New era kicks off in Maryland

A new era for Maryland racing will officially begin Friday when Laurel Park kicks off its first season under the control of a state-owned nonprofit company tied closely to the state’s horsemen.

Laurel has not raced since the end of 2024, when it was still nominally owned and operated by an entity owned by 1/ST Racing and Gaming. The racing license for that company has now been transferred to a company controlled by the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority.

“We’re calling it the ‘new’ Maryland Jockey Club,” said Bill Knauf, the longtime Monmouth Park executive who was hired as president of the Maryland Jockey Club in the fall and relocated to the state. “We’re going to try to do things differently.”

The takeover, which was enabled by legislation passed last year, was supported by the state’s horsemen, who had grown frustrated with 1/ST’s management of the circuit. Knauf said that the horsemen seem to have turned the page on that era, pointing to their support of a reduction in live racing days at Laurel, with the goals of improving field size and cutting operating costs while the new company gets up and running.

:: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now.

Horsemen were adamantly opposed to reductions in live racing dates when 1/ST was in charge. Now, as part of the deal with the state, horsemen will be responsible for covering cost overruns, which would mean cutting into their share of subsidies the industry gets from casinos in the state.

“We’ve been having very open conversations, very productive discussions,” Knauf said. “And I think when you look at their support for the cut in race days, that shows a willingness by all of us to put out a better product and make this a viable operating entity. We’re all operating toward the same goal.”

Laurel is scheduled to run a total of 114 live racing dates in 2025, operating on a Friday-through-Sunday schedule. The track will go dark through most of July and August while Colonial Downs in Virginia runs an expanded meet.

Friday’s nine-race opening-day card at Laurel drew 87 entries, including also-eligibles. Saturday’s nine-race card drew 73 entries, and Sunday’s nine-race card drew 77 entries.

Knauf said he was impressed by the competitiveness of the racing at Laurel in the fall and winter of 2024, but added that the product did not get enough attention in the simulcast market due to a lack of publicity. Laurel is now heavily promoting two pick fives on each card that have 12 percent takeout rates and 50-cent minimums. The first pick five will have a mandatory payout, while the late pick five will carry over if there are no tickets with all five winners.

The feature race on Friday is the eighth race on the card, a first-level allowance with a purse of $49,000 for 3-year-old fillies going 5 1/2 furlongs. Shkhara Fire, who won the restricted Maryland Million Lassie Stakes as a 2-year-old, will vie for favoritism with Prancing Spirit, a shipper from Aqueduct trained by Todd Pletcher.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.