Maryland racing’s brave new world arrives Friday at Laurel Park, and while much will appear similar, most people likely will focus on what’s different.
What’s going to happen in racing in 2025? Your guess is as good as ours, but here are some racing trends to watch in 2025.
Maryland Racing Commission executive director Mike Hopkins will retire after today, ending a career that spanned 40 years and many industry changes.
He doesn’t want to retire, owner-trainer Joanne Shankle says, but 10-year-old Clubman, fresh off his 20th career win, will indeed retire.
Red-hot rider JG Torrealba won three, including the feature, as Laurel Park concluded its fall meet and its 2024 season.
Caprice won Laurel’s Gin Talking Saturday to tie for the national lead in wins among 2-year-olds, while One Man Team impressed in the Heft.
Four-time stakes winner Caprice could cap a stellar freshman campaign in Saturday’s Gin Talking at Laurel Park, while the Heft is a wide-open affair.
The Maryland Racing Commission on Dec. 23 signed off on the new nonprofit Maryland Jockey Club to operate Laurel Park in the new year.
A board to govern the new Maryland Jockey Club, a new training center, and new breeder incentives are top priorities for Maryland’s horsemen and breeders.
Sea Dancer, a younger half-sis to one of the top turf horses in the country, earned her first stakes win in Saturday’s Carousel at Laurel Park.