SCHEDULE

TUESDAY, AUG. 23: Training from 5-9 a.m. with one break from 7-7:30 a.m.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 24 – THURSDAY, AUG. 25: No training -maintenance project begins.

FRIDAY, AUG. 26 – SUNDAY, AUG. 28: Dogs will be set up around the track for horses to gallop the right way only with no backing up, no joggers and no free ponying. Normal training hours of 5:30-10:30 a.m. will be in place. Gate schooling, standing only, no breaking.

MONDAY, AUG. 29: Dogs will still be up with galloping the right way only with no backing up, no joggers and no free ponying. Training hours will be 5-9 a.m. with one break from 7-7:30 a.m.

TUESDAY, AUG. 30: The entire track will be available for horses with regular training hours of 5:30-10:30 a.m., but workouts won't be permitted.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 31: The track will be open for regular training hours of 5:30-10:30 a.m. with workouts permitted.

The post Laurel’s Training Schedule Adjusted for Track Maintenance appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The Maryland Racing Commission (MRC) determined during a Tuesday tele-meeting that it didn't technically need to take a vote for racing to resume, but the board made sure to solicit ample feedback from jockeys, trainers, track executives, track surface consultants and veterinarians before issuing a verbal approval for Thursday's already-drawn card.

The meeting's most insightful commentary was provided by commissioner R. Thomas Bowman, a veterinarian who chairs the MRC's Equine Health, Safety and Welfare Advisory Committee. He spoke bluntly and candidly while outlining a plan for how future horse deaths might be prevented.

“Transparency and trust and cooperation have not always been part of the culture on the racetrack,” Bowman said, noting how the financial interests of horse people and track managements have too often trumped health considerations.

“The safety of the horses and the riders has quite often been put in the background,” Bowman said. “That's not an accusation, and it's not an indication of what exists now. That's just a fact of a way that we have evolved over a long, long time…

“There doesn't seem to be any indication, in my mind, that there is any party or parties that are not willing to step up and try to straighten this situation out,” Bowman said. “And it's a daunting task.

“One of the things that bothered me the most, and still bothers me, is the fact that this last collection of tragedies should have been forewarned when the horsemen started screaming that the racetrack was too fast,” Bowman said. “I'm not pointing a finger at anybody. I'm saying that the process with which this information filters upstream to the commission…was not effective, was not working. And it irritates me to death that we have to go through this.”

Bowman said that since the Nov. 29 shutdown of the track, he has worked with backstretch stakeholders and executives from The Stronach Group (which owns the Maryland Jockey Club [MJC], which in turn owns Laurel) to come up with system that will allow everyone involved to have safety-related input that will be monitored on a regular basis.

“If the trainers had felt that they could go to someone and their complaints were not just dismissed, possibly we could have circumvented a lot of this,” Bowman said.

Bowman said the idea of having a weekly required meeting to accomplish that goal was first proposed, but that he wasn't in favor of having stakeholders air concerns that way because public meetings aren't always conducive to people speaking candidly.

Instead, he said he's working on a plan in which Heidi Thomas, the MJC's senior veterinarian, will actively make the rounds on the backstretch to routinely speak with horse people, other veterinarians, riders, and track executives before fashioning what they say into concise feedback that will be directly related to the MRC and its own team of veterinarians.

“That will give some sort of public voice to people that are concerned,” Bowman said. “That will help out. But even more important is trying to get a process where we don't have to wait until we see the broken legs before we start recognizing problems, and that's some sort of an early warning system…

“I don't think this is the end of this process. I think it's the beginning of the process. But at least it will give horsemen a chance to express themselves and know it's going to go somewhere,” Bowman said.

MRC chairman Michael Algeo agreed: “This is a new beginning, as Tom said. Maybe a watershed moment. We're going to stay on this on a regular basis, because we can't allow [equine injuries or deaths] to continue to happen.”

