“Maryland, My Maryland” has been played before the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico every year since 1909, but The Racing Biz reports that streak will end this year.
Adopted as the state song in 1939, “Maryland, My Maryland” was originally written in 1861 by James Ryder Randall in an effort to urge the state to join the Confederacy.
Maryland House Speaker Adrienne Jones (D-Baltimore County) announced in June that she would lead a legislative effort to remove it as the state song in 2021.
“The Maryland Jockey Club is respectful and supportive of Speaker Jones' move to remove 'Maryland My Maryland' as the state song, and we look forward to starting a new tradition for Preakness 145,” reads a Stronach Group statement issued after Jones' announcement.
Read more at The Racing Biz.
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