Looking Back

75 years ago: January 1943

Details: Published: January 2019; Written by Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred

Henry A. “Harry” Parr III (right) was elected president of the Thoroughbred Racing Associations two years after the creation of the organization by racing leaders in 1942. While not as high profile as Matt Winn, Carleton Burke or Alfred Vanderbilt, also members of the TRA, Parr was from a family immersed in Maryland racing for decades. He took over as president of the Maryland Jockey Club in 1942 when his good friend, former MJC president Vanderbilt, enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Parr had also been elected a member of The Jockey Club.

10 years ago: January 2008

Details: Published: January 2019; Written by Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred

American Horse Council President Jay Hickey sat down with Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred editor Lucy Acton to discuss issues related to the Thoroughbred industry. The AHC represented the entire horse industry before the U.S. Congress and federal regulatory agencies in Washington, D.C., for more than 40 years. Among the topics discussed were tax law changes, internet gaming, and immigration reform. “We’re hopeful that at some point comprehensive immigration reform can be passed,” said Hickey.

50 years ago: January 1968

Details: Published: January 2019; Written by Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred

The arrival of Dancer’s Image at Glade Valley Farms in Frederick, Md., marked the third Kentucky Derby winner in the five years to stand in the state, joining Windfields Farm’s 1964 winner, Northern Dancer, who would stand his first season outside Canada in 1969, and 1966 winner Kauai King, standing at Sagamore Farm since his retirement in 1967.

25 years ago: January 1993

Details: Published: January 2019; Written by Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred

Breeders’ Cup Steeplechase heroes Blythe Miller and Lonesome Glory appeared on the cover. Miller was the first woman to take title to a Breeders’ Cup event. Lonesome Glory was trained by the rider’s father, F. Bruce Miller, in Cochranville, Pa., for owner Kay Jeffords. The duo soared to an 81⁄2-length victory at Belmont Park three weeks before the 10th annual Breeders’ Cup day at Santa Anita.

75 years ago: November 1943

Details: Published: November 2018; Written by MHBA

The Maryland tracks’ 30-day combined fall meet at Pimlico was an unqualified success. Handle broke all records, crowds up to 20,000 attended, and the nation’s best horses competed.

50 years ago: November 1968

Details: Published: November 2018; Written by MHBA

“Those Long-Sought Stallions Are Arriving” wrote Snowden Carter in his editorial after announcements that Northern Dancer was moving from Windfields in Canada to the Chesapeake City farm, and Dancer’s Image was to stand his first season at Glade Valley Farms in Frederick. “One of Maryland’s new residents says in this issue that the State’s principal deficiency from a horse breeders’ standpoint is the shortage of quality stallions.

25 years ago: November 1993

Details: Published: November 2018; Written by MHBA

Six applications were accepted by the Virginia Racing Commission for a license to operate Virginia’s first pari-mutuel track. Among those submitted were Patriot Park (the Maryland Jockey Club plan), Old Dominion (Virginia Racing Associates), Virginia Beach (Churchill Downs) and Colonial Downs (Arnold Stansley). The final selection was not expected before March 1994

10 years ago: November 2008

Details: Published: November 2018; Written by Alice Peirce

The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern Fall Yearling sale took a hit with a declining national ecomony. The gross was the lowest in 10 years, the average of $17,001 for 483 sold was down nearly 27 percent from the year before, and the buyback rate was an astonishing 36 percent.