For the first time since June 29, live racing returned to Laurel Park on Friday, and while the crowd was modest, the energy in the air carried a familiar sense of homecoming. On a sweltering late-summer afternoon, fans and horsemen alike embraced the track’s return after an extended break—Maryland’s first planned summer racing hiatus since 2014, outside of the pandemic disruption in 2020.

The time away may have been welcome, but it also seemed to build anticipation. Wagering handle on the eight-race card rose nearly 20 percent compared to last year.

Trainer Brittany Russell, who unveiled a bright prospect in 2-year-old debut winner Share Success, was one trainer happy to return.

“It’s been a long summer,” she said. “I mean, you know, look, we had a good summer down the road [at Colonial Downs], but trucking kids back and forth and, you know, still trying to keep this going here. It’s been long, but it’s always nice to be home.”

Share Success lived up to her name in her unveiling, shrugging off pace pressure before drawing clear by nearly five lengths. Russell’s runner wasn’t the only 2-year-old to impress.

Veteran conditioner Mike Trombetta turned in the day’s biggest training feat, sending out three winners, including the flashy juvenile filly Ultimate Love. A turf allowance optional claiming winner by nearly seven lengths, she may now point toward the Selima Stakes.

For Trombetta, the return to Laurel carried personal meaning, despite his status as the leading trainer at Colonial Downs., a title he will likely secure for the third consecutive year.

“I wish Colonial would run 365 days a year, but, I mean, it doesn’t, but we’ve made the best of it,” he joked. “I love being here. I mean, Laurel’s home for me, and Pimlico and stuff like that. So it’s, you know, it’s always good to get back here.”

He added that the emptiness of the track during the long summer stood out.

“I mean, I would make it a couple trips over once in a while, like, if I had to turn something in or get something out of the office, and to see nothing happening here was not fun,” he added. “It’s been a long time.”

Still, Trombetta viewed the schedule adjustment as a potential step toward sustainability. That’s an important consideration these days with the horsemen now on the financial hook for the sustainability of the industry.

“I think the [summer break bonus program] has worked out well. And I guess we’ll, we’ll know when they get done counting all the numbers where we stand,” he said. “But I kind of think it’s something, it’s the way of the future, a little bit of a consolidation, but if it makes it better for us to run these horses, then that’s what it’s about.”

With two-year-olds making headlines and trainers happy to be back on familiar ground, Laurel’s summer break may have been a departure from tradition—but Friday showed the racing community was ready to embrace the return.