Maryland Jockey Club Photo
Entries being taken for Friday, April 28
By Maribeth Kalinich with edited MJC Press Releases
Updated 4/23/2023 1:13 PM ET
The Maryland Jockey Club announced via press release that live racing will resume at Laurel Park and entries were being taken for races on Thursday, April 27. Thursday’s card has been postponed until Friday pending adequate entries to fill the card.
The racing office is open Sunday if horsemen wish to enter a race offered. Laurel Park Racing Office Phone: 1-800-638-1859.
The races from Thursday’s card will be brought as extras: Races 1, 3 (turf), 6 (turf), 8, 10 (turf), X1, X3, X4 and X5.
The juggling in schedule is all a result of what transpired earlier this week.
Out of a sunny blue sky on a warm April morning the Maryland Jockey Club (MJC) made the announcement at 10:44 a.m. Friday, April 21 on their website, social media platforms, in emails and in distributed texts …
Although no immediate reason was given by MJC, it was widely mentioned that a 4-year-old colt Golden Pegasus died from an injury suffered during Race 4 Thursday.
Prior to the cancellation of racing, there was a callout to horsemen on April 19 for feedback regarding Laurel Park’s track surfaces.
Track consultants from 1/ST RACING will be available for input from horsemen on Thursday morning April 20, 2023, at Laurel Park on the apron during training hours.
Feedback from horsemen, including exercise riders and jockeys, regarding dirt and turf conditions was encouraged. The meeting could have had an impact on the decision to cancel racing.
MJC issued this statement late Friday evening in a press release:
The Maryland Jockey Club (MJC) announced that after consultation with the Maryland Racing Commission, racing will be cancelled this weekend at Laurel Park while MJC works with the Maryland Racing Commission to understand and address any issues of concern raised relating to recent injuries. MJC will also be discussing plans for implementation of updated safety and veterinary protocols similar to those that have been in place in California since 2019 and have proven to significantly reduce the number of equine fatalities during racing and training.
Friday, text messages were sent regarding the racing office being open and entries taken for races on April 27.
There were also messages regarding training at both Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course.
Apparently, the Maryland Jockey Club has had the track examined and deemed it safe to resume racing on April 28 as long as they receive adequate entries.
Saturday, Maryland Jockey Club sent out an update press release with the following statement:
Live Racing & Track – The Maryland Jockey Club has cancelled its Thursday, April 27 racing program at Laurel Park due to insufficient entries. The racing office will be open and taking entries Sunday for the Friday, April 28 program.
We acknowledge the recent statements in the press regarding the safety of our racing surface. However, we want to emphasize that 1/ST Racing and the Maryland Jockey Club prioritize safety above all else, and continually engage in proactive analysis of our racing and training surfaces. To this end, we have engaged the services of Dennis Moore, a renowned industry expert, who has been conducting routine testing of the Laurel Park racing surface for the past three days. Dennis, along with independent engineering experts, have performed a comprehensive battery of tests during this time, to ensure the safety of our racing surface.
Particle size distribution via the following methods:
- Laser diffraction.
- Sieve and hydrometer
Orono Biomechanical Surface Test (ASTM Standard F3400)
- Peak Vertical Load
- Peak Fore-Aft Load
- Peak Vertical Deacceleration
Ground Penetrating Radar
Percentage surface crossfall
Bulk Density
X-ray diffraction
Base inspection
The results of these tests were all within industry norms. Based on these tests and their professional knowledge, our track experts have advised that there are no issues with the track and that it is safe to race and train.
In addition, Dr. Jennifer Durenberger, Director of Equine Safety and Welfare with HISA has at our request reviewed Laurel’s fatality data and stated “I’ve reviewed the data provided to me this morning by the Maryland Racing Commission and find a racing fatality rate at Laurel of approximately 1.3/1,000 starts since January 1st. By comparison, the Equine Injury Database shows a rate of approximately 1.98/1,000 at this same point (through April 21) last year.” As stated the current fatality rate has decreased from last year at the same point.
Even though the track surface is within industry standards certain Horseman have determined not to submit entries for this Thursday’s racing card. Hopefully after reviewing the facts live racing will proceed.
We hope that all stakeholders will be able to come to a consensus and adopt the enhanced veterinary and safety protocols that have been implemented with great success in California. MJC has made repeated requests of the horsemen and are still waiting for their approval to be able to move forward with their implementation.
While we all know that catastrophic injuries will not be eliminated completely it is clear from the above that our track is not the issue, and we urge the Commission and the MTHA to take advantage of the proven enhancements to improve horse safety.
Laurel last canceled weekend racing on April 8 for what they called “an abundance of caution to do a full evaluation of the racing surfaces.”
In a statement from the Maryland Jockey Club at the time of that closing they said they were “working with the Maryland Racing Commission to understand and address any issues of concern raised relating to recent injuries, and discuss plans for implementation of updated safety and veterinary protocols.”
Racing will soon move to Pimlico Race Course in preparation for the Preakness and Black-Eyed Susan contenders to arrive and begin training. The Pimlico meet will be 12 days: May 11-14, May 18-20 (Preakness Stakes Day), and May 25-29 (Memorial Day).
Other Happenings
Earlier this week WMAR-2 News reported on an amendment passed by the Maryland General Assembly, creating the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority.
The Authority will be tasked with overseeing the stalled progress of improvements at Laurel and Pimlico, which have been in the works for years.
