41 and done: “Bittersweet” Md. Million looms for Goodall
Longtime Million chief retiring
Frank Vespe
October 19, 2026
Cricket Goodall never expected to spend four decades helping put on Maryland Million Day. In the beginning, getting through the next edition was enough.
Now, as the event approaches its 41st running Oct. 24 at Laurel Park, its staying power is what she treasures.
“It’s going to be bittersweet,” said Goodall, executive director of the Maryland Horse Breeders Association and Maryland Million, who is preparing for her final edition. She appeared on the Oct. 7 edition of the Midlantic Racing Today podcast.
This article contains affiliate links. If you click and buy, we may earn a commission at no extra charge to you.
Pick up reliable and rewarding tickets for major events!
The series for Maryland-sired horses has survived changing track owners, management teams and an increasingly crowded racing calendar. The oldest state-focused day in Thoroughbred racing remains a gathering place for people whose ambitions might revolve around a single homebred.
For Goodall, that helps explain why it works.
“Sometimes that’s what they want, just to be able to run that day,” she said.
Inspired by the Breeders’ Cup, Maryland Million became an inspiration itself. Sam Huff and Carol Holden attended the first edition and came away with the idea for West Virginia Breeders Classics, which held its 40th running Oct. 10 at Charles Town.
But before Maryland’s concept could travel, somebody had to pay for it.
Goodall was working at Jerry Hoffberger’s farm when organizer Rich Wilcke arrived to pitch stallion owners on contributing money. Stallion nomination payments, foal nominations and sponsorships provided the foundation.
Jim McKay, the celebrated broadcaster who championed the idea, supplied both Maryland pride and access. Companies answered his calls. Things began to happen.
But enthusiasm was hardly unanimous. There was skepticism about the expense and concern that powerful Windfields Farm, where Northern Dancer stood, would dominate the races.
“It was a heavy lift to get the industry excited here,” Goodall said.
Goodall, though, saw an opportunity exciting enough to leave her farm job and join Maryland Million before its 1986 debut.
The first running took place Oct. 18, 1986, at Laurel. As it turned out, Windfields did not sweep the card, and the program began demonstrating its intended value: horses performed well, their sires attracted attention, and breeders booked mares.
That commercial purpose came wrapped in a celebration approachable enough for newcomers and meaningful enough for longtime participants. Goodall describes a day less formal than the Preakness, with families, entertainment between races and local connections pointing horses toward an occasion that belongs to them.
It also offers continuity. Horses can return year after year, building followings and giving owners another chance at a prize they want. This coming Saturday, for example, Barbadian Runner will try to defend his Classic title against, among others, Market Maven, who was disqualified from a victory in this event three years ago in 2023.
In the Turf, Wicked Prankster, who won the event in 2022 and 2023 but hasn’t run in it since, will try to rekindle that flame, while the Turf Sprint brings together ’23 champ Witty and ’25 winner Had to Have Him. Precious Avary is another ’23 winner – in the Ladies – seeking to return to the winners circle.
Yet longevity has not insulated Maryland Million from the industry’s problems. Maryland has seen the number of stallions standing in the state fall from 116 to 16 in the last 25 years and the number of mares they cover drop from more than 1,800 to fewer than 500. Breeding is expensive, and Goodall believes the emphasis on producing horses for sale complicates matters for people breeding primarily to race.
Her wish list starts with money.
“I’d absolutely double the purses,” she said.
She also wants more opportunities for Maryland-sired horses throughout the year, with Maryland Million serving as the culmination. Bigger purses and a stronger supply of eligible runners would reinforce each other.
Goodall hopes a rebuilt Pimlico and renewed Preakness can help support that growth. Meanwhile, the event already exists, with a constituency and a character developed over decades.
That is the accomplishment she will carry away: a big idea that became an enduring local tradition, even as the business around it changed.
And for anyone wavering about attending this year, she has added a personal argument to the invitation.
“Well, you’ve got to come because it’s my last year,” Goodall said with a laugh.
After four decades of recruiting sponsors, encouraging breeders and welcoming racegoers, she is still making the pitch. Only this time, the celebration will include a farewell for someone who helped turn McKay’s idea into Maryland’s own day at the races.
Pick up reliable and rewarding tickets for major events!
LATEST NEWS
