Horse racing

“It’s a little close for him. He’s been running hard, he’s been running fast, and he’s such a brilliant racehorse that I just think it’d be doing too much too soon with him,” Baffert said.

Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo will not make the trip to Laurel Park, trainer Cherie DeVaux announced Wednesday, and will instead point to the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in June.

It will be up to Golden Tempo, DeVaux added, how fit he looks upon returning to the training track at Keeneland, where her stable is based.

The usual post-Derby dilemma for trainers and owners is whether their horses are up for the two-week turnaround at Preakness. This year, the race is at Laurel Park on May 16 while the traditional Pimlico Race Course is rebuilt.

Ridden by Jose Ortiz, Golden Tempo — who was at the back of the back early — charged down the stretch to make history for DeVaux in the 1 1/8-mile race, winning at odds of 23-1.

Churchill Downs announced last month its intent to buy the Preakness Stakes’ intellectual property for $85 million — and now Maryland government is on the clock to consider whether to match the deal.

The group of local connections is headlined by Maryland-bred Dazzling Dame, the Brittany Russell-trained horse running in the Kentucky Oaks.

Two Kentucky Derby qualifiers will skip the big Preakness race to run in Maryland.

Maryland officials say their future rights to operate Preakness and negotiate new media deals around the race are unchanged by Churchill’s purchase of the race’s intellectual property. But they were caught off guard by the sale.

Churchill Downs, the home of the Kentucky Derby, plans to license the rights annually to the state of Maryland to stage the races.

The race could move back a week, according to a Sports Business Journal report.

The Maryland Stadium Authority owns Shamrock Farm now, and the legislation would set the sale price at roughly $4.5 million, the same amount the state paid last year.

In a career that began in 1959 and concluded in 2023, Leatherbury piled up 6,508 victories, ranking him fifth all time, and nearly $65 million in purse earnings.

The purchase of a horse farm, Shamrock Farm, involves a partner at Venable, the Pittsburgh Steelers, a Florida Republican, Gov. Wes Moore and a state authority that no longer exists.

Maryland officials said Tuesday they have reached a tentative agreement with Stronach Group, the Canadian company that owns Laurel Park, to acquire the property.

McCarron died Thursday after a heart attack at his farm in Mount Airy, the New York Racing Association said Saturday after being informed by his brother.

Maryland Stadium Authority official Terry Hassletine’s departure creates uncertainty for major events.

It was a tough year in so many ways. Don’t let it dim these moments, though.

Emails detail a pitch to turn Sagamore Farm into a state-owned horse training facility.

The Banner connected with Repole over email to talk about Mindframe’s development and why he’s confident the Maryland-bred can win.