The Laurel Park fall meet kicks off Sept. 11 with a 10-race card, headlined by the Geisha Stakes for fillies and mares.
The 57-day Laurel stand will feature live racing on Wednesday through Saturday afternoons (with Columbus holiday exception), concluding on Dec. 18. The meet includes 19 stakes races worth $1.45 million, headlined by the 25th running of the Jim McKay Maryland Million on Oct. 2.
Introduced in 1986, the Maryland Million is a program for the offspring of Maryland-based stallions. Maryland-sired thoroughbreds are nominated before they become 2-year-olds and remain eligible for life to run in the Maryland Million races.
The De Francis Dash (gr. II), normally the premier event of the fall meet, was put on hiatus by Laurel to divert its $300,000 purse into overnight races.