Maryland Racing

by Josh Pons Andrew MacNamara Pons, who managed his family's Country Life Farm in Maryland during the 1970s, died on Tuesday evening, Jan. 2, following complications from cardiac arrest five days earlier. He was 70 years old. Born in Baltimore on May 31, 1953, he was the oldest son of Joseph and Mary Jo Pons. He grew up working with horses at Country Life, the oldest Thoroughbred farm in the state, established in 1933 by Pons' grandfather, Adolphe. Fresh out of high school, Pons began work as an assistant for...

Highlighted by a Winter Carnival program featuring the GIII Barbara Fritchie S. and GIII General George S., as well as the start of Maryland's series for 3-year-olds leading up to the 149th GI Preakness S., Laurel Park will offer 17 stakes worth $1.8 million in purses during its 2024 winter meet. The 38-day winter meet begins Friday, Jan. 5, running Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Saturday, Mar. 30. Daily post time is 12:25 p.m. There will be no live racing Easter Sunday, Mar. 31. Stakes action kicks off Jan. 20...

The 2023 Thoroughbred racing schedule for the upcoming Timonium meet has been released. Running from Aug. 25 through Sept. 4, the week-long meet held during the Maryland State Fair will offer purses of $287,000 daily. The meet will offer two added-money events this year: the $100,000 Timonium Distaff for fillies and mares, 3-years-old and up, going 61/2 furlongs on Saturday, Aug. 26 and the $100,000 Timonium Juvenile for 2-year-olds going 6 1/2 furlongs on Saturday, Sept. 2. Both races are $75,000 guaranteed, plus $25,000 for Maryland-bred or Maryland-sired. The Maryland...

BALTIMORE, MD -- Despite having done everything right in three prior career starts, Maple Leaf Mel was nonetheless sent off the 8-5 second betting choice in Friday's GIII Miss Preakness S. behind 4-5 choice Key of Life (Mo Town), victorious in the GII Beaumont S. Apr. 16. Unaware of the crowd's leanings, the grey daughter of Cross Traffic led for most of the way and never looked back, rolling home an easy 1 1/2-length winner over the late-closing Topsy. The grey soon overtook the fast-starting Key of Life and maintained...

Big Ass Fans will sponsor the GIII Maryland Sprint on Preakness S. day at Pimlico Race Course May 20. As part of the sponsorship, Big Ass Fans will have a significant presence at the event, with its logo prominently displayed throughout the racecourse. In addition, Big Ass Fans will provide cooling solutions for both the horses and spectators. "We are thrilled to be a part of such a prestigious event," said Hunter Harris of Big Ass Fans. "The Preakness S. is a celebration of the very best in horse racing,...

The impasse between Maryland horsemen and the Stronach Group regarding the condition of the main track at Laurel could be nearing a resolution as the two sides are close to an agreement to let John Passero examine the racetrack. Passero is the former track superintendent at Laurel and Pimlico and the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (MTHA) has been insistent on letting him examine the track and have the final say regarding whether or not it was safe and, if not, what fixes were in order. The Stronach Group had brought...

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.

The Maryland Horse Foundation announced that the 2023 Maryland Thoroughbred Career Program (MTCP) will run from June 5-9, 2023. The online application is now open and must be completed by Apr. 21. Interviews will take place in the two weeks after the application deadline and selected participants will be notified in early May. "The Maryland Thoroughbred Career Program offers a great opportunity to see behind the scenes in the various components of the industry from reproduction to racetrack operations", says Cricket Goodall, executive director. "We hope to show these young...

The Maryland Horse Foundation will host the annual online stallion season auction from Jan. 2-6. This year's auction will feature no-guarantee seasons for 17 Maryland-based stallions: Divining Rod, Friesan Fire, Mosler, Bourbon Courage, Holy Boss, Long River, Fortune Ticket, Alliance, Kobe's Back, Hoppertunity, Galawi (Ire), Irish War Cry, Madefromlucky, Uncle Lino, Blofeld, Rainbow Heir and Barbados. "This is a good opportunity to support the Maryland Horse Foundation and get a great deal on a season or two to some of Maryland's top stallions," said Cricket Goodall, executive director of the...

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...

Maryland-bred Knicks Go (Paynter), the Eclipse Award winner as champion older horse and Horse of the Year for 2021, has been named the Honorary Postmaster for Preakness 147. Bred by the mother and daughter team of Angie and Sabrina Moore and foaled at their GreenMount Farm in Glyndon, Md., Knicks Go will be recognized Thursday, May 19 during the Alibi Breakfast at historic Pimlico Race Course. In 1996, the United States Postal Service opened a temporary Preakness station at Pimlico the week of the Preakness. It returns this year after...

A pair of familiar faces topped the jockey and trainer standings following Sunday's closing day of Laurel Park's winter meet, as jockey Jevian Toledo and trainer Claudio Gonzalez reigned again as meet leaders following their titles at Laurel's 2021 fall stand as well as the year's overall Maryland championship. Toledo, 27, did not have a mount Sunday but took a 10-win edge, 38-28, over five-pound apprentice Jean Alvelo into the nine-race program. Alvelo had six mounts Sunday, winning with Royal Thunder ($3.60) in Race 6 to finish with 29 wins....