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A decision by the Maryland Jockey Club to close the barn area at Pimlico Race Course at the end of October and force trainers to move prompted an immediate outcry from horsemen. Lou Raffetto Jr., chief operating officer of the MJC, said the decision was a cost-cutting measure. He said the barns at Pimlico would reopen about March 1, 2002.
Tuesday, October 09, 2001The Maryland Jockey Club, Maryland Horse Breeders' Association, and Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association will team up to support relief efforts at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Tuesday, September 18, 2001Thoroughbred racing and simulcasting at major locations in the United States shut down Tuesday due to the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. Many also planned to close Wednesday. The commissioner of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association said it could take a while "to sort out the implications for the country, as well as our business."
Tuesday, September 11, 2001At the Aug. 30 Maryland Racing Commission meeting at Ocean Downs, commissioner Terry Saxon erupted in anger over a letter from Colonial Downs president Ian Stewart in regard to the Virginia track's plan to apply for another summer meet next year.
Thursday, August 30, 2001Horse racing in Maryland is in dire straits and desperate need of help in the form of slot machines, a new racetrack, or millions of dollars in state assistance, industry leaders said Aug. 21 during a Senate Special Committee on Gaming hearing in Annapolis, Md. In turn, legislators told them the ball is in the industry's court.
Thursday, August 23, 2001Fresh off a successful 2001 summer meet at Colonial Downs, members of the Virginia Racing Task Force are looking forward to the 2002 Thoroughbred meet. They told the Virginia Racing Commission Wednesday they hope to race again in the summer.
Thursday, August 16, 2001The Maryland Jockey Club announced Friday that James P. Mango will be resigning his position as Executive Vice President effective September 30, 2001.
Friday, August 10, 2001The Maryland Jockey Club cancelled Saturday's $75,000 Dave's Friend because 12 trainers who nominated their horses declined to enter and race against Pimlico-based Disco Rico, one of the top sprinters in the country.
Thursday, August 09, 2001Because of the lingering uncertainty over the condition of the grandstand at Laurel Park, the Maryland Million will likely take place this year at Pimlico.
Monday, July 23, 2001Large panels of glass in the grandstand overlooking the track at Laurel Park have been cracking at an alarming rate. The situation, which already has forced the transfer of some racing dates to Pimlico Race Course, has prompted the Maryland Jockey Club to hire a team of experts to find the cause and propose a solution.
Thursday, July 12, 2001The public got its first glance Wednesday, June 27, at what in-fighting has cost the Maryland racing industry. The Maryland Jockey Club slashed 22 stakes races worth $1.7 million from its racing program the rest of the year at Pimlico and Laurel Park. The Maryland Racing Commission approved the drastic cuts at its monthly meeting in Timonium north of Baltimore.
Thursday, June 28, 2001Live racing dates for the remainder of the 2001 Thoroughbred racing season in Maryland were approved this afternoon at the monthly Maryland Racing Commission meeting in Timonium.
Wednesday, June 27, 2001The Virginia Racing Commission on Monday approved a revised live racing schedule for Colonial Downs that dovetails with dates in neighboring Maryland. For next year, one racing official has floated a plan to create a three-state circuit -- Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware -- designed to capitalize on each state's assets.
Tuesday, May 01, 2001Under the plan approved Wednesday by the Maryland Racing Commission, Thoroughbreds will cease racing in the state from July 8 to Aug. 7. During that period, Colonial Downs, the track in Virginia managed by the Maryland Jockey Club, will run its 25-day meet.
Thursday, April 26, 2001Laurel Park and Pimlico reported a combined profit of more than $670,000 last year, but the figure is way down from the $2.4-million profit recorded in 1999.
Friday, April 13, 2001After the Maryland Jockey Club agreed to drop its opposition, the Maryland Racing Commission granted preliminary approval March 30 to William Rickman Jr.'s bid to build a horse track in Western Maryland. Representatives of the MJC stopped fighting the proposal after Rickman, owner of Delaware Park and Ocean Downs, secured a $20 million line of credit for Allegany Racing Association. That is the entity composed of Rickman and his father, William Rickman, that proposes to construct the track at the eastern edge of Allegany County.
Saturday, March 31, 2001With a Saturday deadline to land a seat on the National Thoroughbred Racing Association board of directors fast approaching, the Maryland Jockey Club has rejoined the NTRA, and its president, Joe De Francis, will take a seat on the NTRA board.
