Maryland racing officials seeking clarification on governor's order to close facilities as part of coronavirus containment

Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland has ordered that all racetracks and simulcast facilities in the state close “to the general public” in response to the coronavirus outbreak, according to a notice posted on the state government’s website. Laurel Park, however, continued to race on Sunday as they waited for clarification on when the order was to go into effect and whether it meant the track had to cancel racing.

The order to close, which came with a warning that continuing to operate would constitute a crime, will affect all Maryland tracks, on- and off-track simulcast locations, and casinos in the state. Late last week, the owner of Maryland’s two Thoroughbred tracks, The Stronach Group, announced that spectators would be banned indefinitely but racing would continue.

“These are unprecedented actions in an extraordinary situation, but they could be the difference in saving lives and keeping people safe,” said Hogan, in the statement.

The order was issued at midday, just as Laurel was preparing to conduct its Sunday racing card. The track continued with the card as planned, as officials sought word from the governor’s office as to whether the order applied to allowing spectators into the facility or to all operations.

“We are awaiting on clarification,” said Alan Foreman, the general counsel for the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, at 2:30, just after the third race had been run. “We have been told that training activities can continue to take place, and we just don’t know if this applies to racing or not. We don’t race again until next weekend, so there’s plenty of time for us to talk to the governor’s people.”

Maryland’s other Thoroughbred track, Pimlico, is not scheduled to open until May. The track hosts the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes.

Most major racetracks have announced a ban on spectators, but toward the end of the week, pressure began to mount on tracks to close altogether. In Arizona, both Turf Paradise and Rillito Park announced that they were suspending all racing operations, also on an order from the governor to minimize public gatherings. Parx racetrack outside Philadelphia suspended all racing operations for two weeks.

Maryland’s racing industry receives subsidies from the state’s casinos, so those payments will be suspended while those facilities are also ordered closed.

Several large casino owners shuttered many of their facilities in numerous states over the weekend in response to the coronavirus outbreak.