As horse racing in Maryland traverses an uncertain future, a new authority will be tasked with overseeing the embattled industry. There are operating models to study, potential training sites to examine and, of course, the perennial need to renovate the state’s dilapidated racetracks.
Created by a state law passed this spring, the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority began to take shape Friday as Democratic Gov. Wes Moore selected his five appointees to the nine-member authority. The authority will make recommendations to “ensure that Maryland remains a premier racing destination for many years to come,” according to a news release from the governor.
Moore picked Greg Cross, a Baltimore-based attorney with Venable LLP who has experience in the racing industry, as the authority’s chair. Cross represented the state in 2009, when the then-owner of Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Laurel Park and the Preakness Stakes (Magna Entertainment) filed for bankruptcy. He also represented horse breeding farms in the 1990s and, recently, the Maryland Economic Development Corp. as it analyzed Laurel Park.
“Greg Cross is the leader we need in this critical position,” Moore said in a statement. “He has helped Maryland racing navigate challenging times in the past and has played a key role in the development and implementation of racing legislation in recent years — he is the right person to hit the ground running and help us chart a path forward.”
Racing’s popularity nationally has declined in recent decades and has faced particular scrutiny this year for a rash of horse deaths. Twelve horses died this spring at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, prompting racing to be moved from the track.
In Maryland, the state’s two tracks of at least one mile, Laurel Park and Pimlico, remain in shoddy condition despite a 2020 law that sought to improve them with $375 million in state money.
“What’s horse racing going to look like in Maryland in five years? Where is it going to be concentrated? How is it going to function? How are the monies that the legislature authorized going to be spent? Those are all things that are supposed to be studied,” Cross said in an interview with The Baltimore Sun.
Many tracks across the U.S. have closed in recent years. Cross said Maryland, which has a deep history with racing, could be in a unique position thanks to the creation of the authority and the public funds set aside for the facilities.
“The governor and legislature have put us in a position to be at the forefront of the horse racing industry in the country,” he said.
Moore also appointed Mary Tydings, his 2022 campaign treasurer, and Jeff Hargrave to the authority.
Tydings recently retired from Russell Reynolds Associates, an executive search firm, and has personal ties to horse racing. Her uncle, John Schapiro, owned Laurel Park for decades until he sold it in 1984. Her father, Joseph Tydings, was a Democratic U.S. senator from Maryland in the 1960s.
Hargrave, a Baltimore native, is the founder and president of Mahogany Inc., a commercial construction firm.
The Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association and the Maryland Horse Breeders Association each submitted two nominees to the governor, who selected one from each list: Alan Foreman, one of the horsemen’s picks, and Tom Rooney, nominated by the breeders.
Foreman is the general counsel for the horsemen’s association and has represented the racing industry in negotiations concerning the future of Pimlico and Laurel Park.
Rooney is a former U.S. representative from Florida who is president and CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association.
In addition to Moore’s selections, the authority will have four other voting members. Senate President Bill Ferguson of Baltimore and Speaker of the House Adrienne A. Jones of Baltimore County, both Democrats, will each make an appointment. A representative each from the Maryland Stadium Authority and the Maryland Economic Development Corp. also will be on the authority. Members, who are appointed for four years, are unpaid.
Moore also named three nonvoting members who, as detailed in the law, must live near a particular racetrack or training center: Joe Franco (who lives near Laurel Park), Nicole Earle (Pimlico) and Gavin Stokes (Bowie training center).
The Maryland Racing Commission will select a nonvoting member, as well.
One of the authority’s most immediate tasks will be overseeing the projects to improve one or both of Maryland’s premier but ramshackle racetracks. The projects, as outlined in the 2020 law, have stalled and no physical improvements have been made at either venue. Now, it is likely that only Pimlico will be renovated, but the upgrades remain without a timeline.
By Dec. 1, the new authority must deliver an update on the racetrack renovation projects to the General Assembly.
That report also will review the “best practices” for racing operating models (Canada-based 1/ST currently operates racing in Maryland), according to the law, as well as explore possible locations for establishing a thoroughbred training facility. That facility would be needed if Maryland consolidates its live racing to a lone venue.
As Maryland racing navigates challenges, Cross said it’s the “right time” for the creation of an authority to study the industry.
“I think there are opportunities to create an attractive product that will attract people and attract betting and help the industry stand on its two legs — or four legs,” he said.