Laurel Park project raises issues of credibility

“Fail to keep your promise on this one, and no one will ever believe you again.” One can only hope that those words, spoken by Maryland Racing Commission member John Franzone at the June commission meeting, reverberated through the executive offices of the Maryland Jockey Club and its parent company Magna Entertainment Corp.

The MJC has begun a major reconstruction project at Laurel Park—the dirt and turf courses are to be rebuilt and widened, and the paddock relocated.
But like so many things that go on within Maryland racing, the origin and outcome of the project are much more complex than might appear on the surface.

When Magna bought a majority interest in the MJC (owner of Laurel Park and Pimlico) in November 2002, the Maryland Racing Commission approved the sale with a major stipulation—Magna must agree to spend $15 million on upgrades to the racing surfaces and backstretches.

Magna agreed, and now is spending $10 million of those funds on the Laurel reconstruction project.

So why is the racing commission, not to speak of a large number of the state’s rank-and-file horsemen, skeptical about the plan?

l. Advance organization—i.e., a plan for relocating hundreds of horses from Laurel to Pimlico, Bowie and Timonium—was appallingly lacking.

Trainers, in many cases, received less than a week’s notice as to where they’d be stabled this summer. Moving a training stable involves hundreds of details, from disinfecting stalls to finding new homes for the help.

Most Laurel-based trainers managed to make the move to other Maryland training sites, but a fair number kept on going—shifting their operations to tracks in other states.

And speaking of planning ahead—At time of the commission meeting (June 8), only one of the four required permits had been secured.

2. Questions have arisen about the new designs for the track. Will the dirt surface stand up to severe Maryland winters? Magna has received rave reviews for the track surface at its new Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida, and initial indications were that it was planning to recreate that surface here. What works in Florida won’t likely work in Maryland.

The design became a more pressing concern when John Passero announced his resignation. The MJC’s longtime vice-president of racing facilities, Passero is one of the world’s foremost experts in the design and upkeep of racing surfaces. Apparently, he had not been consulted about plans for the Laurel rebuilding, Magna preferring the expertise of construction managers who have worked at some of its other race tracks.

3. Timing, timing, timing. Will the track and turf course be finished in time for Laurel’s scheduled fall opening (October 6) and Maryland Million Day, October 9? Or will construction drag on into the fall and winter, with racing dates shifted to Pimlico, and many stables still occupying makeshift quarters at Bowie and Timonium? If Laurel does not open on time, what will become of the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern Fall Yearling sale (scheduled October 4 to 6)—at Timonium?

If the MJC/Magna moves with all due speed and creates a magnificent new race track and turf course over the summer months, all of Maryland racing can rejoice. But there’s a lot more at stake here than dirt and grass. Ambitious building projects have been announced, and abandoned, by both the MJC and Magna in the past. As commissioner Franzone warned, it’s an issue of credibility.