Maryland Jockey Club

May. 18, Post Time: 10:45AM Entries and comments provided by the Maryland Jockey Club First - Purse $55,000, AOC $25,000-$20,000, 3 yo's & up, One And One Sixteenth Miles Post, Horse, Jockey, Trainer, Odds 1 Aussi Austin, Rosario, R.Rodriguez, 3-1 2 Bob's Gone Wild, Vargas, J.Lopez, 20-1 3 Jarrod's Commando, Karamanos, C.Garcia, 10-1 4 Warrensburg, Boyce, D.Barr, 20-1 5 Benny Or Local, Cruise, D.Kobiskie,...

The Maryland Racing Commission passed a revised incentive program Tuesday meant to persuade thoroughbred breeders to operate in the state and owners of those horses to run on its tracks, but might have shattered the harmony achieved among the sports' stakeholders in recent months. Breeders, who have pushed for a stronger program to reward Maryland horses, hailed the new measure as the final step in rejuvenating the state's horse racing industry. Purses at Maryland tracks have been bolstered by slots revenue - rising from about $160,000 a day to nearly $300,000 since casinos began operating in 2010 - and are again competitive with those in nearby states that legalized gambling earlier.

Tear it down. Fix it up. Keep it here. Move it there. Many at Pimlico Race Course Saturday, from celebrated trainers to $2 bettors, offered thoughts of what to do with Old Hilltop, the methuselan home of the 138 t h Preakness Stakes. The Maryland Jockey Club, which owns the track, has agreed to renovate both Pimlico and Laurel Park with a share of the state's slots revenue - an estimated $112 million in matching funds, if the organization ponies up the equivalent.

Tear it down. Fix it up. Keep it here. Move it there. Many at Pimlico Race Course Saturday, from celebrated trainers to $2 bettors, offered thoughts of what to do with Old Hilltop, the methuselan home of the 138 t h Preakness Stakes. The Maryland Jockey Club, which owns the track, has agreed to renovate both Pimlico and Laurel Park with a share of the state's slots revenue - an estimated $112 million in matching funds, if the organization ponies up the equivalent.

Gunfire. Skullduggery. Bones in the attic. The story behind the story of the Preakness trophy reads like a great Southern novel. The Woodlawn Vase has its roots in pre-Civil War Kentucky. It was even buried there to keep it from falling into the wrong hands by a horse breeder who once got into a gunfight with the owner of a racetrack, shot the man and was banished from all tracks in America — you could look it up in The New York Times of 1879. The breeder, Capt. Thomas Moore, whose horses won the Tiffany-crafted, sterling silver trophy in 1861 and 1862, interred it for fear it would be melted down for shot, the popular story goes.

The Kentucky Derby winner and oddsmakers' favorite for the Preakness Stakes isn't exactly a Maryland horse, but he's close - Orb is partially owned by a Baltimore County businessman, and his sire spent some time in Harford County. Attendance at Saturday's races might or might not set an all-time record, but it's bound to be close - top-flight music acts, it seems, are a bigger draw than BYOB debauchery. The weather may not be perfect, but it will be close - the latest forecast is for a high of 72 but with a slight chance of showers.

For Frank Carulli, it's not just a cliche anymore. He really is going to be living the dream in a few weeks. The longtime Maryland Jockey Club handicapper and race analyst is working his final Preakness on Saturday and will finish out the spring meet at Pimlico Race Course before packing up his speed charts and moving to ... well, where else? Las Vegas. That's not breaking news, since his pending departure was announced in March to give the casinos on the Strip a chance to build up their cash reserves, but it still calls for further elaboration.

A group of friends and family from Elkridge prepared for the Preakness as they have every year for decades. They packed tubs of Rice Krispies treats, shrimp salad, macaroni salad, cashews, soft drinks and a giant bag of Utz chips into their cars and headed to Pimlico Race Course . But this year, the Boston Marathon bombing was in the back of their minds. Peggy Maher, one of the group, brought her grandson for the first time. Just in case the unthinkable happened, she went over an emergency plan with everyone should they get separated: Meet at Sinai Hospital, a little over a mile away.

The Maryland Jockey Club, which owns both Pimlico and Laurel Park, submitted its plan for capital improvements to the state Friday. The plan has not yet become public but likely will early next week when it has been reviewed by the Maryland Racing Commission and the state's Department of Budget & Management. The document was due Feb. 1 in order for the track to be eligible for slots revenue set aside for racetrack redevelopment. In recent years, some of the redevelopment money has been diverted to cover track expense.

In the first week of her reporting internship for a horse-racing newspaper, Gabby Gaudet nervously approached one of the most celebrated figures in the sport. "Can you tell me how you first got involved in the game?" she asked Kelly Breen, who trained the winner of the 2011 Belmont Stakes. "Terrible question. Get back to me when you think of a better one," he replied.  She flinched but thought fast. "How about if I ride your horse?" she asked. He said yes, they fell to talking, and the story she wrote ran above the fold in The Saratoga Special.

Maryland Jockey Club President Tom Chuckas said Saturday that the Preakness brand “has changed dramatically” in the last few years, citing an attendance bump in the infield celebration and increased security all around the racetrack.   “The crowd in the infield is up, and the wagers are coming in,” Chuckas said. “All in all, it's pretty much what we expected, and we'll continue to fine-tune it.”   Speaking with reporters just after the seventh race Saturday at Pimlico Race Cource, Chuckas acknowledged that the Jockey Club has sought to find a balance between catering to old-school horse racing fans and drawing in new crowds who could become racing enthusiasts.

