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Maryland Racing Set To Resume Thursday When Laurel Launches Spring Meet

A pair of allowance events help spice up a nine-race program as live racing returns to Laurel Park Thursday, April 8 to kick off its 16-day spring meet.

First race post time is 12:40 p.m.

A total of 83 horses were entered on the program, an average of 9.22 starters per race. The feature comes in Race 6, a second-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up going around two turns at about 1 1/16 miles.

Among the overflow field of 11 are 2019 Remsen (G2) winner Shotski, most recently third in a similar spot Feb. 25 at Laurel; Silent Malice, riding a two-race win streak; Oxide, a winner of three of his last five races; Mischief Afoot and Awesome DJ, both exiting Laurel's Harrison E. Johnson Memorial March 13; 2020 A Huevo Stakes winner V.I.P. Ticket; and stakes-placed Dinar.

Race 8 is an entry-level allowance for fillies and mares 3 and up sprinting seven furlongs that drew a field of nine including 2020 Malvern Rose runner-up Remain Anonymous, second in each of her three 2021 starts; Tweet Away Robin, who had a two-race win streak snapped last out March 20 at Laurel; and Queen of Tomorrow for leading trainer Claudio Gonzalez, whose last starter at Laurel came March 7.

Laurel's spring meet runs Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through May 2. Saturday, April 24 is the Spring Stakes Spectacular featuring seven stakes worth $750,000 in purses led by the $125,000 Federico Tesio for 3-year-olds and $125,000 Weber City Miss for 3-year-old fillies.

The 1 1/8-mile Tesio is a 'Win and In' qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated horses to the 146^th Preakness Stakes (G1) May 15 at Pimlico Race Course. The Weber City Miss, at about 1 1/16 miles, is a 'Win and In' event for the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2) on Preakness eve, May 14, at Pimlico.

There will be special post times of 12:15 p.m. for both the Spring Stakes Spectacular and Kentucky Derby (G1) day, Saturday, May 1.

Maythehorsebwithu Breezes for Tesio on Busy Saturday at Laurel
Michael Dubb and Bethlehem Stables' Maythehorsebwithu, easy winner of the one-mile Miracle Wood Feb. 20, returned to the work tab with an easy half-mile breeze in 50.40 seconds over Laurel Park's main track Saturday.

It was the first work for the sophomore son of 2009 Whitney (G1) winner Bullsbay since running second in the March 13 Private Terms at Laurel, his two-turn debut, beaten a half-length by 21-1 long shot Shackled Love.

Maythehorsebwithu, nominated to the Triple Crown by the final March 29 deadline, is being pointed to the $125,000 Federico Tesio April 24 at Laurel, a 'Win and In' qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated 3-year-olds to the 146^th Preakness Stakes (G1) May 15 at Pimlico Race Course.

Joel Politi's Littlestitious, who snapped favored Street Lute's five-stakes win streak in the one-mile Beyond the Wire March 13 at Laurel, went a half-mile in 50.20 seconds Saturday. The 3-year-old filly, possible for the $125,000 Weber City Miss April 24, also breezed the same distance in an identical time March 27.

The Weber City Miss is a 'Win and In' qualifier for the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2) May 14 at Pimlico.

Hillside Equestrian Meadows' Laki, a six-time career stakes winner including the 2020 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3), breezed four furlongs in 49.20 seconds. It was his first timed work since running third in the General George (G3) Feb. 20 at Laurel.

The post Maryland Racing Set To Resume Thursday When Laurel Launches Spring Meet appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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MATCH Series to Return in 2021

The Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championships (MATCH) Series, which was forced to go on hiatus in 2020 because of regional COVID-19 restrictions, will return this year under a two-state schedule put together by horsemen and racetracks in Maryland and Virginia to bridge the gap until the full Series is restored in 2022.

The Series, the only one of its kind in racing, will run from May 14 at Pimlico Race Course through Dec. 26 at Laurel Park, and will feature 24 stakes–20 of them in Maryland and four at Colonial Downs in Virginia–valued at $2,750,000 million. There will be four divisions, all of them on dirt, and $282,000 in bonus money.

