That lump of coal that Pimlico Race Course fans received in their stockings came in the form of official word Dec. 20 that the home of the Preakness Stakes (gr. I) would, in 2017, also be the home to only 11 additional days of live racing.
The Maryland Racing Commission on Oct. 19 adopted the Association of Racing Commissioners International model rules on medication penalties—rules that most observers thought the commission had adopted back in 2014.
The Maryland Racing Commission June 27 voted unanimously to treat a spate of recent positive tests for glaucine as environmental contamination, to release purse funds that had been withheld in some cases, and to hold harmless the affected trainers.
Maryland Racing Commission member and former chairman Bruce Quade will receive the Maryland Horse Breeders Association’s Federico Tesio Award at its annual awards dinner, to be held April 27 in Timonium, Md.
The Maryland Racing Commission Feb. 22 gave the go-ahead to the Maryland Jockey Club to operate an off-track betting parlor at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium.
For the second time in a week, the Maryland Racing Commission Feb. 16 put off voting on a proposed off-track wagering facility at the state fairgrounds in Timonium.
The Maryland Racing Commission has heard the pros and cons of allowing the Maryland Jockey Club to operate an off-track betting parlor at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium and will vote on the issue Feb. 16.
Maryland racing stakeholders the evening of Nov. 20 received a status report on the state of the industry, and they were told there is great potential for growth in the state.
Laurel Park received Maryland Racing Commission approval June 16 to expand its summer meet to 24 days.
Maryland Jockey Club vice president and general manager Sal Sinatra June 2 said the plan is for Laurel to reopen July 3 and race mostly three days a week through the end of the year with the exception of the state fair meet.
The Maryland Racing Commission plans to begin testing for cobalt levels in racehorses this summer under an emergency regulation it approved during a May 19 meeting.
All horses scheduled to compete in the 140th Xpressbet.com Preakness Stakes (gr. I) at Pimlico Race Course must be on the grounds by noon May 14, according to security and pre-race procedures issued by the MJC.
In 2014, U.S. horse racing appeared on pace to register its fewest positive drug tests for anabolic steroids since the industry moved to outlaw the drugs from racing in 2008-09. But recent events in Maryland changed that.
Veterinarians bear responsibility in drug positives.
On the heels of the Maryland Racing Commission suspending trainer Hector Garcia, the Maryland Jockey Club has decided to ban Garcia and his sometimes-boss Juan C. Vazquez from its racetracks.
Summer racing will return to Maryland in 2015 under a schedule approved by the Maryland Racing Commission Nov. 11.
Laurel Park will offer a $2.85 million open stakes schedule during its upcoming meet that spans summer, fall, and early winter.
The Maryland Racing Commission approved the 2014 Pimlico Race Course spring stakes schedule at its monthly meeting Feb. 18. The headline event of the 10-week meeting is the Preakness Stakes (gr. I) on May 17.
In Maryland's efforts to comply with the Mid-Atlantic Uniform Medication and Drug Testing program, the Maryland Board of Public Works has approved a five-year contract with Truesdail Laboratories of Tustin, Calif.
A booklet put together by several individuals at the forefront of equine medication reform has been prepared for Maryland, which will enact the Mid-Atlantic Uniform Medication and Drug-Testing Program Jan. 1, 2014.
The Maryland Jockey Club has increased the purse for the Preakness Stakes (gr. I) from $1 million to $1.5 million, it was announced Dec. 12. This is the first hike for the Triple Crown classic since 1998.
The Maryland Racing Commission Nov. 12 approved the schedules for Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course after the MJC, Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, and Maryland Horse Breeders Association reached an agreement.
The Maryland Racing Commission Sept. 17 adopted uniform medication and drug-testing rules as part of a push in the Mid-Atlantic region.
After about a year of study and negotiating, Maryland will have a revised Thoroughbred breeding program beginning with the Laurel Park meet that kicks off Sept. 19.
