Michael J. Trombetta

Mike Trombetta, who left the construction business to begin training full time in 2005, oversees a large stable recognizable up and down the East Coast.

Mike, a current member of the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association Board of Directors, keeps horses at two Maryland locations--Laurel Park and Fair Hill Training Center—and also at Gulfstream Park in Florida. He spent a lot of time around the racetrack as a youngster because his father owned Thoroughbreds, and he started working on the backstretch at the age of 15. Mike went from hot walker to groom while working at Pimlico Race Course and the Maryland State Fair at Timonium, and by age 18 had obtained his trainer’s license.

Mike maintained a small stable at Pimlico while assisting his brother in the construction business before he dove in full time. Aside from clients that include breeder R. Larry Johnson and Live Oak Plantation, he also has a family operation called R.D.M. Racing Stable.

Mike, whose horses have won multiple graded stakes, has more than 2,100 victories and earnings of more than $79 million.

Mike first ran for the MTHA Board of Directors to put his many years of experience in racing to good use for benefit of fellow horsemen. He expressed concerns over the uncertainty in the Maryland racing industry brought about by the stalled 2020 racing redevelopment plan and the lack of a permanent racing agreement between the MTHA, Maryland Horse Breeders Association and Maryland Jockey Club.

“Our immediate future is uncertain, and I hope as a group the horsemen can navigate through this process and develop something more sustainable,” Mike said. “We are in a difficult time--we’ve been looking at planning our schedule six months at a time, but we need long-term structure.

“With the redevelopment plan underway through the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority, we need to figure out the best plan going forward to get the maximum amount of racing days and sustainable purses.”

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