A group of friends and family from Elkridge prepared for the Preakness as they have every year for decades. They packed tubs of Rice Krispies treats, shrimp salad, macaroni salad, cashews, soft drinks and a giant bag of Utz chips into their cars and headed to Pimlico Race Course . But this year, the Boston Marathon bombing was in the back of their minds. Peggy Maher, one of the group, brought her grandson for the first time. Just in case the unthinkable happened, she went over an emergency plan with everyone should they get separated: Meet at Sinai Hospital, a little over a mile away.

Maryland Jockey Club senior vice president for communications Mike Gathagan credentialed more than 1,600 media members for the 138th Preakness. We talked to a few of them to get their take on how Saturday's race might end up. Not surprisingly, they went heavy on even-money favorite Orb, with a healthy dose of Mylute, the top challenger out of the Kentucky Derby ridden by former Maryland leading rider Rosie Napravnik. Jennie Rees, Louisville Courier-Journal 1. Orb 2. Departing 3. Itsmyluckyday Jerry Bossert, New York Daily News 1. Orb 2. Itsmyluckyday 3. Goldencents Tim Wilkin, Albany Times Union 1. Itsmyluckyday 2. Orb 3. Goldencents Gary Mihoces, USA Today 1. Mylute 2. Orb 3. Goldencents Bill Dwyre, Los Angeles Times 1. Goldencents 2. Orb 3. Mylute Claire Novak, Blood Horse 1. Orb 2. Departing 3. Mylute Gabby Gaudet, Maryland Jockey Club analyst in waiting 1. Orb 2. Mylute 3. Goldencents Richard Migliore, HRTV 1. Orb 2. Departing 3. Will Take Charge

May. 18, Post Time: 10:45AM Entries and comments provided by the Maryland Jockey Club First - Purse $55,000, AOC $25,000-$20,000, 3 yo's & up, One And One Sixteenth Miles Post, Horse, Jockey, Trainer, Odds 1 Aussi Austin, Rosario, R.Rodriguez, 3-1 2 Bob's Gone Wild, Vargas, J.Lopez, 20-1 3 Jarrod's Commando, Karamanos, C.Garcia, 10-1 4 Warrensburg, Boyce, D.Barr, 20-1 5 Benny Or Local, Cruise, D.Kobiskie,...

The Kentucky Derby winner and oddsmakers' favorite for the Preakness Stakes isn't exactly a Maryland horse, but he's close - Orb is partially owned by a Baltimore County businessman, and his sire spent some time in Harford County. Attendance at Saturday's races might or might not set an all-time record, but it's bound to be close - top-flight music acts, it seems, are a bigger draw than BYOB debauchery. The weather may not be perfect, but it will be close - the latest forecast is for a high of 72 but with a slight chance of showers.

For Frank Carulli, it's not just a cliche anymore. He really is going to be living the dream in a few weeks. The longtime Maryland Jockey Club handicapper and race analyst is working his final Preakness on Saturday and will finish out the spring meet at Pimlico Race Course before packing up his speed charts and moving to ... well, where else? Las Vegas. That's not breaking news, since his pending departure was announced in March to give the casinos on the Strip a chance to build up their cash reserves, but it still calls for further elaboration.

Shame on the Maryland Jockey Club! After years of letting the tracks degrade, constantly asking for state help, waiting for slots to redeem their poor management, now that slots will not be at Laurel Park, they are threatening to destroy live racing in Maryland. If they do not want to continue the great tradition of Maryland thoroughbred racing, they should bow out and let David Cordish run the tracks. The thoroughbred industry does not consist only of the racetracks, owners, breeders and trainers but also of grooms, hotwalkers, veterinarians, blacksmiths, hay, feed and tack businesses, not to mention the farms themselves.

The Maryland Jockey Club unveiled a new logo Wednesday for Laurel Park Race Course. "The abstract horse represents the future of racing-respecting where we have been and looking forward to where we are going," Maryland Jockey Club President Tom Chuckas said. In addition to replacing the old logo, which the Maryland Jockey Club said was designed almost 20 years ago, they announced changes to the 2012 fall meeting at the racetrack. Two additional Maryland-bred stakes -- the Geisha Stakes (Nov.

In the first week of her reporting internship for a horse-racing newspaper, Gabby Gaudet nervously approached one of the most celebrated figures in the sport. "Can you tell me how you first got involved in the game?" she asked Kelly Breen, who trained the winner of the 2011 Belmont Stakes. "Terrible question. Get back to me when you think of a better one," he replied.  She flinched but thought fast. "How about if I ride your horse?" she asked. He said yes, they fell to talking, and the story she wrote ran above the fold in The Saratoga Special.

An eighth Preakness starter has been named, and he will bring jockey Rosie Napravnik back to the state where her career began to ride for the first time in its premier race. Mylute, fifth at the Kentucky Derby, will run in the 138 th Preakness on Saturday. Trainer Tom Amoss informed Maryland Jockey Club officials of his decision after the colt went to the track Saturday morning. Napravnik is a blossoming star on the national stage, having appeared on “60 Minutes” and in The New York Times Magazine in the wake of signing an endorsement deal with Snickers.