Maryland Jockey Club facts for kids
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| Non-profit organisation | |
| Industry | Horse Racing |
| Founded | 1743 |
| Headquarters | Maryland |
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Key people
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George Washington William Paca Charles Carroll of Carrollton |
| Products | Betting, lottery, sports |
The Maryland Jockey Club is a sports group focused on horse racing. It was started in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1743. This makes it the oldest sports organization in North America, founded more than 30 years before the American Revolutionary War!
Today, after more than 267 years, it still runs famous race tracks in Maryland. These include Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland, which opened in 1870, and Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland, which started in 1911. It also used to run Bowie Race Track in Bowie, Maryland, which opened in 1914. Bowie is now a training center for racehorses.
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History of the Maryland Jockey Club
The Maryland Jockey Club began in 1743. In that same year, the Annapolis Subscription Plate was awarded. This is the second oldest trophy in America and marks the first official horse race recorded in Maryland. The race was won by a horse named Dungannon, owned by George Hume Steuart.
Early Races and Famous Visitors
For about eleven years, from 1755 to 1766, races were held twice a year, in spring and autumn. The exact dates and number of races sometimes changed because of the French and Indian War.
Even future United States President George Washington loved attending these races! He went to many events in 1762 and also visited in 1766, 1767, 1771, 1772, and 1773.
Racing During the Revolutionary War
From 1769 to 1775, races were held regularly in Annapolis. But in the autumn of 1775, the Maryland Jockey Club stopped all racing. This happened because the American Revolutionary War had started, and Congress suggested everyone return home.
After the war, some races began again in Annapolis in 1782. The Maryland Jockey Club officially restarted on March 1, 1783. This was six months before the peace treaty ending the war was signed. Two members of the Jockey Club, Governor William Paca and Charles Carroll of Carrollton, were also signers of the Declaration of Independence!
At a meeting in 1783, the club decided that a special race for a "sixty guineas" prize would be held every November.
Growth in the 1800s
In 1830, the U.S. Congress gave the Maryland Jockey Club a new official document, called a charter. This document is now kept in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.. As the city of Annapolis became less important and Baltimore grew, the Jockey Club moved its main activities to "Central Course, Baltimore."
Even President Andrew Jackson became a member of the Maryland Jockey Club in 1831! He raced his own horses from the White House stables under a special racing name, A. J. Donelson.
Pimlico Race Course Opens
In 1867, the land for the famous Pimlico Race Course was set aside for a track. In 1868, after the U.S. Civil War, horse racing started again at Saratoga Race Course in New York. Maryland Governor Oden Bowie and others visited Saratoga. They decided to create a special race called the Dinner Party Stakes for a new track in Baltimore.
The first Maryland State Fair was held at Pimlico Race Course in September 1869.
Pimlico Race Course officially opened on October 25, 1870. Governor Oden Bowie became its first President. The very first big race there was the Dinner Party Stakes, won by a horse named Preakness on October 27, 1870.
In 1873, Pimlico held the first Preakness Stakes. This is a very important race for three-year-old horses. The first Preakness Stakes was won by a horse named Survivor. The race was named after the horse Preakness, who won the first Dinner Party Stakes.
In 1877, something very unusual happened: the United States Congress, both the House of Representatives and the Senate, stopped their work on October 24. They did this so their members could watch a special race called "the Big Race."
The Maryland Jockey Club Today
Today, horse racing in Maryland faces challenges. There's less money coming in, and some areas where tracks are located are wanted by developers. The Maryland Jockey Club continues to work to keep this historic sport alive.
Notable Members
- George Washington
- William Paca
- Charles Carroll of Carrollton
- George Hume Steuart
- William Steuart
- Andrew Jackson
See also
