FAIR HILL, Md.--The disaster that is the turf track at Fair Hill is evidence of Government at its worst.

Fair Hill turf courseThe turf track has cost Maryland taxpayers millions of dollars, with the cost going up annually, and the inability to use it has cost racing a prime venue and trainers at Fair Hill Training Center a turf track on which to work their horses.

No one in the Maryland Department of Natural Resources or the Sports Corporation of Maryland contacted by The Horse of Delaware Valley claimed responsibility for the turf track - or at least no one admitted to that responsibility.

No one even seems to know why the track can't be used.

Julia Solomon, Assistant Secretary, Enterprise Service, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, said "I oversee finances, not the land."

Jeff Newman of the Sports Corporation of Maryland and President and CEO of the Fair Hill International 5* Event said "You'll have to talk to the operators of the track. We're promoters of the venue. I can't comment on the track."

 

AT LEAST $20 MILLION has been spent on the "improvements" at Fair Hill, $12 million on the track (which hasn't been improved) and $8 million on the Fair Hill International 5* Event.

Add to that the approximate $5 million it cost to redo the rings of the Event after problems during the first running of the competition.

The cost goes up every year with maintenance of the track, even though it's unusable.

Each year, the budget of the state's legislature has included $100,000 a year for five years for a totlof $500,000for the Cecil County Breeders Fair, which has been accumulated by the Fair Hill Foundation for races to be held.

It seems as though the legislature doesn't even know that there has been no racing.

Members of the Fair Hill Foundation are angry and frustrated with their inability to get any answers to their questions.

The Fair Hill Foundation holds the racing dates but has no authority over the track.

"We had a meeting yesterday (Tuesday, April 23)," said Nancy Simpers, a member of the Far Hill Foundation. "We have no idea why they won't allow horses on the track. I think it's strictly political. We have no control, and we don't know anything.They told us Julie Solomon is the one who knows."

Solomon apparently replaces Sam Ray, who oversaw the replacement of the turf track.

Ray told The Horse of Delaware Valley that he was the only one who knew anything about turf tracks in this country, and then refused to answer further questions from The Horse.

"It's unlikely that here will be racing in 2024," said Solomon. "We're going to see how quickly we can bring horses back on the track. We're working with Jeff Newman to make this happen. We have to  have some horses test the track. Personally, I would like to see that happen later this year.."

"We're hoping to bring racing back in 2025, but we don't have a firm plan," said Solomon. "We have to discuss who will host  the races. We're having a large meeting in May with all the interested parties to discuss the next steps."

Other members of the Fair Hill Foundation that attended the meeting,including President Charlie Fenwick, Joe Clancy and Ross Peddicord, who attended ex-officio,  said that they preferred not to comment.

"We're none the wiser," said Graham Motion. "We don't know what the issue is with the track.It''s very disturbing."

Motion, as well as being a member of the Fair Hill Foundation, is a top race horse trainer who stables at Fair Hill Training Center who would just like to use the turf track for training.

"Even if we could get a horse on the track for training, I think they've lumped us together with racing," said Motion. "We went out on the track when it was first finished. I had my Breeders Cup horses on it, and it was fine."

Then Ray closed the track, and it hasn't been used since.

The race track at Fair Hill held very successful meets there for years until the track was redone five years ago so that the state of Maryland could hold both race meetings and a five star three-day event on the grounds.

One excuse for not being able to host races over the track has been that every fall the track had to be torn up to allow dirt paths for horses and people to access the ring and stands in the infield where the Fair Hill International 5* is held.

Ray always the put down fresh sod over those dirt paths, and that sod wasn't ready for racing in May.

Many race tracks in Ireland and England have dirt crossings into the infield, and Santa Anita also has a dirt crossing.

"We could have a dirt crossing, but it would be better if it weren't so close to the finish," said Motion.

When Newman was asked if the dirt path to the infield could be moved further away from the race track's finish line, he said, "I can't comment on the track."