Subscribe To Our Newsletter!
.svg){kind=small}
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.
Latest Posts
The Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority on Dec. 23 officially announced that Maryland’s new Thoroughbred training center, a central component of a comprehensive plan to strengthen the state’s racing industry, will be built at Shamrock Farm near Woodbine in Carroll County. The MTROA, an independent agency established by statute in 2023, announced plans to acquire 300 acres to construct a best-in-class equine training facility.
The Maryland racing community will come together in January to celebrate the life and legacy of Rodney Jenkins, a beloved trainer and equestrian who left an indelible mark on Maryland racing. Jenkins, a native of Middleburg, Va., passed away on Dec. 5 at the age of 80. A memorial service is scheduled for noon on Tuesday, Jan. 7, on the second floor of the clubhouse at Laurel Park.
