Maryland fall stakes slate has 32 races worth $3.25M

The Maryland Jockey Club on Tuesday announced a $3.25 million fall stakes schedule featuring 32 stakes races (four graded) and five Super Saturdays with four or more stakes races. Highlights of the fall program at Laurel Park, which will offer five additional stakes and $150,000 more in purses than 2015, include:

Laurel Turf Festival on Sept. 10, opening day, featuring three listed stakes — $150,000 Lady Baltimore, $100,000 Laurel Dash and $100,000 Laurel Turf Cup — as well as the $75,000 Laurel Futurity and $75,000 Selima.

Commonwealth Day on Sept. 24 featuring three graded stakes — the $200,000 Commonwealth Derby (G2), $200,000 Commonwealth Turf Cup (G2) and $150,000 Commonwealth Oaks (G3). The day will feature a total of eight turf stakes with total purses of $850,000.

Fall Festival Day on Nov. 19 featuring the $250,000 Frank De Francis Dash (G3) and six other stakes with the day’s total purses $825,000.

Two stakes for Maryland-bred/Maryland-sired horses Dec. 10 — the $100,000 Maryland Juvenile Futurity and Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship. Laurel’s stakes schedule does not include Jim McKay Maryland Million Day on Oct. 22. WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: CCBC- Dundalk named Rick Armijo coach. Armijo, who is also the Lions’ head softball coach, has coached Baltimore County high school boys and girls for more than 15 years, most recently leading the Dundalk High girls from 2011 to 2016. MEN’S LACROSSE: UMBC named Jamison Koesterer and Neil Hutchinson assistant coaches. Koesterer, an NCAA champion at Johns Hopkins in 2005 and 2007, has spent the past four seasons at Ohio State after two years as a volunteer coach at his alma mater. Hutchinson, a Loyola Blakefield alumnus, just completed his second season as a volunteer assistant at Towson, his alma mater, where he played after transferring from CCBC-Essex. FOOTBALL: Maryland linebacker Jermaine Carter Jr. was one of 51 players named to the Butkus Award watch list. The award is given annually to the nation’s top linebacker. MEN’S SOCCER: Recent UNCW graduate Colin Bonner (Reservoir), now with FC Dallas, was selected as the Colonial Athletic Association Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Bonner, who was a forward, majored in business administration and had a 3.80 GPA.