Pimlico

The GI Preakness S. will be run at Pimlico on Oct. 3, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced on NBC Saturday on what would have been Preakness Day under normal circumstances. The announcement confirmed a report from earlier in the week from WBAL, the NBC affiliate in Baltimore. With Churchill Downs having announced that the GI Kentucky Derby will be run Sept. 5, among the Triple Crown races, only the GI Belmont S. has yet to be scheduled. While NYRA officials have not made an official announcement regarding the timing of...

Stronach Group Chairman and President Belinda Stronach and Maryland Governor Larry Hogan will announce the rescheduled date for the 145th GI Preakness S. on NBC Sports Saturday. NBC Sports will present a special show on NBC at 5 p.m. ET this Saturday, May 16--the original date for the race--headlined by American Pharoah's memorable Preakness S. win five years ago. The one-hour special--The Middle Jewel: American Pharoah's Run to the Triple Crown--will look back at American Pharoah's dominating win in the 140th Preakness S. Just prior to post time in 2015,...

Keeneland Race Course will be seeking a short summer race meet after losing its spring season to COVID-19 closure. Yet management at the Lexington track is trying to be mindful that such a move would have a ripple effect not only on Ellis Park, which traditionally has the Kentucky circuit all to itself during that time frame, but also the horse populations and stakes programs at Saratoga and Del Mar, the bi-coastal heavyweights that dominate American racing in the mid-July through Labor Day window. "We're looking to run an abbreviated...

The American Triple Crown is among a never-ending string of sporting fixtures that have been upended as a result of the current coronavirus pandemic. Churchill Downs addressed the issue first, announcing that the 2020 renewal of the GI Kentucky Derby will be presented Sept. 5, while the Maryland Jockey Club followed, announcing the GI Preakness S. would also be rescheduled, although an official date has yet to be announced for the Triple Crown's second jewel despite reports of an October running. NYRA has yet to confirm a date for the...

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...

The 145th GI Preakness S. could be held Oct. 3, per a report by NBC affiliate WBAL TV. "The TV time is booked, and the 145th Preakness S. will be held Oct. 3 on NBC," the report read. The GI Kentucky Derby has been rescheduled for Sept. 5, while a date for the GI Belmont S. has yet to be announced. The Preakness S., originally scheduled for May 16, was postponed by the Maryland governor amid the coronavirus outbreak in March. It was also announced last month that the Preakness...

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...

Officials at the Maryland Jockey Club announced the cancellation of Friday's scheduled live racing program at Laurel Park and will pause racing indefinitely following an executive order from the office of Maryland Governor Larry Hogan. "In accordance with the Maryland Governor's Executive Orders and as part of the continuing effort to protect the health and safety of essential personnel and the horses they care for, the Maryland Jockey Club will temporarily pause live racing at Laurel Park and Rosecroft Raceway," read a statement. "Our top priority is the well-being of...

Laurel Park's stable area will be closed to horses other than those based at Laurel and Pimlico Race Course, effectively immediately. Shippers will not be permitted, and any that had been entered for Mar. 20-21 at Laurel Park will be scratched. The decision is part of a series of precautionary and safety measures put in place by the Maryland Jockey Club and Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association given the coronavirus situation. Laurel Park is scheduled to offer an 10-race card Mar. 20 and an 11-race card Mar. 21 with access severely...

The Racing and Community Development Act of 2020, which authorizes $375 million to pay for the rebuilding of Pimlico and the refurbishing of Laurel, was passed Wednesday by the Maryland General Assembly, reports the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association. The bill will now go to Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, who is expected to sign it. If signed by Hogan, the Act will go into effect June 1. It has sailed through both Maryland houses. The House passed the conference committee version of the bill by a vote of 113-14 a short...

In light of the public health emergency created by the COVID-19 pandemic, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has issued an emergency order to close all Maryland casinos, racetracks, and simulcast betting facilities to the general public indefinitely. "This situation continues to evolve and will escalate rapidly and dramatically," Hogan said. "These are unprecedented actions in an extraordinary situation, but they could be the difference in saving lives and keeping people safe." The emergency order, which takes effect at midnight Monday, affects Thoroughbred facilities Laurel, Pimlico and Timonium and harness tracks Rosecroft...

7th-Aqueduct, $75K, Alw/Opt. Clm ($62,500), 1m, 4:25 ET Repole Stable's LEGIT (Curlin) followed up a dominant debut victory going a mile at Gulfstream with an equally impressive two-turn, 'TDN Rising Star'-earning score in the Pimlico slop on Preakness weekend in 2018, but disappeared after that and resurfaces off a near 21-month layoff in this mile feature at Aqueduct. Unveiled as a 17-10 chance in Hallandale, the chestnut scampered away to triumph in hand by 7 1/4 lengths, then rallied from well off the pace to a four-length tally despite a...