Friday, March 30, 2001The Maryland Racing Commission on Thursday abruptly cut off testimony concerning construction of a racetrack in the western part of the state so opposing sides could work on an agreement to expedite the tedious process. William Rickman Jr., who wants to build the track in remote Allegany County, offered to write a letter of credit to guarantee its financial viability and stability. Rickman, who owns and Delaware Park and Ocean Downs, a Maryland harness track, is the only applicant for the license to construct the track.
Friday, March 30, 2001In a tense meeting that exposed deep divisions within Maryland's racing community, the state racing commission on Wednesday rejected a plan for ceasing Thoroughbred racing for five weeks this summer so that horses can compete in Virginia. The commission voted 6-2 against the proposal advanced by the Maryland Jockey Club and a task force representing segments of the racing industry in Maryland and Virginia. The plan called for Pimlico and Laurel Park to close for racing from June 10 to July 14 while Colonial Downs, the struggling track near Richmond, conducted a 25-day summer Thoroughbred meet.
Thursday, March 29, 2001For the first time since its inception in Maryland in 1990, the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash will be run this year in the fall instead of the summer. The $300,000 race, one of only two grade I six-furlong events in the country, will headline a "fall festival day" of a half-dozen stakes Nov. 17 at Laurel Park, said Lou Raffetto Jr., chief operating officer of the Maryland Jockey Club.
Tuesday, March 27, 2001On Wednesday, representatives of the Maryland Jockey Club will ask the state's racing commission for permission to cease racing at Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park for parts of June and July so that Thoroughbreds can race at Colonial Downs. The Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association doesn't support the plan.
Monday, March 26, 2001Virginia horsemen have two weeks to secure a loan that will allow Colonial Downs to pay an average of $200,000 in purses daily during a summer meet. The two-week deadline also applies to resolving a racing dates conflict between Virginia and Maryland.
Thursday, March 22, 2001The NTRA board of directors, during a teleconference meeting Thursday, ruled that a "sufficient number" of racetracks in the Mid-Atlantic region must rejoin the NTRA by March 31, or the region will lose its seat on the board. Elections for other racetrack seats will be held the week of Feb. 5, though tracks that aren't members by that date will not be eligible to vote.
Thursday, February 01, 2001Veteran racing executive Leonard (Lenny) Hale has left his post as vice president of racing for the Maryland Jockey Club, which operates Laurel Park and Pimlico Racecourse. According to a statement from MJC, the organization reached an "amicable parting" as of last Saturday, Jan. 20.
Thursday, January 25, 2001Colonial Downs has received approval to race in June and July this year, but the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association voted earlier in January to maintain the status quo: race in Maryland in June and July, and in Virginia in September. The head of the Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association says that position hasn't changed, but a board member contends the majority of Maryland horsemen wouldn't mind spending June and July in the Tidewater region.
Thursday, January 18, 2001The Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association has recommended that Maryland's racetracks maintain a schedule whereby there is a shutdown in September. That throws the decision on Colonial Downs dates back to the Virginia Racing Commisssion.
Friday, January 05, 2001An alliance led by the Maryland Jockey Club has dropped plans for building a horse track in Western Maryland and instead plans on constructing two off-track-betting parlors in that remote region of the state. This shift in strategy would leave William Rickman Jr. as the lone applicant for building the track.
Wednesday, December 13, 2000The Maryland Jockey Club announced Friday a reorganization of its executive board, including the hiring of Louis J. Raffetto, who will become the MJC's chief operating officer effective Jan. 1, 2001. The MJC also announced new titles and responsibilities for three current members of its board.
Friday, December 08, 2000Residents of Western Maryland jammed a ballroom Wednesday at their local Holiday Inn to speak their piece about a horse track proposed in rural Allegany County.
Thursday, September 28, 2000After an 8 1/2-month shutdown for remodeling, the much-maligned Poor Jimmy's off-track betting parlor in Maryland reopened Sept. 15 with a new name, a dramatically new look, and the prospect of serving as a model for other OTBs around the state.
Wednesday, September 20, 2000With the blessing of Gov. Parris Glendening and the state General Assembly, the Maryland Jockey Club raised the pari-mutuel takeout on races at Laurel Park, effective July 1.
Thursday, July 06, 2000The Maryland Jockey Club has loaned $5.1 million to the owner of Rosecroft Raceway to buy Ocean Downs.
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