Influx of new trainers gives hope

As winter session begins today at Laurel, numbers from out of state increase

Maryland horse racing might be on shaky ground, but Laurel Park in winter is still appealing to a number of trainers from outside the state.

With the 48-day winter meet set to begin at Laurel Park today, and the weather growing colder up north, Laurel appears to be a haven.

Twenty-five new trainers have brought their horses here, which is more than in past years.

“The New England boys have been coming here for years, after their tracks’ seasons end,” Maryland Jockey Club racing secretary Georganne Hale said. “Plus, with Delaware’s backstretch [barns] closing this year, I’m getting some Delaware guys now. And my purses aren’t horrible. They’ve improved some” with the slots money.

Though it seems Maryland horse racing is on the brink at the end of every year as the Maryland Jockey Club and the horsemen debate the merits of year-round racing and take a deal on the following year’s racing dates down to the last minute, out-of-state horsemen continue to come here and remind the locals that there are a number of reasons to feel good about the racing program and their facilities.

Though summer racing is a distant memory and Pimlico Race Course closes its barns after a short spring meet, the state still has the distinction of being one of the few that still support year-round racing, keeping barns open at Laurel Park and the Bowie Training Center even when the tracks are closed for the summer.

“I tell the trainers around Boston that

GENE SWEENEY JR./BALTIMORE SUN PHOTO Maryland’s Alex Len, center, playing in his third game as a Terp, rejects a shot by Cornell’s Shonn Miller while Berend Weijs assists on defense.