Maryland Jockey Club

Dorothy Johns winced as she watched her elderly horse, Foreo, squirm away from handlers leading her into a makeshift stable at Pimlico Race Course. "Poor thing, she's all worked up from the ride up here," said Johns, watching along with a handful of Baltimore arabbers who gathered beside the temporary stable to welcome their horses and ponies back to the city. Last week, city officials condemned the arabbers' decaying stable in the 1900 block of Retreat St., noting structural problems, filth and trash that blocked exits.

At the Pimlico Race Course on the city's northwest side, trainers spend up to $70 on halters and about $40 on lead shanks, or leashes, for their horses.But lately it appears that those same halters and leashes are winding up on the schnozzles of pit bulls and Rottweilers -- compliments of a band of thieves.At Pimlico, where horses are kept in about 20 barns, equipment has been disappearing -- literally from under the animals' noses -- for about a year. But the thefts have increased sharply in the past several weeks, prompting trainers to demand tightened security from management.

Reflecting a trend at horse tracks across the country, Laurel Park parlayed a successful fall into a successful 1998. Despite six fewer wagering days, betting at Pimlico, Laurel Park and their off-track betting sites increased 2.4 percent over 1997.``Considering the Preakness debacle and all that's happening around us, we've managed to hold our own pretty well,'' said Joe De Francis, majority owner of Pimlico and Laurel Park.Despite losing an estimated $2 million in wagers because of the power outage on Preakness day, the Maryland Jockey Club reported an increase in Maryland betting from $449,242,798 in 1997 to $459,826,969 in 1998.

After a break of two days -- or would that be a pause? -- thoroughbred racing resumed yesterday in Maryland when nearly 5,000 patrons congregated at Laurel Park and an unheralded horse named Cynics Beware captured the opening-day feature.Pimlico ended its summer season Sunday with upturns in betting and attendance. That momentum carried over to Laurel Park as 4,901 customers, 5 percent more than last year, lined up for free admission and programs, dollar day at the concessions and the opportunity for investing in 10 live wagering events and countless others shown on TV.They were for the most part frustrated by the $75,000 Find Handicap on turf when Cynics Beware, a 5-year-old gelding ridden by Mario Pino, prevailed by a nose at 8-1 in an exciting photo finish over the favorite, Hardy's Halo, and his jockey, Edgar Prado.

The state's study commission on horse racing voted yesterday to recommend that Gov. Parris N. Glendening and the General Assembly approve $20 million to boost purses at Maryland's thoroughbred and harness tracks.The figure is more than double last year's subsidy for purses, the money paid to owners of the top horses in each race. The panel also recommended $1.5 million for marketing the racetracks.The commission was created by the governor and legislature to advise them on ways they might help the racing industry compete with wealthier tracks in neighboring states, which have slot machines.

The owner of Maryland's major thoroughbred racetracks will unveil a plan tomorrow to resuscitate the sport with a $35 million overhaul of the tracks, new off-track betting parlors and an innovative partnership with harness racing.The plan is the result of stern orders this year by Gov. Parris N. Glendening and lawmakers. They made $10 million in aid to horse racing contingent on a blueprint by the Maryland Jockey Club, owner of Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park, to upgrade the oft-maligned facilities, their marketing and management.

The end seemed near when the power failed at Pimlico last year on Preakness Day.The atmosphere was surreal, ghostlike, as patrons wandered in the dark, sweltered in the heat and cursed the ancient, deteriorating home of the state's great sporting event.It wasn't hard to imagine that this was Pimlico's last gasp, that the historic palace of racing had become little more than a tomb for the memory of Secretariat, Citation and Man o' War.But one year later, it's clear that the degradation of that Preakness fiasco has given rise to cautious new hope not only for the survival of Pimlico, but also its resurgence as a respected, if not revered, setting for the second jewel of the Triple Crown.

Racing's national resurgence settled upon Pimlico this spring, as the venerable racetrack ended its meet yesterday with a sharp upsurge in betting and the first increase in attendance in years.Other factors contributed to Pimlico's most successful meeting in years: favorable weather, increased television advertising, strong local racing, a captivating Triple Crown series and a record-breaking Preakness.Joe De Francis, president and chief executive officer of the Maryland Jockey Club, said that on those positive notes he looks forward to implementing his plan for dramatic improvements at Pimlico and Laurel Park.

Is Joe De Francis the right man to lead Maryland racing into the next century?Let's put it this way: If he is, he's running out of chances to prove it.He's on the verge of unveiling a long-overdue plan to upgrade Pimlico and improve the Maryland Jockey Club's management, so let's see how that goes.But even if it goes well, Maryland racing might benefit from a new face and a new direction -- a sale to new ownership, in other words.De Francis, 44, has operated Pimlico and Laurel since his father's death in 1989, and while the tracks are modestly profitable and De Francis has worked in earnest, few would give him a high grade.

The Maryland Jockey Club's proposed $60 million improvement plan, if put into effect, would bring desperately needed changes to Pimlico and Laurel Park and the way their employees treat you, the patron.But that could cost you at the betting window. Are you willing to pay what Joe De Francis, president and CEO of the Maryland Jockey Club, believes is your fair share?And what do you think of the plan? Does it adequately address the needs of Pimlico, Laurel Park and the state's thoroughbred racing industry in general?