The cluster of fatalities is the latest safety blow at Laurel. After years of freeze/thaw and drainage troubles, the main track was in such bad shape last spring that Laurel ceased racing Apr. 11 to begin an emergency overhaul, which involved a multi-million-dollar rebuild from the base up.

When racing resumed at Laurel Sept. 9, the main track had no apparent safety issues. But the onset of cold weather revealed problems with seams in the base of the homestretch, then the cushion atop that layer needed substantial reworking to give it more body and depth.

“There's been a huge, huge learning curve with this material and this track from when it was put in in July to right now,” said Chris Bosley, the MJC's track superintendent. “We know that we still have a long way to go. But we're working with every industry expert we possibly can [and] we're not going to stop until this thing is perfect. And once it is perfect, we're going to do everything that we can to keep it the same, to keep it perfect.”

Two among that team of consultants have firsthand knowledge of Laurel: John Passero, who used to be the MJC's track superintendent several decades ago, and Glen Kozak, who served in that same capacity in the mid-2000s before being hired by the New York Racing Association and eventually promoted to the senior vice president of operations and capital projects.

“This is a changed racetrack,” Passero said. “They're adding a more medium-coarse sand to give it some body. We're going back to a system that I used to use–plenty of depth. It seems to be very kind to horses. I look at it, and I look at the hoofprints, and I rode the tractors. I think we're definitely heading in the right direction [and] I think it can only get better.”

Added Kozak, “It's certainly trending in the right direction…. The products that are being used on the track are on-site, so this is something that can continue in getting this thing prepared for winter racing. It certainly is a different track than it was a week ago when I saw it, and it all seems like it's heading in the right direction.”

Tim Keefe, the president of the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, said, “I think we're definitely in a much better place than we were.”

Jockey Xavier Perez said, “The difference on the surface of the track is 20 times better than what it was.”

Fellow rider Victor Carrasco concurred.

“I feel like the track is in great shape,” he said.

But Carrasco added that moving forward, it's the responsibility of jockeys and exercise riders to let trainers know if a horse has soundness issues or doesn't feel right instead of saying nothing and letting another person get on a potentially dangerous mount.

“It's not only the track,” Carrasco underscored.

The post Under Microscope of Heightened Vigilance, Racing at Laurel a ‘Go’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The main track at Laurel was closed for an examination on Nov. 29 after an alarming number of fatalities – four from racing injuries and three while training – occurred between Nov. 6-28. The Maryland Jockey Club followed that inspection by cancelling racing and suspending morning workouts to allow for repair of the surface.

It was the second time in 2021 that racing at Laurel was halted because of track conditions. The first occurrence was in April after a spike in musculoskeletal injuries, which led to racing being shifted to Pimlico on an emergency basis. Track ownership undertook a multi-million dollar track renovation project that wasn't completed until August, with racing resuming at Laurel in September.

With help from noted trackmen Dennis Moore from California, Glen Kozak from the New York Racing Racing Association, and former MJC track superintendent John Passero, Maryland Jockey Club officials explained at last week's meeting that the most likely explanation for the cluster of fatalities was that water seeped into a seam in the base material of the stretch before that base material was able to cure, causing a slight depression. That has been repaired, and several additional changes have been made.

“We've been out every single day, day and night, to make sure that we have the best racing surface possible,” said Laurel's track superintendent Chris Bosley. “There's been a huge learning curve with this material and this track from when it was put in in July to where we are now.

“Everyone knows that this is a different material, different track, and everything is brand new on this racetrack. We're getting as much information as possible, and we're not going to stop until this thing is perfect, and then we'll do everything we can to keep it perfect.”

Laurel's main track reopened for workouts on Dec. 10, with 55 horses working Friday, 123 on Saturday, 56 on Sunday, 20 on Monday and another 15 on Tuesday.

“We've seen a drastic improvement in the track cushion,” said Mike Rogers, president of racing at the MJC. “The feedback that we've been getting is very positive.”

