Maryland Jockey Club
Encyclopedia
The Maryland Jockey Club is a sporting organization dedicated to horse racing, founded in Annapolis in 1743. The Jockey Club was founded more than 30 years before the start of the Revolutionary War and is chartered as the oldest sporting organization in North America. After 267 years it remains the corporate name of the company that operates; Pimlico Race Course
in Baltimore, Maryland which opened in 1870, Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland
which opened in 1911 and Bowie Race Track
in Bowie, Maryland
which opened as race course in 1914 and ceased operations as a track in 1985. The track now serves as a training center for Thoroughbred racehorses.
, the second oldest trophy in America and the oldest recorded formal horse race in Maryland, was won in that same year of 1743 by George Hume Steuart's Dungannon
.
Irregular race meetings were held in spring and autumn seasons during an eleven year span from 1755 through 1766. The exact dates, start times and number of races carded during these meeting were not uniform in part due to interference from the French and Indian War
.
Future president of the United States George Washington
attended the Maryland Jockey Club race meeting frequently in 1762 going to the track for almost every carded event. He also attended race meetings in 1766, 1767, 1771, 1772 and 1773.
Regularly scheduled race meetings were held during both the spring and autumn in 1769 with uniform start times and number of races carded. The meets were run in Annapolis, Maryland. The races were continued in this fashion at that same location until 1775. In the autumn of 1775 the Maryland Jockey Club postponed all racing, due to the break out of war, upon the recommendation of Congress, "in consequense of report upon the state of the country. All should quietly return to their homes."
In 1782, some Annapolis races resumed in Autumn, the country having returned to a state of normalcy following the Revolutionary War. The Maryland Jockey Club revitalized on March 1, 1783 some six months before the formal peace treaty ending the war was signed by two Jockey Club members; Governor William Paca
and Charles Carroll
of Carrollton (both also signers of the Declaration of Independence
.
in Washington, D.C.
. General T. M. Forman was elected president of the Jockey Club; B. H. Cohen, treasurer; and J. S. Skinner, corresponding secretary. With the decline of Annapolis and the growth of Baltimore as an economic center, the Maryland Jockey Club shifted its operations to "Central Course, Baltimore," about five miles southwest of the city on the Frederick Pike.
In 1831, President Andrew Jackson
became a member of the Maryland Jockey Club and races his very own White House Stable in meets under the name of his secretary, A. J. Donelson.
was incorporated for a track by the state by way of the Maryland General Assembly
. In 1868 Saratoga Race Course
in New York revived its racing program after its interruption by the U.S. Civil War. Maryland Governor Oden Bowie
and others attended that Saratoga meet and devised the Dinner Party Stakes (now called the Dixie Stakes) for a track in Baltimore.
In September 1869, the first Maryland State Fair
was held at Pimlico Race Course.
The present site of the Maryland Jocket Club was opened at Pimlico on October 25, 1870. A new corporation (Pimlico) was organized on May 14 of that same year in a ballroom of the Barnum's City Hotel in Baltimore. Governor Oden Bowie was elected its first President. The first stakes race held at the track was the Dinner Party Stakes and it was won by Preakness, a son of Lexington
on October, 27, 1870. Stakes races also run that year were the "Breakfast Stakes" and the "Bowie Stakes," both were won by Glenelg.
In 1873, Pimlico staged the first Preakness Stakes
a classic event for three year-olds. There were seven starters from 21 subscribers to pre-liminary races. Survivor
won the inaugural Preakness Stakes which was named for the winner of the first Dinner Party Stakes.
In 1876, the Maryland Jockey Club presented nine stakes races (then a record), which attracted 312 nominations. The signature event of the meet was the fourth running of the Preakness Stakes which was won by Shirley.
In 1877, the United States Congress
, both the House of Representatives and the Senate adjourned on October 24 so that members of both houses could witness a race of intersectional scope in which Parole
, Ten Broeck
and Tom Ochiltree
met. They finished in that order in what was to become known as "the Big Race" in a stakes program of ten stakes races.
Pimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course is a horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Olde Ben Pimlico's Tavern in London...
in Baltimore, Maryland which opened in 1870, Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland
Laurel, Maryland
Laurel is a city in northern Prince George's County, Anne Arundel County, and Howard County, Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. Incorporated in 1870, the city maintains a historic district including its Main Street...
which opened in 1911 and Bowie Race Track
Bowie Race Track
The Bowie Race Track was a horse racing track located just outside the city limits of Bowie, Maryland. Opened October 1, 1914 by the Southern Maryland Agricultural Society, the racetrack was a major attraction in the area, serving the now defunct WB&A Railroad that drew passengers from New York,...
in Bowie, Maryland
Bowie, Maryland
Bowie is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 54,727 at the 2010 census. Bowie has grown from a small railroad stop to the largest municipality in Prince George's County, and the fifth most populous city and third largest city by area in the state of...
which opened as race course in 1914 and ceased operations as a track in 1985. The track now serves as a training center for Thoroughbred racehorses.
1700's
The Maryland Jockey Club is founded in 1743. The Annapolis Subscription PlateAnnapolis Subscription Plate
The Annapolis Subscription Plate is the name given both to the first recorded formal horse race in colonial Maryland and to the silver trophy awarded to the winner of the race...
, the second oldest trophy in America and the oldest recorded formal horse race in Maryland, was won in that same year of 1743 by George Hume Steuart's Dungannon
Dungannon (horse)
Dungannon, , was a thoroughbred racehorse owned by the tobacco planter and horse breeder George Hume Steuart , who imported the horse from England to race against his rival, Charles Carroll of Annapolis...
.
Irregular race meetings were held in spring and autumn seasons during an eleven year span from 1755 through 1766. The exact dates, start times and number of races carded during these meeting were not uniform in part due to interference from the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
.
