Live Racing Returns to Laurel Park Thursday for 59-Day Fall Meet
At 0h05, on September 9, 2021 • By LAUREL PARK
Following a multi-million dollar reconstruction of the main track that led to a Preakness Meet at historic Pimlico Race Course extended into late August, live racing is set to make its long-awaited and highly anticipated return to Laurel Park.
Laurel Park will play host to a 59-day, calendar-year ending fall meet that begins Thursday and runs through Dec. 31, featuring 33 stakes worth $3.525 million in purses led by the $200,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3) and 36th edition of the Jim McKay Maryland Million.
Racing will be conducted Thursday through Sunday in September, October and November and Friday through Sunday in December. There will be no racing Friday, Dec. 24 or Saturday, Dec. 25.
Post time will be 12:40 p.m. through Sunday, Oct. 24 and move to 12:25 p.m. beginning Friday, Oct. 28 through the remainder of the meet with exceptions of 11:30 a.m. on Maryland Million Day, Oct. 23, and 11:25 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25.
Laurel Park hosted its last live program April 11, in part due to an equine herpesvirus (EHV-1) outbreak that delayed the start of its spring meet and later a complete rebuilding of the dirt surface that necessitated the move to Pimlico through Aug. 22. Horses returned to Laurel Aug. 8 and began timed workouts Aug. 10.
Thursday’s opening day program of nine races features four over Laurel Park’s world-class turf course that drew a total of 52 entries. The card includes one-mile allowances for 3-year-olds and up on the turf in Race 7 and the dirt in Race 8, as well as maiden special weight sprints for 2-year-old fillies going six furlongs on the main track in Race 6 and 5 ½ furlongs on the grass in Race 9.
