Maryland Jockey Club

For the third year, 300 riders from the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond walked, trotted, and cantered their horses across Pimlico Oct. 31 with proceeds to benefit the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA). In total, the 2022 Canter for the Cause raised over $20,000 for the TAA--a nonprofit which provides accreditation and grants to Thoroughbred aftercare organizations dedicated to the retraining, retiring, and rehoming of off-track Thoroughbreds. Sponsored by the Maryland Jockey Club, this annual event also gives riders the opportunity to take their horses through the starting gate and get their...

Laurel Park will swap out three Thursday racing dates for Mondays in November. The request was unanimously approved by a voice vote at the Oct. 4 Maryland Racing Commission meeting. Mike Rogers, the president of the racing division for the Maryland Jockey Club's Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park, told commissioners that the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association was in favor of the switch. "It's kind of an experiment. We see that handle is a little bit low on the Thursdays, so we're going to see if we can get a...

A team representing the Maryland Jockey Club will participate in the Real Rider Cup Friday, Sept. 16, at Fair Hill. The Fair Hill leg of the 2022 Real Rider Cup continues the tradition of the charity show jumping event that supports Fair Hill Thoroughbred Show, New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program and the Retired Racehorse Project. The MJC will be represented by host/analyst Kali Francois, marketing and events manager Brittlan Wall and trainer Jacqueline Savoye. "I couldn't be more excited to be part of this amazing event and Team Maryland Jockey...

In the last race on the final day of Laurel Park's 2022 summer meet, trainer Rudy Sanchez-Salomon edged Claudio Gonzalez by one win, 19-18, to earn his first career training title, breaking their weekend tie. "It's been a great meet," Sanchez-Salomon said. "Everything has been great for us. We've been very blessed. I thank God and thank my help and thank everybody." Jevian Toledo and Horacio Karamanos finished tied for leading jockey honors with 31 wins apiece. They also shared Laurel's summer meet title in 2020.

Eclipse Award-winning sprinters Star de Naskra and Smoke Glacken are the newest inductees to the Maryland Thoroughbred Hall of Fame after a vote by a committee of Maryland racing industry members coordinated by the Maryland Horse Breeders Association and Maryland Racing Media Association. This year's inductees will be celebrated during a ceremony between races at Timonium Saturday, Sept. 3. The newest honorees, with biographies, photos, videos and complete race records, will be showcased on-line at www.mdthoroughbredhalloffame.com. "With the Maryland Thoroughbred Hall of Fame inductees each year we are able to...

After pushing back their usual 12:40 p.m. post time to 1:50 p.m. due to heat, a severe thunderstorm forced the Maryland Jockey Club to cancel Laurel Park's live Friday program following the seventh race, with just two races remaining on the card. Racing will resume Saturday at 12:40 p.m. with a 10-race card.

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...