Benefit Trust Limits Increased
The Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Board of Directors has increased the maximum yearly benefit for trainers and their spouses, effectively immediately.
The program, which assists with medical and dental expenses, has received $65,000 each year from the Maryland Thoroughbred Purse Account as the direction of the MTHA. The amount has not been fully utilized given the maximum benefit of $5,000 for trainers and $2,500 for spouses of trainers.
The new yearly maximums are $7,500 for trainers and $5,000 for the spouses of trainers. Eligible trainers must be currently stabled at Laurel Park or Pimlico Race Course and may be subject to a minimum requirement of 10 starts in Maryland for at least one year to the request for assistance, with a majority of the starts in Maryland during the period.
Related articles
In Memoriam: Wayne Smith
2025/26 Backstretch Pension Contributions Posted to Accounts
Trainers Reminded to Promptly Report Track Surface Feedback
Reminder: ACH Transfers Available for Horsemen’s Accounts
More from MTHA
In Memoriam: Wayne Smith
MTHA extends its condolences to the family and friends of Wayne Smith, a longtime groom and hotwalker whose work with horses spanned decades in Maryland racing.
2025/26 Backstretch Pension Contributions Posted to Accounts
Contributions for the 2025/26 Maryland Backstretch Pension Plan were posted to participants’ accounts in early November.
Dugan, Schoenthal Named 2026 Ferris Allen Bootstraps Scholarship Recipients
Megan Dugan, a freshman at the University of Kentucky, and Bryn Schoenthal, a freshman at Slippery Rock University, have been selected as the 2026 recipients of the Ferris Allen Bootstraps Scholarship.