Future president of the United States George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
attended the Maryland Jockey Club race meeting frequently in 1762 going to the track for almost every carded event. He also attended race meetings in 1766, 1767, 1771, 1772 and 1773.
Regularly scheduled race meetings were held during both the spring and autumn in 1769 with uniform start times and number of races carded. The meets were run in Annapolis, Maryland. The races were continued in this fashion at that same location until 1775. In the autumn of 1775 the Maryland Jockey Club postponed all racing, due to the break out of war, upon the recommendation of Congress, "in consequense of report upon the state of the country. All should quietly return to their homes."
In 1782, some Annapolis races resumed in Autumn, the country having returned to a state of normalcy following the Revolutionary War. The Maryland Jockey Club revitalized on March 1, 1783 some six months before the formal peace treaty ending the war was signed by two Jockey Club members; Governor William Paca
William Paca
William Paca was a signatory to the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Maryland, and later Governor of Maryland and a United States federal judge.-Early life:...
and Charles Carroll
Charles Carroll
Charles Carroll may refer to:*Charles Carroll , Continental Congressman from Maryland*Charles H. Carroll , U.S...
of Carrollton (both also signers of the Declaration of Independence
Declaration of independence
A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
.
Early 1800's
The Maryland Jockey Club was issued a new charter by the U.S. Congress in 1930 which is now displayed in the Library of CongressLibrary of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. General T. M. Forman was elected president of the Jockey Club; B. H. Cohen, treasurer; and J. S. Skinner, corresponding secretary. With the decline of Annapolis and the growth of Baltimore as an economic center, the Maryland Jockey Club shifted its operations to "Central Course, Baltimore," about five miles southwest of the city on the Frederick Pike.
In 1831, President Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
became a member of the Maryland Jockey Club and races his very own White House Stable in meets under the name of his secretary, A. J. Donelson.
Late 1800's
In 1867 the site of present day Pimlico Race CoursePimlico Race Course
Pimlico Race Course is a horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of Olde Ben Pimlico's Tavern in London...
was incorporated for a track by the state by way of the Maryland General Assembly
Maryland General Assembly
The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is a bicameral body. The upper chamber, the Maryland State Senate, has 47 representatives and the lower chamber, the Maryland House of Delegates, has 141 representatives...
. In 1868 Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. It opened on August 3, 1863, and is the oldest organized sporting venue of any kind in the United States. It is typically open for racing from late July through early September.-History:John...
in New York revived its racing program after its interruption by the U.S. Civil War. Maryland Governor Oden Bowie
Oden Bowie
Oden Bowie , a member of the United States Democratic Party, was the 34th Governor of the State of Maryland in the United States from 1869 to 1872.-Childhood:...
and others attended that Saratoga meet and devised the Dinner Party Stakes (now called the Dixie Stakes) for a track in Baltimore.
In September 1869, the first Maryland State Fair
Maryland State Fair
The Maryland State Fair is the annual state fair for the state of Maryland. It is held at the Maryland State Fairgrounds located near the intersection of York and Timonium Roads in Timonium. As of 2006, the fair is an 11-day event customarily beginning in late August and ending around Labor Day.-...
was held at Pimlico Race Course.
The present site of the Maryland Jocket Club was opened at Pimlico on October 25, 1870. A new corporation (Pimlico) was organized on May 14 of that same year in a ballroom of the Barnum's City Hotel in Baltimore. Governor Oden Bowie was elected its first President. The first stakes race held at the track was the Dinner Party Stakes and it was won by Preakness, a son of Lexington
Lexington (horse)
Lexington was a United States Thoroughbred race horse who won six of his seven race starts. Perhaps his greatest fame came however as the most successful sire of the second half of the nineteenth century; he was the Leading sire in North America 16 times, and of his many brood mare and racer...
on October, 27, 1870. Stakes races also run that year were the "Breakfast Stakes" and the "Bowie Stakes," both were won by Glenelg.
In 1873, Pimlico staged the first Preakness Stakes
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
a classic event for three year-olds. There were seven starters from 21 subscribers to pre-liminary races. Survivor
Survivor (horse)
Survivor was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that was foaled in Kentucky in 1870 and is best known as the winner of the first running of the Preakness Stakes in 1873 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. Survivor's record winning margin of 10 lengths lasted for 132 years until Smarty...
won the inaugural Preakness Stakes which was named for the winner of the first Dinner Party Stakes.
In 1876, the Maryland Jockey Club presented nine stakes races (then a record), which attracted 312 nominations. The signature event of the meet was the fourth running of the Preakness Stakes which was won by Shirley.
In 1877, the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, both the House of Representatives and the Senate adjourned on October 24 so that members of both houses could witness a race of intersectional scope in which Parole
Parole (horse)
Parole was a Thoroughbred race horse bred by Pierre Lorillard, a scion of the tobacco family. Lorillard and his brother George were both horsemen and competed throughout their careers...
, Ten Broeck
Ten Broeck
Ten Broeck was an American U.S. Racing Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse whose 1878 match race win in Louisville against the great California mare, Mollie McCarty was immortalized in the Kentucky folk song commonly called Molly and Tenbrooks.Bred by John Harper at his farm near Midway,...
and Tom Ochiltree
Tom Ochiltree
Tom Ochiltree , was an American Thoroughbred racehorse, one of the last by the great foundation stallion, blind Lexington, still standing at what by then was A. J. Alexander's Woodburn Stud in Kentucky. Tom Ochiltree was an enormous colt, eventually reaching 16 hands 2½ inches high with a girth of...
met. They finished in that order in what was to become known as "the Big Race" in a stakes program of ten stakes races.