Horsemen's representative Tim Keefe echoed those sentiments on Tuesday's call: “We're definitely seeing a different racetrack out here… I think everything's moving in the right direction.”

Several jockeys also joined the call to praise the improved track surface, including Xavier Perez.

“The difference in the surface of the track is 20 times better than it was,” he said. “My opinion is that the track is just perfect.”

With all parties on the call agreeing that the track surface was safe for racing to resume, the Maryland Racing Commission made no action to prevent Laurel Park from doing so on Thursday. Cards for Thursday, Dec. 16 and Friday, Dec. 17 have already been drawn.

Rogers went on to stress the importance of continuing open lines of communication between all parties.

“If we don't know it, we can't address it,” said Rogers.

A presentation from Dr. Thomas Bowman, chair of the MRC's Equine Health, Safety and Welfare Advisory Committee, continued that theme.

“Transparency and trust and communication have not always been a part of the culture on the racetrack,” Dr. Bowman said. “I have gotten an absolute thrill out of serving in this capacity because every person I have talked to has gone out of their way to at least appear to be cooperative. There doesn't seem to be any indication in my mind that there is any party or parties who aren't willing to step up.”

That said, Dr. Bowman doesn't believe that the process by which information from the trainers and exercise riders and jockeys gets to the MJC officials and the trackmen is sufficient.

“We're trying to come up with a system that will allow the horsemen and the riders and the vets to all have input, and that that input is collected on a regular basis, and put in the responsible hands… If we had had a collection system, possibly we could have avoided this tragedy in the first place.

“I don't think this is the end of this process, I think this is the beginning. It's a work in progress… It appears to be a watershed moment in the way that this has changed.”

The Maryland Racing Commission meets again on Jan. 4.

The post Racing Resumes At Laurel Park On Thursday; Commission Meeting Stresses Need For Continued Communication appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The Maryland Jockey Club June 24 said the maintenance is needed as a result of the extended meet at Pimlico, which originally was scheduled to end live racing May 31. Pimlico opened a few weeks early in late April and was approved to race through Aug. 22 because of the ongoing dirt surface reconstruction project at Laurel Park.

The MJC said the maintenance will allow the Pimlico turf course to be used through the end of the summer meet in late August.

“We want to do more aeration and fertilization,” said MJC Track Superintendent Chris Bosley, who also oversees the turf courses at Pimlico and Laurel. “We want to be able to confidently say the turf course can hold up until we get back to Laurel (in early September). I think getting off the turf course this weekend will help us out a lot—it's a reasonable goal.”

Four grass races had been scheduled for June 25, both short and long, and two turf races around two turns were carded for June 26. The June 27 program will have seven races, all on dirt. The card for Friday, July 2, will be drawn Sunday, June 27, and MJC officials said they are hopeful the turf course will be ready for use for the weekend of July 2-4.

The MJC also announced a change in training hours at Pimlico from Monday, June 28, through Thursday, July 1, because of the removal and replacement of the temporary tent barns being used to house horses that were relocated from Laurel as well as those that ship in on race day from the Maryland State Fair at Timonium and other facilities in the state and region.

Training hours at Pimlico for all horses on those four days will be 5:00-7:30 a.m. with a break from 7:30-8:00 a.m. Training will resume from 8:00-10:00 a.m. but only for horses stabled on the Pimlico Road side of the property. Gate schooling will be available Wednesday, June 30, and Thursday, July 1, from 6:30-7:30 a.m. and 8:00-9:00 a.m.

Steve Koch, Senior Vice President of Racing for 1/ST RACING (The Stronach Group), said the barn transition project already has begun. The temporary stalls currently on the grounds at Pimlico must be relocated because of a previous commitment, and TSG is sending 140 stalls from Santa Anita Park. The tent structures to house the stalls will come from local companies.

There are currently 120 temporary stalls at Pimlico. The transition process will begin in earnest June 28 with a goal of having all 140 stalls available by July 8. An 18-stall barn behind the old wooden grandstand near the far turn at Pimlico is already being constructed to facilitate the transition.

