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Maryland Jockey Club Adds Make-Up Dates; Horsemen’s Association Approves Purse Bonus Through Feb. 27

In order to provide funds for owners and trainers in the wake of the recent cancellations of live racing programs, the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association Board of Directors Jan. 12 approved a 20 percent Purse Bonus on all overnight races through Feb. 27 at Laurel Park.

In addition, the Maryland Jockey Club, during a meeting with the MTHA, agreed to add three Thursdays in February to the live racing calendar and said it will card at least 10 races a day in January and February when possible.

First post time has been moved to 12:10 p.m. in January to accommodate extra races.

Live racing at Laurel Park is scheduled to resume Sunday, Jan. 16, after the cancellation of six racing programs due to a project that involves recomposition of the cushion material on the dirt track. Racing also is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 17. Six stakes planned for Saturday, Jan. 22, will move to Saturday, Jan. 29.

A proposal to add live racing programs on Tuesday, Jan. 18, and Wednesday, Jan. 19, isn't feasible because of unavailable MRC personnel and required veterinarians. It was one of several suggestions made during an online community meeting held Jan. 11 to provide an update on the racing surface project and solicit feedback from horsemen.

The complete racing schedule under the updated calendar is as follows: Jan. 16-17; Jan. 20-23; Jan. 27-30; Feb. 3-6; Feb. 10-13; Feb. 18-21; and Feb. 24-27 for a total of 26 days.

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Jorge Ruiz Notches Four Wins As Racing Returns To Laurel Park On Thursday

Live racing resumed at Laurel Park on Thursday, Dec. 16 for the first time since Nov. 28. 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 of the Maryland Racing Commission 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,” Laurel's track superintendent Chris Bosley said during this Tuesday's meeting of the Maryland Racing Commission. “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.”

Jockey Jorge Ruiz notched four wins on the day, and Sola Dei Gloria Stable's Bustoff completed a daily double for teenage riding sensation Charlie Marquez and trainer Hugh McMahon with his front-running triumph in Thursday's feature race.

A 6-year-old Maryland-bred Haynesfield gelding, Bustoff ($7.40) completed one mile in 1:38.96 over a fast main track to win the third-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up by 3 ½ lengths. Torch of Truth rallied late to edge 20-1 long shot Whiskey and You by a neck for second.

The return of racing and condition of the track was met with positive reviews by horsemen.

“It's much better; like night and day,” trainer Dale Capuano said. A winner of more than 3,500 career races, Capuano saddled Taking Risks Stable and Louis J. Ulman's favored Zen Pi ($4.60) to victory in the opener, a six-furlong claimer for 3-year-olds and up. The winning time under jockey Jorge Ruiz was 1:12.55.

“We're tickled to death. Jorge said the track felt good,” Capuano said. “You can tell by the time. These horses should run [1:12] and change and that's what he did,” he added. “It's good. I think they're run on the right track. I think getting [consultants] John Passero and Glenn Kozak was the right thing to do. We're all after the same thing. We might have different approaches to getting there but we're all for safe racing and keeping our horses and riders safe.”

Ruiz's other winners Thursday were Tenax ($12.20) for trainer Ken Cox in Race 3, Bourbon Wildcat ($30.20) for trainer Jose Magana in Race 6 and Capuano-trained Boss Logic ($6) in Race 8. Ruiz ranks second to Jevian Toledo in wins at the fall meet, 44-42.

Toledo leads all riders with 102 wins this year at Laurel and historic Pimlico Race Course, two more than the 18-year-old Marquez. Angel Cruz is third with 84 and Ruiz fourth at 82.

“The track is now different. Before it was hard, now it's deeper and a little fluffier,” Ruiz said. “The horses hit the ground a little more softly.”

