Laurel cancels racing through Sunday to review track surface

Laurel Park in Maryland has canceled racing through Dec. 5 in order to conduct a review of its racing surface in the wake of a cluster of fatalities at the track over the past month, the track announced on Thursday.

The cancellation will result in the loss of at least three days of live racing, from Friday through Sunday.

In a release, the track’s parent company said that the track and its horsemen “are working with industry experts to analyze surface composition and maintenance procedures directed at the safest possible racing surface.”

“The safety, health, and welfare of equine athletes is the primary responsibility of all stakeholders in Maryland and must be taken seriously,” the statement said. “The Maryland racing industry remains laser-focused on this problem and collectively pledges to do whatever is necessary to ensure that Maryland’s historic racing industry remains world-class.”

Earlier this year, 1/ST, Laurel’s parent company, funded the complete renovation of Laurel dirt’s racing surface to address concerns raised by horsemen. The months-long project required racing and training to be moved to Laurel’s sister track, Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, disrupting racing and training schedules.

Although officials for 1/ST did not respond to phone calls on Thursday, Alan Foreman, the general counsel of the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, said that horsemen have become concerned that the new racing surface has “changed” since the onset of cold weather conditions.

“Things were going very well until the weather started to change,” Foreman said.

Foreman said that track officials have brought in John Passero, a former track superintendent at the Maryland tracks, and Glen Kozak, the vice president of facilities and racing surfaces for the New York Racing Association, to assess the surface. Officials have already established some “remedial” steps to address the concerns, Foreman said, and the hope is to resume training this weekend and reopen for live racing next Friday.

“That all depends on whether or not these remediations work,” Foreman said. “We’re not going to get back out there until we are sure it is safe.”

On Wednesday, the Thoroughbred Daily News reported that seven horses have suffered fatalities since Nov. 6, four in live racing and three in training. A portion of the stretch at Laurel has been dug up over the past several days to assess the surface, the article said, and timed workouts have been suspended during the review.

According to the Equine Injury Database, 12 horses suffered fatal injuries at Laurel in 2020, for a rate of 1.36 per 1,000 starts, and 14 horses suffered fatalities in 2019, for a rate of 1.22. Both rates are below the national average.