Timonium Opens on Friday

I always look forward to the end of summer Sate Fair Meet at the Timonium Fairgrounds. It is not the highest caliber of racing, but it is a really fun atmosphere. The paddock is wide open, and the jockeys have to walk through the crowd after the race. The place is filled with people, but not your standard racing fan. Since the track is part of the state fair, the grandstands are filled with casual fans. The only time they see live racing is for the six days leading up to labor day.

With all the purse cutting this year in Maryland, the Timonium Meet looks pretty bad. Fridays card has all 6 and 7 horse fields with some $4k claimers running for a $5k purse. I wish I could say that the local trainers are putting out the C and D string, but I don't even recognize some of the names. As far a jockeys go, it is definitely the C and D string. Oh Well!

Did I mention that it is a 5/8 mile rock solid dirt oval? Bring the family, get some funnel cake and enjoy a day at the races with the family. In between races, you can slide over to the 4H tent and see the blue ribbon sow!

Slots move to the front

Governor O'Malley's administration released a "pro" slot machine report yesterday. This has made front page news in the Baltimore Sun and Washington Post. The report by Thomas Perez appears to be the first real move by the administration to reignite the slot debate. Perez visited parking lots at gambling facilities in neighboring states looking for Maryland license plates. This study as well as other research has led to him estimating that Maryland is losing $150 million in tax revenue by not having slot machines. The report also makes an interesting correlation between slot machines and suburban sprawl. He feels that slots would prop up horse racing, which occupies rural land, hence preventing rural land development. They are pulling out all the stops now. I guess the Governor is going at this from all angles.



\

Sunday Maryland Update

- Paying Off won the $50,000 Twixt Stakes (Maryland bred 3yo fillies). This was the 100th Stakes win for local trainer John Robb, and the first stakes win (in 8 tries) for Paying Off.

- All eight Maryland breds in this weeks Saratoga Select Yearling Sale sold for over six figures.

- Penn National Gaming, Inc (PENN) plans to buy Rosecroft Raceway from Cloverleaf Enterprises Inc. The is the first big move in the jockeying for slot machine licenses. Assuming our leaders in Annapolis are going to actually pass the bill next year. Lets wait and see.

Friday Updates

- Laurel Park opens for its 10 date mini-meet. Lets see how the 10 percent take out will effect the handle?

- Anna "Rosie" Napravnik will be out until late October. She is recovering from a July 6th spill that caused her to have surgery on a wrist and hand. (according to her agent Steve Rushing)

- The Baltimore Sun announced today that they will no longer have horse racing entries or results in the print edition of the paper. Oh Well!

Maiden Voyage, Maiden Wins

My first day ever at Saratoga was a great one. At a time in this country when we sometimes feel like horse racing is a dying sport, it is exciting to see thousands and thousands of serious fans enjoying the action on a HOT Wednesday afternoon.

I was thrilled to see the debut of $4.6 million colt Maimonides. Thank you to the kind people at Del Mar for pissing off Mr. Zayat and causing him to ship the colt to Saratoga for his first try. The crowd cheered as he pulled away and crossed the line 11 1/2 lengths in front. Many in attendance crowned him the BC Juvenille champ as well as next year's Kentucky Derby winner. A bit overzealous, but that's how exciting it was.



Mr. Zayat also sent out the winner of the other open baby race, Z Humor. Here he is coming down the stretch before Ready's Echo cam out of nowhere to get a piece of the money.


I'm heading back to the Spa now. I'm staying about 30 miles to the west. It's a beautiful day - much cooler than yesterday. The races aren't quite as interesting today but at least I'll get to see my first steeplechase!

Crabs, Beer, and Free Admission

One week from today, Laurel Park will open for a 10 day late summer meet. Our good friends at the Maryland Jockey Club are doing a decent job at marketing this meet. Over the past week I have heard a number of radio commercials geared toward a wide range of fans. On the talk radio channels, they advertise twilight racing, free admission, and great drink specials. On the sports talk radio shows the emphasis is on the "10 days of racing at 10 percent". Today I received a post card with all the above mentioned marketing gimmicks plus they will be having an "All You Can Eat" crab feast on August 17th, and 2 for 1 beers and $2 frozen drinks during all twilight racing.

Now this may not seem like much, but I give a lot of credit to the guys at the Jockey Club for trying hard to bring fans to the track during such bleak times. Also, a $45 all inclusive crab feast in Marland is like all you can fillet mignon for the rest of the world!