Maryland

A total of 550 juveniles have been catalogued for the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds In Training Sale, scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, June 29 and 30, at the Maryland State Fairgrounds at Timonium. Both sessions will begin at 11 a.m. ET. The online catalogue may be viewed here. Print catalogues will be available beginning June 8. Under-tack shows will take place Wednesday through Friday, June 24-26 and will kick off at 8 a.m. ET. "Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training has produced more Grade I winners than any other U.S. 2-year-old sale in...

Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association President Tim Keefe said it may be "unrealistic" for the local purse account to pay for the $1.5-million Preakness and the several stakes that are held in support of the Preakness. In a statement issued Tuesday, Keefe said he has become increasingly concerned about the amount of purse money that is available for racing at Pimlico and Laurel. There has been no racing in Maryland since Mar. 15, but the bigger problem is that the state's casinos also shut down on that date. According to Keefe,...

The Racing and Community Development Act of 2020, a capital plan aimed to protect horse racing in Maryland through the development of Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park, was allowed to pass, without signature, by Gov. Larry Hogan May 7. Passed by the Maryland General Assembly Mar. 18, the legislation clears the way for the Maryland Stadium Authority to provide up to $375 million in bonds, stemming from a combination of funds from the Racetrack Facility Renewal, Purse Dedication Accounts and Baltimore City' video lottery terminal payments and funds from...

While eager to see the return of live racing at Laurel, Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association President Tim Keefe knows that the belt-tightening may not end any time soon. Casino revenues account for a large portion of the purse money for the Maryland tracks and its likely that the state's casinos will be closed for several more months. "It certainly is a concern and something on our minds," Keefe said. "Nearly70% of our purse revenues are derived from the casinos. With them being closed down, obviously it is a big concern...

The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Two-Year-Olds-in-Training Sale, originally scheduled in May, will now be held on Monday and Tuesday, June 29-30, at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, Maryland, the sales company announced in a press release Friday morning. The sale's under-tack show will be held on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, June 24-26. "The latest data on the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with social-distancing recommendations and stay-at-home orders, has necessitated the change of dates," said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. "Fortunately, we had already planned on having an auction in Maryland...

After a devastating 2019 fire at Louis and Grace Merryman's Anchor and Hope Farm in Port Deposit, Maryland, the rebuilding process has come full circle with the arrival of Force the Pass, a Grade I-winning son of Speightstown, who will begin his first season at stud at the farm this year. Force the Pass also marks a new beginning for T. K. Kuegler's Wasabi Ventures Stallions as the first stallion to stand for the growing syndicate. Kuegler grew up listening to racing stories from his great grandfather, trainer P. J....

Maryland lawmakers have introduced a bill, the Racing and Community Development Act of 2020, that would fund renovations at Laurel and Pimlico, ensuring that the GI Preakness S. will remain at Pimlico. The bill calls for the Maryland Stadium Authority to oversee the project and to raise $350 million to do so through the sale of bonds. The future of the Preakness had been in doubt when officials with The Stronach Group, which owns Laurel and Pimlico, made it known that they were interested in moving the race to Laurel....

Country Life Farm in Fallston, Maryland, is hosting an open house Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be a heated tent, featuring crab soup, and stallions will be shown in the breeding shed. Among the stallions on display will be Mosler, Divining Rod, Friesan Fire and Super Ninety-Nine.

7th-Laurel, $46,000, Msw, 8-1, 3yo/up, f/m, 7f, 1:23.95, ft. ARRIFANA (f, 3, Curlin--Vaulcluse {SW}, by A.P. Indy) entered this unveiling with a very upbeat worktab over the Fair Hill all weather, and was backed down to 17-10 favoritism facing a field of foes who had mostly had their fair share of chances. Breaking a bit outwardly from her wide draw, the bay dropped back to sit second last while always well off the inside. She began to pick off foes into a :46.84 half, briefly seemed to idle, but found...