Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association

Health Fair set for Oct. 4 at Laurel Park

Details: 26 Sep

The 2021 Health Fair will be held Monday, Oct. 4, at Laurel Park in the Recreation Room. The hours are 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Employees of MedStar Health and Lifeworks Strategies will again provide the services: flu shots, blood work, blood-pressure checks and other screenings as well as a massage therapist. The supply of flu shots was recently received by the Maryland Jockey Club.

During the Health Fair, the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association will have forms for those who want to sign up for the Oct. 12 visit by a mobile dentistry operation. The Mobile Dentist, based in Silver Springs, Md., will visit Laurel Oct. 12, as part of a new service offered by the MTHA.

MRC moves to remove testing thresholds for corticosteroids

Details: 23 Sep

The Maryland Racing Commission, upon the recommendation of its Equine Safety, Health and Welfare Advisory Committee, has approved a motion to modify a regulation on five corticosteroids to eliminate testing threshold levels and employ limit of detection for the substances.

The MRC took the action at its Sept. 23 meeting at Laurel Park. The change will be filed with emergency status and there will be public comment period. Given the regulatory process involved in rule-making, it is anticipated the update regulation will be implemented Nov. 1.

The five corticosteroids are dexamethasone, prednisolone, betamethasone, isoflupredone and triamcinolone. The current 14-day stand-down period for intra-articular injections will remain in place under 2019 model rules approved by the Association of Racing Commissioners International and Racing Medication and Testing Consortium.

Gonzalez, Frock take top spots in Timonium trainer challenge

Details: 08 Sep

Claudio Gonzalez and Charles L. “Snake” Frock took top honors in the $41,000 trainer bonus competition during the Maryland State Fair at Timonium meet.

For Maryland Jockey Club-based trainers with 11 stalls or more, the top five were Gonzalez ($10,000), Anthony Farrior ($5,000), Hugh McMahon ($2,500), John Salzman Jr. ($1,500) and John Robb ($1,500).

For MJC-based trainers with 10 or fewer stalls, the top five were Frock ($10,000); Valrie Smith and Charles A. Frock (each earned $3,750 via a tie); Ricardo D’Angelo ($1,500) and Kenny Cox ($1,500).

The top four jockeys during the seven-day meet were J.D. Acosta (10 wins), Angel Cruz (6), and Xavier Perez and Carlos Lopez each with 5 wins.

September 2021 Newsletter Available

Details: 02 Sep

The September 2021 edition of the Horsemen's Newsletter is now online and available for download. To view this edition click here

The Horsemen's Newsletter is published monthly by the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association and is mailed to licensed owners and trainers in the state of Maryland.

MATCH returns to Maryland; update on starts and points

Details: 01 Sep

After a successful day Aug. 23 at Colonial Downs, the MATCH Series returns to Maryland, where Laurel Park will host the remainder of stakes in the 2021 series.

The following is a look at the standings in the four divisions this year. Note that a horse must have three starts in a division to qualify for bonus money that is awarded to the top three in each division.

More than $280,000 in bonus money is up for grabs in 2021.

Horsemen U adding content; update on CE certificates

Details: 01 Sep

Horsemen U, an online continuing education platform created by the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, New York THA and California Thoroughbred Trainers, continues to add content and offers a place for trainers and assistant trainers to maintain their CE records.

The Maryland Racing Commission earlier adopted a regulation that requires trainers to have four hours of CE per year as a condition of licensing beginning Jan. 1, 2022.

Horsemen U offers approved online CE webinars and issues CE certificates after a course and a short quiz have been completed. Trainers and assistant trainers can register, free of charge, and maintain their CE records in their account. The website for the platform is www.HorsemenU.com.