Pimlico Race Course

The year 2023 was a pretty rough one for the sport of horse racing, and there was little to suggest that this year would be any different. The sport seems to be caught in a downward spiral as we move from one crisis to another and are left to wonder "what next?" So far this year, the answer to that question is that maybe things will be better in 2024 than we might have thought. There have been several recent positive developments for the sport, many of them having to...

An online community meeting for members will be hosted by the Board of Directors of the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (MTHA) on Thursday, Jan. 11 at 11 a.m. ET to discuss the reports recently released on behalf of the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority (MTROA). The MTROA has been examining options for the future of the Thoroughbred racing and breeding in the state, specifically facilities and operating models. The reports are to be considered by the Maryland General Assembly, which begins its 2024 legislative session Jan. 10. MTROA Chair Gregory...

The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) will be the recipient for this year's Canter for a Cause charity event, set to take place on Sunday, Oct. 29 at Pimlico Race Course, the aftercare organization announced on Tuesday. Sponsored by the Maryland Jockey Club, Canter for a Cause will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with all proceeds going to the TAA. Canter for a Cause gives horse owners the opportunity to ride their personal horse on a racetrack and also help promote second careers for Thoroughbreds. Named for exceptional...

Michael Algeo, who has served on the Maryland Racing Commission (MRC) since 2016 and was chairing that board, resigned from both positions, effective immediately, June 14. Frank Vespe of Maryland's "Off to the Races Radio" was first to report the scoop on his show's June 17 broadcast. Algeo's departure accentuates a time of regulatory upheaval within Maryland racing that in recent months has been marked by three other long-serving commissioners (David Hayden, Tom Bowman, Tom Winebrener) also either resigning from the MRC or not having their terms renewed by the...

Tuesday's Maryland Racing Commission (MRC) meeting yielded the news that the state's horsemen, breeders, and the operator of Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park have agreed on yet another six-month extension agreement to keep racing going after a 10-year deal expired at the end of 2022. The placeholder agreement will go into effect for the final six months of 2023, and it follows a similar six-month extension reached earlier this year that is set to sunset June 30. The eventual goal is to come up with a longer-term contract. Mike...

4th-Pimlico, $54,160, Msw, 5-25, 2yo, f, 4 1/2f, :52.90, ft, 1/2 length. KRISTINACHRYSALIS (f, 2, Maximus Mischief--Tiz Her Now, by Tiznow) notched the first winner for her freshman sire (by Into Mischief) and former 'TDN Rising Star' with a maiden-breaking score at Old Hilltop. Flashing early speed along the rail, the 9-2 chance contested the lead with 7-5 favorite Buckin' Great (Great Notion), but around the far turn the bay filly began to get away from her rival and went on to graduate by 3/4 of a length over the...

Pimlico, the home of a Triple Crown race, is rundown and needs to be torn down and rebuilt. Its sister track, Laurel isn't in much better shape. To have two tracks in such condition does not make for a sustainable model for the future of Maryland racing, a problem that track owners and politicians have been trying solve for more than a decade. But the latest round of give-and-take appears to have yielded a solution. Money once earmarked for a rebuild of both Pimlico and Laurel is expected to be...

Sunrise at Old Hilltop will once again offer fans a unique behind the scenes walking tour of historic Pimlico Race Course this week. Suspended in 2020 and 2021 amidst the pandemic, the popular event returned in 2022. "Everything turned out great. People loved coming back," tour director and guide Fran Burns said. "I think it actually gained popularity because more people had heard about it, either on television or through word of mouth." Admission to the Sunrise at Old Hilltop tours is free and is on a first-come, first-served basis...

Veteran trainer Kieron Magee and five-pound apprentice jockey Axel Concepcion claimed their respective meet titles as Laurel Park closed its spring meet Sunday. Magee, 62, entered the eight-race, closing-day program without a starter, but an 11-8 lead over Jamie Ness in the trainer standings. Hugh McMahon won twice Sunday to pass Ness for second, while Brittany Russell wound up fourth with seven wins. "It feels great because I'm down to 25 horses. To pull off a training title with 25 horses, that takes some doing," Magee said. "I lost a...

Tom Pedulla, who has reported on Thoroughbred racing for more than three decades for numerous publications, will receive the Old Hilltop Award at the Alibi Breakfast May 18 at Pimlico Race Course. The Alibi Breakfast began in the 1930s on the porch of the old Pimlico Clubhouse and features a gathering of media, owners, trainers, jockeys, horsemen and fans to celebrate the Preakness while gaining interesting and humorous race predictions. Pedulla, who started his career keeping box scores at New York Yankees games for Associated Press, became the Yankees beat...

According to an Associated Press report, 1/ST Racing, which owns Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita, intends to bring the Pegasus format to the California in 2024. "I'd really love to see that we bring it to the West Coast," 1/ST President and CEO Belinda Stronach told the AP. "That will probably happen in 2024. What we did this year for 2023 was said, 'OK, we have a number of great race days, let's coordinate those better and call it the 1/ST Racing Tour and recognize great achievements within our own...

Claudio Gonzalez and Jevian Toledo both enjoyed career highs as they defended their titles as the Maryland Jockey Club's leading trainer and jockey, respectively, in 2022. Gonzalez, a 46-year-old cancer survivor from Chile, finished with 74 wins at Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course to edge Brittany Russell and Jamie Ness, who tied for second with 73 wins apiece. It marked the sixth consecutive year that Gonzalez has led the Maryland standings, averaging 101 wins per season. He captured Laurel's winter stand to open 2022, his 19th individual meet title...