Koch said he has mapped out a plan to address “the transition in the same footprint without displacing horses.” He said the strategy is to add stalls while removing receiving stalls to accommodate horses and ensure that each race day—currently Friday, Saturday and Sunday—120 stalls are available.

If all of the 140 stalls from Santa Anita Park are usable, there will be 20 more stalls at Pimlico than are currently available. When the first set of temporary stalls were constructed, Gulfstream Park, another TSG property, sent more than enough stall mats to accommodate the number of stalls, Koch said.

The post Pimlico: Turf Racing Suspended For Track Maintenance appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Maryland Jockey Club Track Superintendent Chris Bosley said that over the next several days the cushion will be removed and the base will be inspected to determine if there are any deficiencies. Bosley said the MJC is in the process of locating base material from New York that was used to successfully rebuild the bases at Saratoga Race Course and the nearby Oklahoma Training Track.

“We hope to have enough cushion removed (April 18) to start the base work,” Bosley said.

The Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association will provide regular updates on the project as well as updates on training schedules at Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course.

LAUREL

On Sunday, April 18, there will be two training sessions. Session 1 will be for all even-numbered barns from 5-6:30 a.m., and Session 2 will be from 7-8:30 a.m. for all odd-numbered barns.

During training, all horses must go the right way, with no backtracking and gallopers only. The starting gate will be available for both sessions.

PIMLICO

Training hours as of Sunday, April 18:

Dark days: 5:30-10:30 a.m. with two breaks, the first from 7-7:30 a.m. and the second from 9-9:30 a.m.

Race days: 5:30-10 a.m. with two breaks, the first from 7-7:30 a.m.. and the second from 9-9:30 a.m.

With the new training schedule, gate schooling will now be offered every day from 7:30-10 a.m. until further notice.

The post Reconstruction Of Laurel Park Dirt Surface Under Way appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Dr. Mick Peterson, from the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory (RSTL) along with 1/ST RACING's Senior Track Superintendent and the Maryland Jockey Club's Chris Bosley have been working together to assess the cushion replacement options using RSTL approved materials and to identify a project timeline.

“We understand that the timing of this Laurel Park main track maintenance is not ideal for our horsemen, but the safety of the horses and our riders must be our top priority,” said Aidan Butler, Chief Operating Officer, 1/ST RACING. “We have full confidence that Dr. Mick Peterson, Dennis Moore and Chris Bosley will manage this project quickly and will deliver a rehabilitated main track surface cushion that will offer superior training and racing to the benefit of Maryland horsemen for years to come.”

Due to the uncertainty of the timeline to rehabilitate the main track surface cushion at Laurel Park, 1/ST RACING and the Maryland Jockey Club submitted an application to the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association to move live racing to Pimlico Race Course, effective, April 22 on an emergency basis. The application has been granted and live racing will be moved to Pimlico Race Course until further notice.

The post Races Cancelled At Laurel Due To Track Conditions; Racing Moved To Pimlico Starting April 22 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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“1/ST RACING and the Maryland Jockey Club, as part of regular track maintenance protocols, have identified that the main track at Laurel Park has not responded sufficiently to the necessary repairs following wintertime cushion changes,” the statement reads.

“While we work to assess cushion replacement options in consultation with Dr. Mick Peterson from the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory, the track will be available for gallopers only, tomorrow morning, Thursday, April 15.  No workouts will be permitted until further notice.

“Dennis Moore, 1/ST Racing's senior Track Superintendent and MJC's Chris Bosley will work directly with Dr. Peterson to oversee the assessment.  We anticipate more complete project details during the day on April 15 and will be sure to provide relevant updates in a timely manner. We appreciate the impact this will have on our horsemen and we thank you in advance for your patience and trust.”

Laurel is scheduled to resume racing on Saturday.

The post Laurel Park Timed Workouts Put On Hold While Track Surface Evaluated appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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