The Maryland racing and breeding community in 2023 will welcome back the in-person Renaissance Champions Awards dinner after two years of virtual presentations.
The 2020 event was held live in February just before COVID-19 restrictions shut down live racing in the state. Lingering restrictions led organizers to switch to a virtual format—videos and social media—in 2021 and 2022.
The Maryland Horse Breeders Association and Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association will host the event, which is scheduled for Friday, April 14, the evening before the Federico Tesio Stakes program at Laurel Park. It will be held from 6-10 p.m. at Citron, the location of the 2022 Preakness week party. The restaurant and event center is located just off Greenspring Avenue in Baltimore.
Tickets will cost $100 per person. More information on how to obtain tickets will be provided as the event approaches. Invitations will go out to the award winners after they are announced.
There will be roughly 30 awards presented this year to honor the champions of 2022. The 10 awards for top Maryland-bred racehorses were voted upon by a panel of Maryland racing industry participants.
The MHBA Board of Directors voted on its customary awards for Breeder of the Year, Stallion of the Year and Broodmare of the Year. In a change from previous years, the full MTHA Board of Directors voted for the champion owner, trainer and jockey. In addition, the MTHA added five horse awards also voted upon by the board: Male Dirt horse, Female Dirt horse, Male Turf horse, Female Turf horse and Claimer of the Year.
Organizers plan to announce the finalists for each category on social media outlets over a period of days in mid-February, similar to the way it was conducted last year. Plans also call for the winners to be announced in late February and early March on social media.
The MTHA also announced its 2022 Grooms of the Year. They are Martin Haiber for Laurel and Ricardo Martinez for Pimlico Race Course.
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