisions for Laurel Park's concluding Winter Meet. Rodriguez, 32, holds an 11-win advantage over five-pound apprentice Jeiron Barbosa in the rider standings, 58-47, with eight races remaining. Rodriguez is named in four races Friday, while Barbosa is named in six. It will be the first riding title in Maryland for Rodriguez, who also leads with $1.9 million in purse earnings from 209 mounts. He led the Delaware Park standings...

The Maryland Horse Breeders Association and the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association will host a Tesio Talk and continental breakfast in the International Room at Laurel Park on Federico Tesio S. day, Apr. 15. The "Talking Tesio" event begins at 10:30 a.m. and will feature a continental breakfast followed by a panel discussion with industry leaders about Tesio's influence on the breed. Speakers include Country Life Farm's Josh Pons, J. William Boniface, the owner of Bonita Farm, and Ned Moore, owner of Corner Farm in Clark County, Virginia, bloodstock agent, and...

3rd-Laurel, $52,600, Msw, 3-10, 3yo, f, 5 1/2f, 1:05.39, ft, 12 3/4 lengths. GOODGIRL BADHABITS (f, 3, Mastery--Dazzler, by Vindication), the 11-10 favorite for this unveiling on the back of four speedy works over this surface--including a five-furlong bullet in 1:00 flat Mar. 1--never gave them a chance. Blinkered and speeding to the lead after breaking only fairly, the filly put up :22.58 and :46.32 splits from the rail and was seven lengths ahead with three-sixteenths of a mile to race. She continued to build on that advantage while not...

Winners of the sixth annual Renaissance Champion Awards, a collaborative effort between the Maryland Horse Breeders Association and the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association which recognizes excellence in Thoroughbred racing and breeding in Maryland in the past year, were announced the week of Feb. 27 on the MHBA's social media accounts. Awards for the 2022 season will be presented at Citron on the Waterfront at Quarry Lake in Baltimore County on Friday, April 14. To view the full list of winners, click here.

Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky. Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where. With the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) having gone into effect on July 1, the TDN will also post a roundup of the relevant HISA-related rulings from the same week. NEW HISA STEWARDS RULINGS The following rulings were reported on HISA's...