Notes: Laurel will host a nine-race card starting at 12:25 p.m. Friday … Saturday is Maryland Spectacular Day with nine live races including a pair of $100,000 stakes for Maryland-bred/sired horses: the Maryland Juvenile and Maryland Juvenile Fillies. Also on the day are Holiday Giving Tree and Give a Gift/Get a Gift promotions, as well as a 2022 Maryland racing calendar giveaway.

The post Jorge Ruiz Notches Four Wins As Racing Returns To Laurel Park On Thursday appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Racecourse Managers Learn To Make Their Tracks Safer During UK Grading School

In horse racing, safety of the horse and rider is paramount. A University of Kentucky professor and leading racecourse managers recently showed racetrack employees how to improve safety by properly grading the surface.

“The track's subgrade is the foundation and without a good foundation, you can't have a good structure, which is your track's cushion,” said Harrison Young, assistant superintendent at Colonial Downs and grading school participant. “This class is a great opportunity for people like me to learn from people like Mick Peterson and Dennis Moore about practices and methods that can minimize the risk of injuries to horses and riders, through the understanding of the importance of testing, surveying and grading. Safety is our motive, and the more we can learn, the better the industry will be.”

During the three-day UK grading school, entry to mid-level track surface employees learned from Peterson, Alfredo Laureano, superintendent at Keeneland Race Course and Moore, who is a superintendent of the tracks at Santa Anita, Los Alamitos and Del Mar and a private consultant.

“One of the priorities of this program is getting the up-and-coming racecourse managers experience with some of the more complicated equipment used in the critical roles on the track. One of these critical areas is the grading of the surface,” said Peterson, professor in the UK Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering and director of the Racetrack Safety Program.

Surface grading is vital to keeping horses and riders safe during a race. Grading school participants received one-on-one instruction operating a new grader and an older one. They also learned how to properly grade synthetic and dirt racetracks. All hands-on instruction was at Keeneland.

“You have to keep the hard base underneath the surface consistent not only because of the impact of the hoof on the ground, but to keep the moisture content consistent,” Peterson said. “You also must have consistent banking in straightaways and the turns so the loading of the legs is even, and when lead changes occur, horses and riders can use the same visual indicators to change lead.”

The industry has a strong interest for educational programs and workforce training centered around safety. The grading school received 15 applications for the five participant spots in this first school.

“The more education we have and the more knowledge we can learn about the new methods helps allow us to keep horses on the track and to be able to continue horseracing in the safest way that we possibly can,” Young said.

The grading school is the second segment of the Racecourse Manager Certification Program, a joint effort of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association Safety and Integrity Alliance, the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory. The first part was on turf courses.

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Report: Examination Of Laurel Surface Revealed Problems As Far Back As 2017

Laurel's recent renovation of its dirt track came after three horses suffered fatal breakdowns during morning works over a 10-day period in April. Initially, racing at Laurel was shifted to Pimlico Race Course with Laurel open for only light training. A total renovation of the racing surface became necessary after further inspection showed that the depth of the track's cushion, the top layer that horses run over, was inconsistent in spots, demonstrating that the track's problems went deeper than just the immediate surface.

According to a report from The Racing Biz, some officials in Maryland had warnings that there were serious problems with the track surface as far back as 2017.

Maryland horsemen had been reporting their concerns about Laurel for years, until the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association commissioned former track superintendent John Passero to inspect the surface and recommend any necessary changes in 2017. Passero found inconsistencies with the depth of the cushion in parts of the surface, but while his report went to some board members of the MTHA and some commission members, it's not clear exactly who did and didn't get the information at the time and there were no immediate changes made to the track as a result.

For much of the intervening years, two commissioners told The Racing Biz they heard concerns about the track surface but also heard the commission as a whole and The Stronach Group report at public meetings that they'd had no complaints about the racetrack.

Now, as renovation of the dirt oval at Laurel is nearing completion, the horsemen, the track ownership and the commission are hopeful that improved communication, aggressive maintenance and possibly improved reporting of non-fatal injuries can help eliminate such a problem going forward.