Maryland's Horse History

Maryland’s Equestrian Legacy: Hoofbeats Through History

Horses and Maryland—it's a partnership that’s galloped through history, shaping the state’s culture, economy, and identity for more than four centuries. From the first English horses stepping onto colonial soil to the high-stakes races that drew wagers from the likes of George Washington, Maryland’s Thoroughbred tradition is as much a part of its DNA as the Chesapeake Bay itself.

 

Back in 1643, when the first horse arrived in St. Mary’s City, it wasn’t just another piece of cargo from England — it was a game-changer. These animals became essential, powering farms, transporting settlers, and forging paths into the wild unknown. By 1694, when Annapolis became the capital, the city was already flexing its influence in politics and commerce. Ships docked at its harbors, offloading luxury goods—fine furniture, imported silks, and, most importantly, bloodlines straight from England’s royal stud farms. Maryland wasn’t just importing horses; it set the foundation for an equestrian empire.

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Racing Toward Colonial Greatness

Where there are fine horses, racing is inevitable. By 1719, the city of Annapolis made it official, carving out the first recorded racetrack in Maryland. Just a year later, in 1720, the quarter-mile match race became a spectacle, drawing crowds, excitement, and, of course, a little gambling. By 1721, Annapolis wasn’t just hosting races—it was taxing the pubs and booths around them to fund the silver plate prize, marking the first municipally-backed race in the colonies.

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But Maryland’s racing ambitions didn’t stop there. In 1743, the Maryland Jockey Club was founded, bringing structure and prestige to the sport. Its members were a who’s who of colonial aristocracy—Governor Samuel Ogle, Colonel Benjamin Tasker Jr., and Samuel Galloway—men who understood that fast horses meant fast fortunes.

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By 1745, the club had organized its first sanctioned race, awarding the coveted Annapolis Subscription Plate. And in 1747, Governor Ogle took Maryland’s Thoroughbred scene to the next level, returning from England with two prized horses—Spark and Queen Mab—descendants of the Royal Stud. They were soon joined by Selima, a filly imported by Col. Tasker, and later, Governor Sharpe’s legendary stallion Othello. Together, they became the foundation of Maryland’s Thoroughbred dynasty.

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A Sport Fit for Revolutionaries

By the 1770s, Race Week had become the event of the season. High society gathered to cheer, wager, and celebrate, and Annapolis was the place to be. Even George Washington, ever the gentleman, couldn’t resist the thrill—though his diary reveals a few regrettable losses at the betting table.

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The Jockey Club Stakes, held on the first day of autumn’s Race Week, was the crown jewel, offering the largest purse. In 1772, the American Theatrical Company even sponsored a stakes race, marking one of the first commercial sponsorships in sports history.

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Then, in 1774, the rhythm of galloping hooves was drowned out by the drumbeat of war. The American Revolution halted the import of British Thoroughbreds, and Maryland’s racing scene went quiet. But the bloodlines remained. The horses endured. And once the war ended, Maryland picked up the reins once again, racing toward the future, as it always had.

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Baltimore: The Rise of a Thoroughbred Empire

Baltimore’s love affair with horse racing runs deep. It began at Hampton Mansion, where Governor Charles Carnan Ridgely turned his estate into a Thoroughbred empire. In 1805, he built the first stone stable for his racehorses and carved out a private racecourse, setting the stage for a centuries-long tradition of speed and prestige.

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By 1806, the Baltimore Jockey Club galloped onto the scene, with the Ridgely Family leading the charge. Races popped up all over town—Potter’s Course in Canton, Locust Point, Herring Run, and even Lexington Market. Yes, that Lexington Market, where you can now grab a what may be the world’s best crab cake, once hosted elite horse racing. The Maryland Jockey Club’s Central racecourse on Old Frederick Road became the crown jewel until the Civil War put a damper on the festivities.

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Robert Gilmor III, another horse-obsessed Baltimorean, took things up a notch at his family estate, The Vineyard, near present-day Waverly. The man built not one but possibly two race courses on his land because, well, why stop at just one?

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Meanwhile, over at Timonium, an ambitious new track emerged in 1833, thanks to the newly arrived Baltimore & Susquehanna Railroad. Advertisements for races stretched as far as Easton, proving that Baltimore’s racing scene wasn’t just a local obsession.

 

Then came Governor Oden Bowie, a man who didn’t just talk big—he built big. After bragging at a New York dinner party in 1868 that Maryland could outshine Saratoga Springs, NY, he returned home, rallied the members of the Maryland Jockey Club, and convinced them to shell out $23,500 for 70 acres near Jones Falls. Another $25,000 later, the hallowed horse grounds at Pimlico Race Course was born. On October 25, 1870, the track’s first race was won by a horse named Preakness, forever cementing its place in history. Three years later, the Preakness Stakes became a staple in the Triple Crown.

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With his own horses like Crickmore and Dickens dominating the track, Bowie built five stables and a three-quarter-mile track at his Fairview estate, ensuring that Maryland’s racing tradition stayed in the fast lane. By 1879, racing was back at Timonium when the Agricultural Society of Baltimore County leased the land for what would become the Maryland State Fairgrounds—still home to top-tier Thoroughbred racing today.

The Golden Age: When Maryland Ruled the Racing World

Horse racing wasn’t just a sport in Maryland — it was a spectacle. When the Preakness Stakes galloped back to Pimlico in 1909, it signaled the dawn of a new golden age. Tracks sprang up like wildflowers: Laurel Park (1911), Havre de Grace (1912), Bowie (1914), Cumberland (1924), and Bel Air (reopened in 1937). The Roaring Twenties brought fast cars, jazz, and the rise of radio, allowing Maryland horse racing to reach an even bigger audience. Suddenly, Thoroughbred racing wasn’t just for those at the track — it was an event everyone could tune into.

