Maryland Gov. orders all tracks to close

Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland has ordered that all racetracks and simulcast facilities in the state close immediately in response to the coronavirus outbreak, according to a notice posted on the state government’s website.

The order to close, which came with a warning that continuing to operate would constitute a crime, will affect all Maryland tracks, training facilities, on- and off-track simulcast locations, and casinos in the state. Late last week, the owner of Maryland’s two Thoroughbred tracks, The Stronach Group, announced that spectators would be banned indefinitely but racing would continue.

“These are unprecedented actions in an extraordinary situation, but they could be the difference in saving lives and keeping people safe,” said Hogan, in the statement.

At the time of the notice, live racing was being conducted at Laurel Park. Maryland’s other Thoroughbred track, Pimlico, is not scheduled to open until May. The track hosts the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes. The Standardbred racetrack, Rosecroft Raceway, must also close.

Most major racetracks have announced a ban on spectators, but toward the end of the week, pressure began to mount on tracks to close altogether. In Arizona, both Turf Paradise and Rillito Park announced that they were suspending all racing operations, also on an order from the governor to minimize public gatherings. Parx racetrack outside Philadelphia suspended all racing operations for two weeks.

Maryland’s racing industry receives subsidies from the state’s casinos, so those payments will be suspended while those facilities are also ordered closed.

Several large casino owners shuttered many of their facilities in numerous states over the weekend in response to the coronavirus outbreak.