Horse Racing

Maryland stakeholders reach agreement for remainder of 2023


The Maryland race will continue through the second half of 2023 under an agreement announced by acting Maryland Jockey Club president Mike Rogers at the State Racing Commission meeting in St. Laurel Park June 6.

The agreement to which MJC, which owns the tracks, the Maryland Thoroughbred Riders Association and the Maryland Horse Breeders Association are parties to, is part of a six-month extension of their existing agreement. . Both are modified extensions of the 10-year agreement governing the race, which expires at the end of 2022.

The agreement was reached after a long period of negotiations and occasional quarrels. Rogers described himself as “very pleased” about the deal.

The agreement to clear the way for the race to continue beyond June 30, and the committee today approved the race at Laurel, the summer race that opens June 9, to continue through August 24. Then it will switch to Timonium race track for a short time, lasting seven days, spread over two weekends.

Although details were not provided, under the agreement riders and breeders are expected to provide millions of dollars in subsidies for the track. That will continue to be a practice enshrined in the original 10-year agreement and in its most recent renewal.

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Rogers told the committee he was “not free to talk about the details” of the deal. Alan Foreman, an attorney who is general counsel with the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, acknowledges the subsidies but points to the age-old nature of the practice, which, he says, has helped stabilize the industry. state racing.

“The riders and breeders have helped subsidize the racetrack (for many years),” he said. “It’s no secret. There’s nothing new here.”

The committee has yet to review the deal and therefore has not approved it.

By the time the agreement expires at the end of December, the newly created Maryland Circuit Authority is expected to provide the state legislature with a report that includes a “best practices assessment.” for purebred industry operating models” and recommendations on which model will work best for Maryland. That report could — and some in the industry hope it will — point to a very different approach to racing in the state.

The Committee is represented by a non-voting ex-officio member in the Body. It appointed new commissioner George Mahoney to take on that role at Tuesday’s meeting.

It was one of several actions the committee took during a busy meeting. It also approved a pair of proposed regulations:

A voluntary post-care assessment of claims will be made a mandatory program. If ultimately approved, it will add a 1.5% surcharge to the price of a horse requested. MTHA CEO David Richardson told the committee that, if the rule were to become mandatory by 2022, it would raise an additional $38,000 for aftercare.

The latter will allow a trainer to take part in up to three horses in a race. Current rules limit coaches to no more than two runners in a race.
during that time Racecourse Pimlico meet, MJC has announced it will close its off-track betting facility in Pimlico after June 30. Rogers said Tuesday that the company has “hit the pause button” on that decision.

The reason for leaving, he said, was that “guests have migrated to other locations.” In 2021, according to commission data, Pimlico handled just under $11.3 million in live TV bets—down from more than $15 million in 2017. Meanwhile, Timonium OTB handled handled more than $15 million and Horseshoe, in downtown Baltimore, handled $9.1 million.

More stories focusing on purebred racing and breeding can be found in the mid-Atlantic region at theracingbiz.com.

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