Maryland Racing’s Dramatic Changes

Since the great upswing in Maryland racing began five years ago, many of the changes in the sport have been tangible and dramatic: the opening of a Sports Palace at Pimlico and Laurel; the creation of the Maryland Million and the International Turf Festival; the enormous increases in purse money.

The most important change in the game, however, has occurred at such a slow pace that it may not be so readily noticeable. But if a Maryland horseplayer had left the planet in 1984, returned today and picked up the Daily Racing Form, he would be stunned by the improved quality of the racing.

“Our day-to-day programs are competitive with anybody on the East Coast,” said Bob Manfuso, vice president of Pimlico and Laurel. And I think he may even be understating his tracks’ virtues. If I had to choose between playing the horses this fall in Maryland or New York -- the supposed pinnacle of Eastern racing -- I’d pick Maryland without hesitation.

Money, of course, was the root of the sport’s transformation. When the state of Maryland reduced its tax bite from parimutuel wagering, more money became available for purses. As attendance and wagering increased, the purses grew -- to a level that would have been unimaginable a few years ago. Thursday, an allowance race for fillies offered a pot of $38,000. Today a sprint stakes for 3 year olds carries a $100,000 purse; a high-priced claimer for fillies is worth $21,500.

Bigger purses are supposed to attract better horses and translate into better racing. Yet for a long time the quality of the competition here seemed unchanged.

“It can’t happen overnight,” said Manfuso. “If a horseman makes the decision to upgrade the quality of his stock, either by breeding or buying yearlings, it can take two or three years till you see the results.”

The results now are being seen in several ways:

-- Formidable new trainers have moved into Maryland. Robert Klesaris, Vinnie Blengs and John Lenzini Sr. -- all refugees from the moribund New England circuit -- have become strong players on a circuit where the training competition has always been tough.

-- Established trainers are being sent more good horses by owners who are attracted by the purse structure here. Calumet Farm has been sending well-bred youngsters to Charles Hadry. Bohemia Stable is sending horses to James Murphy.

-- Maryland breeders are upgrading the quality of their stock. “It used to be that if you had a mare who was a $10,000 claimer you’d send her to breed,” said trainer and breeder King Leatherbury. “Now you draw the line a lot higher; you might require her to be an allowance winner. You have to meet the challenge.” The purses for stakes and allowance races entices increasing numbers of out-of-town stables to ship their horses here for specific races.

As a result of these changes, Maryland racing is more interesting for fans and handicappers now than ever before. Bettors here may be especially appreciative of their daily fare if they have a chance to listen to the moaning of their counterparts in New York, who complain bitterly about the small fields, the uncompetitive races, the declining quality of the middle-level races that are the backbone of any racing card.

Marylanders have few such complaints. Fields of six or fewer horses are a rarity. So are uncompetitive races; in the last seven racing days at Pimlico, only three races have had odds-on favorites. Manfuso believes this is another way in which high purses have affected competition. The only objectionable aspect of the racing here is the proliferation of races for cheap maidens. But at least they always draw full fields of 12 or 14, and management would rather offer a wide-open betting race than a high-class but more boring field of six. Maryland will never have the money or the abundance of top-quality of horseflesh found in New York and California, but no tracks in America are exploiting their resources better than Pimlico and Laurel.