MJC

Ken Brown, who held the position of Track Superintendent at the Maryland Jockey Club (MJC), officially retired from the organization Dec. 1. To ensure a smooth transition, Danny Finke has been appointed Interim Track Superintendent. With 40 years of experience on the MJC track crew, Finke has a deep knowledge of track maintenance making him an ideal choice to step into this interim role. "Ken Brown's leadership has been instrumental in navigating MJC through a challenging period and raising the standard of our racing surfaces," said Mike Rogers, Acting President...

Preak Weeks initiative in partnership with Heidi Klotzman of HeidnSeek Entertainment returns for its second season, 1/ST and The Maryland Jockey Club announced Tuesday. Preak Weeks shines a spotlight on Baltimore-based businesses in the lead up to the Preakness, the second jewel in the US Triple Crown. Each day from Apr. 26 through May 17, one of 22 participating businesses will give away to a set of customers the "Ultimate Preakness Experience," a four-pack of tickets to Preakness 149 that includes access to this year's Preakness Live festivities. In addition,...

The Maryland Jockey Club was alerted to a horse displaying neurological abnormalities in its hind limbs Apr. 14, and the horse in question subsequently tested positive for Equine Herpesvirus (EHV), according to a Maryland Jockey Club release. As a precautionary measure, both the affected horse and another, which had been in close proximity to the affected animal but showed no symptoms, were relocated to an isolation barn at Laurel Park. Additionally, Barn 33, where the affected horse was housed, was promptly placed under quarantine. The MJC, who alerted the State...

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 announced it will host a hiring fair Apr. 20. Open to the public from 1-4:00 p.m., the fair will offer short- and long-term employment opportunities with local businesses including Select Event Group, SAFE Management, The Beadle Group, Battle Tested Security, Ridgewells Catering, Atlas Restaurant Group and the Maryland Jockey Club. Positions that a slew of companies will look to fill at this year's fair include: line and prep cooks, host staff, servers, kitchen, assistants, buffet managers, action station attendants, tent chefs and supervisors, unarmed event security...

A futures-styled pari-mutuel wager to pick the winner of the GI Preakness S. before the GI Kentucky Derby goes off will debut this year with an 18% takeout. The pool will be hosted by the Maryland Jockey Club (MJC). The new bet was unanimously approved at Tuesday's monthly meeting of the Maryland Racing Commission. Mike Rogers, the president of the racing division for the MJC, described details of the Preakness wager. "The window of that bet will open on Friday, Apr. 28, and we're going to close roughly 6 p.m....

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...

The Maryland Jockey Club outlined a change in the training schedule at Laurel to accommodate a maintenance project on the main track. Expected to take a week, depending on weather. the project is scheduled to begin Tuesday, Aug. 23. According to MJC Track Superintendent Chris Bosley, the work involves a section of the homestretch that was repaired in the fall of 2021. An inspection that was part of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's Racetrack Safety Program, which began July 1, determined that the area requires further review. Racing at...

The Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association Board of Directors approved a 20% Purse Bonus on all overnight races through Feb. 27 at Laurel Park Wednesday. In addition, the Maryland Jockey Club, during a meeting with the MTHA, agreed to add three Thursdays in February to the live racing calendar and said it will card at least 10 races a day in January and February when possible. First post time has been moved to 12:10 p.m. in January to accommodate extra races. Live racing at Laurel Park is scheduled to resume Sunday,...

The Maryland Jockey Club confirmed the cancellation of live racing at Laurel Park through Sunday, Dec. 5 as work continues to complete repairs to the track and to analyze recent equine injuries. While racing is suspended, the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association and the Maryland Jockey Club are working with industry experts to analyze surface composition and maintenance procedures directed at the safest possible racing surface. According to a MJC press release: "Until now, and through collaborative measures among industry participants, Maryland racing has experienced the lowest fatality rate in its...

The Maryland Jockey Club released the fall schedule of 33 stakes worth $3.525 million in purses for Laurel Park, including the GIII Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash and 36th edition of the Jim McKay Maryland Million. The fall meet begins Thursday, Sept. 9 and continues through Saturday, Dec. 31. For the complete stakes schedule, click here. The six-furlong De Francis for 3-year-olds and up will help kick off the fall stakes schedule as one of four stakes worth $500,000 in purses Saturday, Sept. 18. Named for the late president...

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...