Turf racing will return to Laurel Park on Friday with two races scheduled for fillies and mares on the grass. The track will hold another race on the surface Saturday before expanding to normal operations with five turf races on Sunday. Many of the Mid-Atlantic region’s most notable turf trainers have been patiently waiting for the surface to reopen at Laurel. Graham Motion has only entered one horse at the track since November, but he has four entered this weekend. “It’s great to be back on the grass, and we really haven’t run much up there all the winter,” Motion said. “Mostly, we’ve been running down at Gulfstream and Tampa, so we’ve got quite a lot of horses coming back from a break.” With an expansive operation in Florida, Motion has had ample opportunities to find turf racing elsewhere, escaping the worst effects of a harsh winter in the Mid-Atlantic. Other turf trainers, like Keri Brion, have found craftier ways to prepare their local horses during the winter break. She has two mares entered in the first turf race of the year at Laurel, a $16,000 conditioned claiming race. It also happens to be the first race on the Friday card. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. While Brion said Bella Estrela could fire fresh off a nearly six-month layoff, she preferred to give Bossy Jeans a prep as she worked her way back from a minor setback. On March 13, the 5-year-old mare made her 2026 debut in a $5,000 claiming race at Charles Town and won by 10 lengths. It was her first start on dirt since August 2023 and first victory since July 2024. “I’m not a big believer in running turf horses on the dirt,” Brion said. “I don’t think you accomplish that much. I don’t really like getting their heads kicked in and then trying to put them back on the grass. I’d rather just give them a break. But for her, I think it was a really big confidence booster, actually, so it worked out for us.” On Sunday, Brion will unleash a trio of turf runners, including the unraced gelding Free Refills and allowance contender Without Borders. “I’ve worked hard to upgrade my stable every year,” Brion said. “I think we have a real nice group of horses going into the spring. I get a lot of [Three Diamonds Farm] horses as well, and I’m sure they’ll start coming in, some of the horses that probably fit a bit better here after Florida rather than Kentucky. I’m excited to get going.” Other notable trainers returning to Laurel for turf include Horacio De Paz and Michael Stidham, who have a combined eight entries this weekend. Suzanne Stettinius, who has not entered a starter this year, will run four horses this weekend. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.