While in recent years horse racing has made strides toward drug reform and uniform medication rules, one only need look at its biggest series, the Triple Crown, to see a lack of consistency.
A trainer who won her appeal of a 2008 ejection from Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races was ejected again by the same racetrack for an unrelated violation and has appealed that action.
Seeking to address a rash of fatal breakdowns during the Laurel Park winter meet, the Maryland Racing Commission March 20 revised new claiming rules passed in February.
The West Virginia Racing Commission Feb. 26 approved a resolution agreeing in principle with the effort to bring uniform medication, penalty, and testing rules to racing jurisdictions in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
The Maryland Racing Commission voted Feb. 19 to adopt a uniform equine medication, penalty, and testing program proposed for Thoroughbred and Standardbred racetracks throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.
The Maryland Jockey Club has upped the purse for this year's Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (gr. II) at Pimlico Race Course to $500,000 from $300,000.
The Maryland Jockey Club plans to build a new clubhouse and grandstand at Laurel Park on the opposite side of the existing structures at the track, as well as knock down all existing barns and relocate new ones.
Under a plan submitted to Maryland officials Feb. 1, the Maryland Jockey Club plans to build new stables at Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course in a first step toward major capital improvements at both tracks.
On the day the recently forged 10-year agreement between stakeholders in the Maryland racing industry received a formal presentation before the Maryland Racing Commission, a little Christmas bonus was included.
The key organizations in Maryland Thoroughbred racing announced Dec. 14 they have struck a 10-year-agreement for racing at Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course.
Stalled on the cusp of a 10-year deal that could be the foundation for revitalizing the Maryland racing program, the state racing commission has issued a Nov. 30 deadline for the tracks and horsemen to reach a consensus.
After investigating the timing of 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat's Preakness Stakes, the Maryland Racing Commission voted unanimously to change the official time from 1:54 2/5 to 1:53, a stakes record.
The Maryland Racing Commission has upheld a decision by Laurel Park stewards to disqualify King and Crusader from a victory in the $75,000 Maryland Juvenile Championship.
Maryland racing industry officials already have scheduled their first meeting to devise a long-term strategy for live racing in the state beyond 2012.
Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course will conduct 146 days of racing in 2012 after the Maryland Racing Commission approved an agreement by the Maryland Jockey Club and Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association Dec. 20.
The Maryland Jockey Club and Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association reached an agreement in principal Dec. 17 to race up to 146 days at Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course in 2012.
Maryland racing interests still hope to avoid repeating a situation a year ago that left Laurel Park without 2011 racing dates just a week before the meet was scheduled to begin.
The Maryland Jockey Club has told state regulators its financial situation will keep it from offering a full 146-day live racing schedule in 2012.
Penn National Gaming Inc. has submitted an application to the Maryland Racing Commission to resume operations at shuttered Rosecroft Raceway June 1.
The Maryland Jockey Club submitted an audited financial report March 31 that showed losses for Laurel Park and a small profit for Pimlico Race Course for the final eight months of 2010.
MI Developments chairman Frank Stronach has offered to meet with Maryland horsemen in the wake of a Maryland Racing Commission meeting at which MID and partner Penn National Gaming Inc. were criticized.
The Maryland Jockey Club will receive more than $5 million for operations under the parameters of a negotiated agreement that will maintain a full 146-day live Thoroughbred racing schedule in the state.
A horsemen's representative acknowledged Dec. 21 there's still a little more than a week to get a racing schedule in place in Maryland for 2011, but he said chances are slim if the situation isn't resolved before Christmas.
There still is no live racing schedule for 2011 in Maryland after a Dec. 21 meeting of the Maryland Racing Commission.
The owners of Laurel Park and Pimlico intend to submit a plan to the Maryland Racing Commission to conduct 77 days of live racing during the first half of the 2011 season.
The head of the company that co-owns Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park said Dec. 2 that he will try to break the impasse threatening the future of the Preakness Stakes (gr. I) when he travels to Maryland next week.
