Horse racing enthusiasts are staying out late this summer as Laurel Park brings back Friday twilight racing alongside the Gallop Hour with food, drinks and live music.
Every Friday through August 21, Laurel Park prepares the racetrack for a 3:40 p.m. post time to start off the evening's eight races that end at 7 p.m.
Inside the the clubhouse seating on July 17, bettors eagerly hunched over their programs and "Daily Racing Forms" to review the entries and past performances. At the far end of the track at a large, white circus-like tent, fans took a load off their shoulders for a Gallop Hour, enjoying a $20 buffet with fruit, vegetables and fried chicken, $4 featured beers and mixed drinks and live music by the band Lovely Rita.
Laurel Park and Pimlico Social Media Manager David Thomas said the idea behind the Twilight Racing and Gallop Hour is to take advantage of the summer weather and the one-mile turf course.
"The idea is that we have a beautiful turf course out here and we weren't running on it at all," Thomas said. "I think we ran about 140-something races on it last year. It's a huge opportunity to put a 14-horse field out on the new turf when in the wintertime, and it's snowing, we shut down the turf."
Although Laurel Park continues to hold races throughout the fall, winter and spring, Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association Executive Director David Richardson said summertime racing keeps fans coming back to the racetrack for live racing, possibly bringing in new ones.
"It brings a lot of younger people out here," Richardson said. "I just think they're trying to reach a new spectrum of fans. We haven't done any kind of summer racing in many years. So, we're just trying to reach a new generation of fans. You have to be more accessible to the people."
Once new fans get a taste of racing, Richardson said, they might immerse themselves in the sport, throwing down a bet or two and enjoying the experience.
Thomas said the new schedule also allows local horsemen and jockeys to stay in Maryland rather than travel during the summer, jumping from state to state.
As a jockey of 24 years, Taylor Hole, 43, said racing is "all he knows." With twilight racing now at Laurel Park, Hole is excited to be working regardless of the time of year.
"The biggest difference for me, personally, is I get a long nap in the afternoon," Hole said, laughing. "So, I don't mind it one bit. You get home a little later and you eat dinner a little later. Other than that, everything else is the same."
While he hadn't heard of the Gallop Hour before Friday, Hole said it's a great idea to "give people what they want" and "get them here."
After a long work week, couple Lori Maczka and Joseph Motely headed straight to Laurel Park on July 17 to check out the races and jump into the Gallop Hour's "relaxing atmosphere." Maczka said mixing the horse racing with a happy hour vibe provides a whole different experience.
"Some people like to go to bars and do the happy hour there," she said. "It's just nice coming here. We both enjoy watching the races. The music is just an extra bonus … As a matter of fact, I was telling my friend at work today and she was like, 'Maybe I could come with you.'"
Motley said he's been coming to Laurel Park for more than 30 years. Now that twilight racing is a part of the racetrack's schedule, Motley can not only participate in the "excitement and thrill" of racing, but also listen to some live music.
"I get obsessed, sometimes, when I lose, so this helps to smooth it out a little," Motely said. "You can at least relax. We like this. It's good for couples."
Maryland Horse Breeders Association employee Anne Frederick said live racing and a happy hour are "a perfect match" and "a logical choice" for the park.
"I think it's a social opportunity," Frederick said. "You're going to go out for happy hour anyway … There might be a soccer game on at the bar, but that's not interesting. This is up close and personal, so there's a lot more intriguing stuff than a normal happy hour."
Thomas said betting momentum has "dipped a little bit" since racing in the state shifted to Laurel Park following the Pimlico spring meet in Baltimore, but it's beginning to establish itself once more and build. As far as the online and off-track betting crowd, he said, bettors are always going to bet year-round.
"[Before], I think we would stop the Pimlico meet through the summer and then we wouldn't pick up Laurel until September and in the fall, so I think people forgot about us," Thomas said. "Now that we're racing through the summer, the bettors are going to notice our product and kind of stick with us all year."
With Friday's Gallop Hour being the second of the year, Thomas said the park has seen "a nice buzz" and will continue to grow in attendance.
"It was encouraging to see the amount of people who were out on the apron," Thomas said. "The band was a good time and the buffet was nice. It's going to take some time to build the momentum though. It's not where we want it to be, but it's a great place to start."