Maryland tracks will run a reduced schedule of 120 dates in 2025

The Maryland racing circuit will include 114 days of live racing at Laurel Park and six days of live racing at Pimlico next year under a schedule approved on Friday by the new state agency that operates the tracks.

The 120-date schedule, which was approved by the board of the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority, is a significant decline from 2023, when the tracks ran 160 live race dates combined. Seven days of live racing are also scheduled at Timonium racetrack at the end of August and on Sept. 1.

Last year, the Maryland legislature approved a plan to take over the deed for Pimlico Race Course from 1/ST Racing and Gaming and operate Laurel Park over the next thee years. Under the plan, racing will eventually be consolidated at a rebuilt Pimlico.

The existing Pimlico grandstand is scheduled to be torn down after the Preakness Stakes this year, when the site will be prepared for redevelopment and the construction of a new grandstand and other facilities. The new Pimlico is expected to be ready for year-round racing in 2028.

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In the years leading up to the approval of the plan, Maryland horsemen had subsidized the operation of Pimlico and Laurel with money from casino subsidies in order to maintain a 160-day schedule. Under the MTROA, a non-profit company, horsemen will be liable to make up any shortfalls in operating funds from live racing.

“All stakeholders have come together to agree on a schedule that positions Thoroughbred racing for success and that recognizes the changes that are ahead,” said Greg Cross, the chairman of the MTROA. “Oars are pulling in the same direction for the best and most sustainable product for racing afficionados and the industry. This cooperation and coordination gives me tremendous hope for the future of our industry.”

Under the schedule, the May 17 Preakness card will be preceded by live race days May 9-11 and May 15-16. Laurel will run on a Friday through Sunday schedule throughout the year, with the exception of July and August, in order to avoid an overlap with Colonial Downs in Virginia.

Purses at Colonial have skyrocketed since video-gambling devices were approved at the track and at its OTBs in the state.

Cross said that Maryland racing stakeholders are developing a plan to offer Maryland-bred incentives at Colonial during that track’s meet.

Katharine M. Voss, the president of the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, said that the reduced dates would benefit the circuit over the long-term.

“This schedule not only ensures year-round access to high-quality racing opportunities for our horsemen in the region but also supports the successful launch of the new non-profit operating entity,” Voss said. “It reflects our unwavering commitment to forward thinking in a rapidly evolving industry.”

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