Pimlico

The Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championships (MATCH) Series, which was forced to go on hiatus in 2020 because of regional COVID-19 restrictions, will return this year under a two-state schedule put together by horsemen and racetracks in Maryland and Virginia to bridge the gap until the full Series is restored in 2022. The Series, the only one of its kind in racing, will run from May 14 at Pimlico Race Course through Dec. 26 at Laurel Park, and will feature 24 stakes--20 of them in Maryland and four at Colonial Downs in...

As a result of the ongoing pause of live racing at Laurel Park through Sunday, Apr. 4, the Maryland Jockey Club has pushed its Spring Stakes Spectacular program back one week to Saturday, Apr. 24. All seven stakes worth a total of $750,000 in purses originally scheduled for Saturday, Apr. 17 will be run on the new date with a similar 12:40 p.m. post time. Nominations for all stakes are due Saturday, Apr. 3. The Spring Stakes Spectacular is led by the $125,000 Federico Tesio for 3-year-olds going 1 1/8...

The $1-million GI Preakness S. returns to its normal position as the second leg of racing's Triple Crown and is the marquee event of a $3.25-million stakes schedule at Pimlico Race Course this spring. The Preakness, repositioned as the last of the three Triple Crown events due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, was won by Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil), who became just the sixth filly in history to win the race. She defeated GI Kentucky Derby winner Authentic (Into Mischief), who would return to win the GI Breeders' Cup Classic...

For the past 32 years, the Maryland Jockey Club has had a tradition of handing out free pies to its patrons during its Thanksgiving Day program. Along with live Thoroughbred racing at Laurel Park, fans would arrive in the morning to free cider, coffee and donuts, and leave with an apple or pumpkin pie. This year, with no fans in attendance for Thursday's live program, the Maryland Jockey Club didn't want to stop the tradition of giving away pies. So 1,500 pies were ordered as usual, with 500 going to...

Ed DeRosa of Brisnet.com takes on TDN's Steve Sherack and Brian DiDonato as they handicap Triple Crown prep races plus the big three races themselves. The three will make $100 Win/Place bets in the preps and $200 Win/Place bets in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont. Highest bankroll at the end wins. DeRosa - Bankroll: $5480 - GI Kentucky Derby Result - Max Player rallied for fifth. GI Preakness S. - I wanted to bet Art Collector in the Kentucky Derby, so why not in the Preakness against arguably a...

All of 2020 has been unconventional to say the least and the Triple Crown series is no exception. Instead of starting with the GI Kentucky Derby on the First Saturday in May, the highlight of the 3-year-old season kicked off in mid-June with a shortened GI Belmont S., which is traditionally the final leg of the series. It was 11 weeks before the Run for the Roses on the First Saturday in September and now, another four weeks later, the Triple Crown road comes to an end in Baltimore Saturday...

Mundaye Call (Into Mischief), an eye-catching winner in track-record time of the Runhappy Audubon Oaks at Ellis Park Aug. 9, seeks her first graded score in Saturday's GIII Miss Preakness S. at Pimlico. After recording a field-best 100 Beyer Speed Figure in that front-running, 7 1/4-length decision, the OXO Equine colorbearer got caught up in a torrid pace in Churchill's GII Eight Belles S. Sept. 4 and tired to fourth. The 7-5 morning-line favorite takes on a pair of 'TDN Rising Stars' here, including the field's lone Grade I winner...

After bypassing the GI Kentucky Oaks, Juddmonte homebred Bonny South (Munnings) is the clear-cut filly to beat in Saturday's GII George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan S. at Pimlico. The chestnut broke through with a last-to-first upset in the GII Twinspires.com Fair Grounds Oaks Mar. 21, then was a well-beaten fourth in the GI Central Bank Ashland S. at Keeneland July 11. She bounced back with a good second behind the GI Preakness S.-bound Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) in the GI Alabama S. at Saratoga last time Aug. 15. "The biggest thing...

For the GI Preakness S., which is scheduled to take place Saturday, Oct. 3, The Stronach Group and 1/ST LIVE have partnered with Baltimore's Darin Atwater and his Soulful Symphony, which will orchestrate the musical transformation of traditional Preakness moments, including the National Anthem, Riders Up, and the Call to Post. Three-time Grammy winner Wyclef Jean will join the festivities and use the platform that would have included the traditional "Maryland, My Maryland" performance to instead reimagine a unique piece. American jazz musician and Lady Gaga's band leader Brian Newman...

L. William & Corinne Heiligbrodt's Yaupon (c, 3, Uncle Mo--Modification, by Vindication), an impressive last out winner of Saratoga's GII Amsterdam S. Aug. 29, made it a perfect four-for-four with a powerful, front-running victory while equaling the stakes record in Thursday's GIII Chick Lang S. at Pimlico. The 3-5 favorite blasted out to the front from his outside draw, and was ridden along by John Velazquez to hold a narrow advantage. He began to shake free as they straightened for home and wasn't for catching in the stretch, rolling to...

Despite losing the ultra-talented GISW Volatile (Violence) to an untimely injury in late September, the Hall of Fame Steve Asmussen barn still has another big bullet to fire in the sprint division in the form of the up-and-coming unbeaten sophomore Yaupon (Uncle Mo) in Thursday's GIII Chick Lang S. at Pimlico. The L. William and Corinne Heiligbrodt colorbearer, a $255,000 OBS June acquisition (:10), made it a perfect three-for-three in front-running fashion while making his stakes debut in Saratoga's GII Amsterdam S. last time Aug. 29. The Chick Lang 4-5...

At this stage exactly four weeks ago, trainer Tom Drury, Jr. was sitting pretty with Art Collector (Bernardini), who figured the solid second choice in the GI Kentucky Derby four days hence. But, as happens all too often in this game, fate intervened, and 24 hours later, Bruce Lunsford's homebred was a high-profile defection from the Run for the Roses. A month later, the colt will again try to play the role of spoiler, this time as the morning-line 5-2 second favorite to Derby hero Authentic (Into Mischief) in Saturday's...