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Then along came Man O’ War, a racehorse so dominant it made other Thoroughbreds look like plow horses. The Kentucky-born legend trained at Glen Riddle Farm on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and won all 11 of his 1920 races, including the Preakness and Belmont Stakes. His legacy cemented Maryland as a Thoroughbred powerhouse.

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In 1929, the Maryland Horse Breeders Association (MHBA) was founded, creating the country’s first agency dedicated to promoting the horse industry. Then the Great Depression dropped in, but rather than derail the sport, it made racing even more popular. People needed an escape, and betting on fast horses provided the balm. In 1938, Seabiscuit’s legendary showdown against War Admiral at Pimlico drew a crowd of 40,000 and 40 million listeners on the radio. Seabiscuit’s underdog victory became a symbol of hope for Depression-era America.

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Hoofprints Into the Television Age

By the 1940s, television changed everything, and Tracing was no exception. WMAR in Baltimore became the first station to broadcast live races from Pimlico in 1947. The voice behind it? A young Jim McKay, who later became the face of Wide World of Sports and the inspiration for the Jim McKay Maryland Million Day — second only to the Preakness in popularity.

 

Then came Native Dancer, Sagamore Farm’s “Gray Ghost,” who won 21 of 22 races, became Horse of the Year in 1952 and 1954, and even landed on the cover of Time magazine. It wasn’t just a racehorse — it was a cultural icon.

 

In the ‘50s, Pimlico changed hands when Alfred Vanderbilt sold it to the Cohen brothers, who modernized the track. Meanwhile, over at Laurel Park, John Shapiro had a revolutionary idea — an international, invitation-only race. The Washington D.C. International Stakes debuted in 1952 and became a prestigious global event, even attracting Queen Elizabeth II. The race eventually inspired the Breeders’ Cup but was discontinued in 1994 before making a comeback in 2015 as the Baltimore-Washington International Turf Cup.

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The 1980s: A Changing Landscape

Maryland saw its last homegrown Preakness winner in 1983 with Deputed Testamony, a Maryland-bred horse trained and ridden by local jockeys. Yet, despite these wins, racing attendance began to decline. Nearby states approved slots at their tracks, drawing gamblers — and money away from Maryland. By the late ‘80s, Pimlico and Laurel Park found new owners in the deFrancis family, who pumped fresh energy into the sport.

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The Late 20th Century

The Stronach Group took over Pimlico and Laurel Park in 2002, pouring investments into infrastructure and working with local authorities to ensure racing’s future. Finally, in 2008, voters approved slot machines, directing a portion of the revenue back into the struggling Thoroughbred industry. It was the lifeline Maryland racing needed.

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As Preakness attendance increased, the home of the second jewel of horse racing’s Triple Crown began to tarnish, showing its age. Pimlico was in need of a major face-lift; conversations on how to renovate and modernize the second-oldest racetrack in America abounded.

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By October 2019, negotiators representing three groups—the City of Baltimore, the Canadian-based Stronach Group, and the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association—reached a surprising agreement: to keep the Preakness in Baltimore, at Pimlico, but in a completely reimagined venue.

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Maryland lawmakers approved the Racing and Community Development Act of 2020 to rebuild the track, but it never got off the ground due to costs.

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​Adapting to the Changing Landscape

Despite these challenges, Maryland’s Thoroughbred industry continued to evolve. Breeders, owners, trainers, The Stronarch Group, Baltimore City and Maryland state officials continued to come together to create a vision and strategy for Maryland’s Thoroughbred industry to make strides forward.

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At the end of the 2023 legislative session, the Maryland TRacetrack Operating Authority (MTROA) was created and tasked with turning Maryland into “a best-in-class location for Thoroughbred horse racing.”

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On May 9, 2024, Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed legislation (HB 1524) to re-imagine Maryland’s horseracing industry and give the Pimlico Race Course a complete overhaul. A week later, another obstacle of the state’s purchase of Pimlico had been overcome – the Board of Public Works approved to transfer ownership of Pimlico from The Stronarch Group to the State of Maryland. The historic agreement guarantees the home of the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, establishes Pimlico as the year-round home of Thoroughbred racing in Maryland, and creates a year-round hub of economic activity in Baltimore’s Park Heights community. 

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Rounding the Bend In 2025

2025 marks the start of Maryland’s Thoroughbred and racing industry stepping into its future!

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Day-to-day racing and training operations at Pimlico and Laurel Park officially transferred from The Stronach Group to the state of Maryland/MTROA on January 1,2025.

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When the starting gates fly open May 17th for the 150th time, another three-year old will possess just a touch more heart than the rest of field, and end the day draped in a blanket of Black-Eyed Susans. It what will, no doubt, be a Preakness that would leave an indelible mark on racing history, while heralding in a significant evolution in Maryland’s Thoroughbred and horse racing industry.

Soon the Maryland Stadium Authority will take over the Pimlico site and demolition will begin.

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The Preakness will move to Laurel Park in 2026 and is expected to return to Pimlico in 2027.

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Once the rebuild of Pimlico and training center at Shamrock Farm are complete, Stronach will sell Laurel, and all racing in the state will take place at the state-controlled Pimlico.

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 Down the stretch, it will be the Maryland Thoroughbred that prevails.