Mid-Atlantic region has strong prospects for 2005,
and beyond
Each month, the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred does its best to bring
you positive stories from the region. Winners. Achievers. Success
stories. It’s a fun job, because almost every day brings
something new to write about.
But the magazine could soon be facing an even bigger workload,
as all eight states covered in these pages have reasons to be
optimistic about 2005, and beyond.
1. Pennsylvania is moving toward uncharted prosperity in the next
several years—projected $340,000-a-day purses at Philadelphia
Park, a possible $25 million breeding fund. Slots legislation
signed into law by Governor Ed Rendell last July could transform
Pennsylvania into one of the major racing states in the nation.
2. Maryland may soon see some of its worst problems resolved,
especially if 2005 is the long-awaited year of slots. The Maryland
General Assembly convened for its annual three-month session on
January 12, and slots are once again at the top of its agenda.
Meanwhile, the long and painful process of rebuilding the Laurel
Park racing surface was nearing completion (apparently meeting
standards) as this magazine went to press.
The state’s first new major stallion operation in 15 years—the
Maryland Stallion Station—opens its doors for the 2005 breeding
season. And the Maryland Million is $600,000 richer, with $300,000
added to Maryland Million purses and another $300,000 to be distributed
in races throughout the year.
3. New Jersey, not so long ago on the verge of oblivion, turned
its fortunes around in 2004, forging a four-year agreement with
the state’s casino industry that infuses $86 million into
purses. Monmouth Park’s purses averaged $320,000 a day in
2004, the highest in the track’s 59-year history.
Prospects for New Jersey-breds are also looking up, as the result
of changes in 2004. The New Jersey Thoroughbred Festival, for
New Jersey-breds, is guaranteed purses of $700,000 through 2007.
Changes in the breeding fund program have made it easier for owners
and breeders to reap incentive awards; highlights include a provision
that allows New Jersey-breds to earn breeder awards at out-of-state
tracks during New Jersey’s off-season. And excitement can
only build at Monmouth over the next few years, as the track gears
up to become the first racing venue in the region to host Breeders’
Cup day (in 2007).
4. Delaware, though not a Thoroughbred breeding state, is rapidly
developing a network of farms, as a result of the Delaware Certified
Thor-oughbred Program (DCTP). This highly success-ful program,
created and administered by the Delaware Thoroughbred Horsemen’s
Association, offers incentive awards for horses who have spent
at least 90 consecutive days at an approved in-state farm or training
center before March 31 of their 2-year-old season.
5. Virginia’s racing schedule is in line for expansion,
as its off-track betting network takes off within the next several
years.
Displaying the kind of unity that is rare within the racing industry,
horsemen, breeders, Colonial Downs track representatives and the
racing commission worked to secure the passage of legislation
in 2004 that allows for as many as 10 OTB sites in the state.
Three local jurisdictions approved OTB measures by referendum
last November. Which means that a total of nine OTB sites could
be up and running in Virginia by the end of 2005. Revenue generated
from these sites will allow Colonial Downs to significantly increase
its number of racing dates.
6. West Virginia’s breeding industry continues to grow,
with many new stallions entering the state, and daily purses at
Charles Town, fueled by slots, have reached levels that seemed
impossible a decade ago.
7. North Carolina and South Carolina, though without parimutuel
racing of their own, each has a strong corps of horsepeople who
are working hard to support the Thor-oughbred industry within
their states.
South Carolina’s bright new idea for 2005 is a $40,000 stakes
to be run at Phila-delphia Park next November—exclusively
for 2-year-olds who have spent at least 90 days in South Carolina
by June 30, 2005.
Each in his own way, Mid-Atlantic horsepeople are out there trying.
The results, as always, will be exciting to watch.
