Mike Gathagan
Vice President-Communications
Maryland Jockey Club

LAUREL, Md. – The Maryland Jockey Club and Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (MTHA) have agreed to the live racing dates and stakes schedule at Laurel Park for the balance of the calendar year. Since there is not a Maryland Racing Commission meeting this month executive director Mike Hopkins received approval via phone poll.

The fifty-seven day fall meeting will begin Saturday, Sept. 11 and conclude Saturday, Dec. 18 and includes 19 stakes races worth $1.45 million. Headlining the stand is the 25th running of the Jim McKay Maryland Million on Saturday, Oct. 2.

Introduced in 1986, the Maryland Million is a program for the offspring of Maryland-based stallions. Maryland-sired thoroughbreds are nominated before they become 2-year-olds and remain eligible for life to run in the Maryland Million races. Twenty times attendance figures have topped 20,000 for the event. Hall of Fame broadcaster Jim McKay originally proposed the concept and remained Chairman of the Board until his death two years ago.

The meet will not include the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash, which has been a staple of the fall stakes schedule since 2001. Introduced in 1990, the De Francis Dash is one of the elite six-furlong sprints in the country with four of the 19 winners-Housebuster (1991), Cherokee Run (1994), Smoke Glacken (1997) and Thor’s Echo (2006)-earning Eclipse Award honors for champion sprinter. The American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association downgraded the Dash from Grade I to Grade II status last December.

“Putting the Dash on the shelf for the year has nothing to do with it no longer being a Grade 1 race,” said Maryland Jockey Club president Tom Chuckas. “We didn’t card it in 2008 due to a purse account shortfall and feel the $300,000 purse would be better suited on daily purses throughout the meet.”

Live racing dates for the stand are:

· Sept. 11

· Sept. 15-16-17-18

· Sept. 22-23-24-25

· Sept. 29-30-Oct 1-2

· Oct. 6-7-8-9

· Oct. 11-14-15-16

· Oct. 20-21-22-23

· Oct. 27-28-29-30

· Nov. 3-4-5-6

· Nov. 10-11-12-13

· Nov. 17-18-19-20

· Nov. 24-25-26-27

· Dec. 1-2-3-4

· Dec. 8-9-10-11

· Dec. 15-16-17-18

The current Laurel Park summer meeting ends Sunday, Aug. 22. Live racing shifts to Timonium for the seven-day fair meet (Aug. 27-28-29-Sept. 3-4-5-6).