Gate Fee Bumped Up

The Maryland starting gate fee will increase by $15 under a new structure approved by the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association Board of Directors at its Dec. 13 meeting. The current fee of $50 will increase to $65 when the Laurel Park winter meet begins Jan. 17, 2025.

The increase will go toward benevolence programs and the Beyond The Wire aftercare program. The additional funds will be used to offset projected reductions in the fees as a result of fewer live racing dates and an anticipated reduction in individual starts in 2025.

The Board also unanimously approved a $1 million appropriation from the Maryland Thoroughbred Purse Account to fund the Backstretch Pension Program for Plan Year 2024/25 pending approval by the Maryland Racing Commission. The contribution was first increased to $1 million for Plan Year 2021/22.

More than 550 individuals are now vested in the plan.

Regarding the annual assessment from the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority for its Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program and Racetrack Safety Program, the figure for Maryland in 2025 is $4.39 million after reimbursements to the Maryland Racing Commission for handling race-day sample collection and related activities. The MTHA’s share of the total will be $1.94 million, which comes from the purse account.

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