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Originally Posted by somerfrost
possibly! The "Bible Thumpers" have made Maryland a battleground fighting the war about evil slots...unless they can compete with all the surrounding states, I see little hope...it's a shame cause racing in Maryland was once first class. Maybe when faced with the loss of thousands of jobs, the people of Md will come to their senses like they did in Jefferson County WVa!
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Maryland racing and breeding were at the top of the heap in Colonial days, still a major force earlier in the 20th Century, producing horses like Challedon and Gallorette. Sagamore Farm's stallions Discovery and Native Dancer were the equal of any in Kentucky. Then Windfields located its US branch in Md, and they had the best stallion in the world, Northern Dancer, and a roster of other top ones.
I went racing at Bowie, a charming little track, never understood why they closed it. Good horses came up from Florida for the Campbell when it was run there. And the name Havre de Grace shows up in the PPs of many a great one of the past. My 1942 AMerican Racing Manual shows 9 tracks in Maryland -Pimlico, Laurel, Bowie, Malrboro, Timonium, Bel Air, Havre de Grace, Hagerstown, and Cumberland. Some were fairs, of course, but racing was more distributed geographically in those days; only the Eastern Shore had no recognized TB track.