“This is a tremendous demonstration of support and cooperation by the Maryland and Virginia horsemen and racetracks, and I am deeply appreciative of their desire to maintain the MATCH brand through these difficult times for racing'” said MATCH creator Alan M. Foreman. “This should be a really fun and competitive Series.”

“Maryland's horsemen have always believed in the vision of MATCH and been enthusiastic supporters of the Series from day one,” commented MTHA Executive Director David Richardson. “We are thrilled to join with our friends in Virginia to renew this innovative concept for 2021 with the goal of a full rebirth in 2022.”

Click here for the 2021 schedule.

The post MATCH Series to Return in 2021 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Laurel: Spring Stakes Spectacular, Including Tesio, Pushed Back To April 24

As a result of the ongoing pause of live racing at Laurel Park through Sunday, April 4, due to the EHV-1 quarantine, the Maryland Jockey Club has pushed its Spring Stakes Spectacular program back one week to Saturday, April 24.

All seven stakes worth $750,000 in purses originally scheduled for Saturday, April 17 will be run on the new date with a similar 12:40 p.m. post time. Nominations for all stakes are due Saturday, April 3.

The Spring Stakes Spectacular is led by the $125,000 Federico Tesio for 3-year-olds going 1 1/8 miles and the $125,000 Weber City Miss for 3-year-old fillies at about 1 1/16 miles. The Tesio is a 'Win and In' qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated horses to the 146th Preakness Stakes (G1) May 15, and the Weber City is a 'Win and In' event for the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2) May 14, both at Pimlico Race Course.

Also as part of the program are the first stakes scheduled for Laurel's world-class turf course – the $100,000 Henry S. Clark for 3-year-olds and up and $100,000 Dahlia for fillies and mares 3 and older, both at 1 1/16 miles, and $100,000 King T. Leatherbury for 3-year-olds and up sprinting 5 ½ furlongs.

Rounding out the stakes program are a pair of sprints, the $100,000 Frank Y. Whiteley for 3-year-olds and up at seven furlongs and $100,000 Primonetta for females 3 and older going six furlongs.

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Training Schedules Return To Normal At Laurel Amidst EHV-1 Quarantine

Training hours at Laurel Park will return to the regular schedule Monday, March 29, upon the recommendation of Dr. Michael Odian, Chief State Veterinarian for the Maryland Department of Agriculture.

For the past several weeks, horses in barns that had been under quarantine because of equine herpesvirus (EHV-1) have trained on the track at Laurel after regular training hours. Laurel is now considered one quarantine facility, as is Pimlico Race Course, and as of March 28 there were no positive EHV-1 cases at either facility.

Horses that are positive are housed at the former Bowie Training Center or at private farms. Each of the three barns being used at Bowie is considered a separate quarantine facility given their spacing on the property.

Training hours at Laurel are as follows: 5:30 to 10 a.m. on race days and 5:30 to 10:30 a.m. on dark days, with renovation breaks from 7-7:30 a.m. and 9-9:30 a.m.

The current 21-day quarantine at Laurel and Pimlico calls for only symptomatic horses or those with a temperature of 101.5 degrees or higher to be tested. If there are no more EHV-1 cases, the Pimlico quarantine will end April 12, and at Laurel, the date is April 18, according to Odian.

Live racing at Laurel was canceled March 27-29 and also April 1-3. No racing was scheduled for April 4, Easter Sunday. As of now, racing is scheduled to resume Thursday, April 8, subject to there not being additional EHV-1 cases. Only horses stabled at Laurel will be permitted to race until the Pimlico quarantine expires.

Horsemen are encouraged to continue taking horses' temperatures and to report any above 101.5 degrees to Dr. Libby Daniel, the Maryland Racing Commission Equine Medical Director, or Dr. Heidi Thomas, MJC Senior Veterinarian.

All backstretch employees are urged to continue various disinfection practices for barns and equipment and to refrain from interaction with other barns at MJC facilities. Veterinary officials said it's important to open up barns as much as possible to allow fresh air to circulate. It not only helps the horses but helps reduce the chances of spread of the virus in barns. It is also important to limit horse-to-horse contact and to keep stress on horses at a minimum.

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