Members of the Maryland Racing Commission on Tuesday approved the same number of live racing dates and purses for next year that they had in 2009 at Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, but they said possible slots revenue could result in increased purses during the latter half of 2010. Maryland Jockey Club president and chief operating officer Tom Chuckas and Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association executive secretary Wayne Wright said they might be back before the commission next summer with changes.

The sale of Maryland's thoroughbred tracks and the storied Preakness Stakes began Monday with potential bidders submitting initial proposals for Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park. The names of interested purchasers are not made public during the initial bid stage. A lead, or "stalking horse," bid for the Maryland assets will be announced Nov. 9, "if we have someone worthy of it," said Brian Rosen, a New York-based attorney representing Magna Entertainment Corp., the bankrupt owner of Laurel Park and Pimlico.

The bankrupt owner of Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course wants to terminate a profit-sharing agreement to split any potential slots proceeds with the tracks' former owners, including Joseph De Francis, before the two racetracks go on the auction block early next year. Although the tracks' owner, Magna Entertainment Corp., was disqualified in its bid to bring slot machine gambling to Laurel Park, the state license to operate a casino in Anne Arundel County could be up for grabs. The only recognized bidder, the Baltimore-based Cordish Cos., has run into problems obtaining zoning approval for a proposed 4,750-machine slots facility near Arundel Mills mall.

Members of the Maryland Racing Commission voiced concern Tuesday for the coming bankruptcy auction of Magna Entertainment Corp.'s three in-state racing properties - Pimlico Race Course, Laurel Park and the Bowie Training Center - during their monthly meeting at Laurel Park. Last week Magna received permission from a bankruptcy judge to auction its Maryland tracks early next year with the provision that buyers promise to keep the Preakness in Maryland. The Maryland legislature this year passed a law granting the government rights to seize the Preakness under eminent domain in an effort to ensure that the middle leg of racing's Triple Crown remains in the state.

WILMINGTON, Del. - - A federal bankruptcy judge approved Wednesday a plan to auction Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park early next year, over objections from the tracks' former owners, who opposed the speed of the sale. Meanwhile, two potential Maryland buyers - developers David S. Cordish and Carl Verstandig - reiterated their interest in bidding on the tracks and the Preakness Stakes. Magna Entertainment Corp., the Canadian firm that owns the racetracks and the Preakness Stakes and filed for bankruptcy protection in March, said the auction should be held quickly because Maryland law gives the state 60 days to review a deal and the right to match any bid. The sale procedures also would require potential buyers to keep the Preakness, the middle leg of racing's Triple Crown, in Maryland, satisfying concerns of the state and others in the horse industry who had feared losing the state's single largest sporting event.

Horse racing Md. thoroughbred breeding likely to fall 18 percent in '09 Thoroughbred horse breeding in Maryland is projected to fall 18 percent this year, more than twice the national average, The Jockey Club reported Thursday. Overall, breeding in North America is down 8.2 percent in 2009. With the decrease, Maryland drops from eighth to last among the 11 top foal-producing states and provinces. For the first time, Maryland ranks below Pennsylvania, the only state to record an increase in live foals this year.

One day after racetrack operator Magna Entertainment Corp. filed for bankruptcy protection and put its assets on the block, it remained unclear who might emerge as possible owners for Maryland's thoroughbred tracks and the Preakness Stakes, given the recession and the declining state of horse racing. Yesterday, Magna won temporary court approval to use $13.3 million of a $62.5 million credit line from its controlling shareholder to continue day-to-day operations at Laurel Park and Baltimore's Pimlico Race Course as well as its other tracks across the country, including Gulfstream Park in South Florida and Santa Anita Park in Southern California.

Magna Entertainment Corp., the troubled owner of Maryland's thoroughbred tracks, filed for bankruptcy protection yesterday and essentially put all of its racetracks up for sale, including Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, home of the Preakness Stakes. Asked whether Magna would sell Pimlico, Laurel and California's storied Santa Anita Park, Magna Chairman and CEO Frank Stronach said in a brief telephone interview, "If the price is right." The filing was expected after the company defaulted on a bank loan tied to Pimlico, Laurel and the Maryland Jockey Club while it also faced a $40 million loan payment due yesterday.

Magna Entertainment Corp., the financially troubled owner of Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, faces a crucial loan deadline today that, if unmet, could force the racetrack operator to declare bankruptcy, according to SEC documents. Magna executives have warned that lenders could call in virtually all of its debt if it misses payments to banks and others. Magna has more than $600 million in debt, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The loan due today is a $40 million credit line from the Bank of Montreal.

Magna Entertainment Corp. said last night that it had defaulted on a loan for Pimlico Race Course, Laurel Park and the Maryland Jockey Club, but that the financial institutions were not yet going to take action. The company said in a release after the markets closed that it hadn't met certain financial covenants associated with the loan with PNC Bank, but it did not disclose the amount or the requirements of the loan. This is the first time the company has disclosed troubles with a loan directly related to the Maryland properties.