Laurel Park honors Sagamore Racing Hall of Fame Thoroughbred January 21

LAUREL, MD. 01-16-13---Sagamore Racing, the horse racing team based at historic Sagamore Farm in Maryland, in partnership with the Maryland Jockey Club, announced today it will sponsor the $125,000 Native Dancer Stakes on Monday, January 21, 2013 at Laurel Park. Entries for the 1-1/16 mile test for older horses will be taken Thursday afternoon, January 17.

The Native Dancer Stakes will honor the legendary career of Alfred Vanderbilt’s Hall of Fame Thoroughbred, Native Dancer, known to the public as the Galloping Grey Ghost. During his racing career which spanned from 1952 to 1954, Native Dancer went 21 for 22, winning both the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in 1953. The magnificent son of Polynesian lost just once, finishing a neck behind Dark Star in the Kentucky Derby, during which he was bumped and then had to circle the field. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1963. Upon his retirement from racing, Native Dancer entered stud at Vanderbilt’s Sagamore Farm in Baltimore County, where he sired 45 stakes winners. He passed away in 1967 and is buried at Sagamore.;

“We are honored and excited for the opportunity to partner with the Maryland Jockey Club for this special race,” said Tom Mullikin, Sagamore Racing General Manager. “Native Dancer is and will always remain a Sagamore Racing legend, and even as we look ahead to the upcoming race season, it is important that we remember and celebrate our deep-rooted history.” 

“When you think of Sagamore, the first name that comes to mind is Native Dancer,” Maryland Jockey Club president Tom Chuckas said. “We are thrilled Kevin Plank and Tom Mullikin are putting the Sagamore name on Monday’s race.”

For information on The Native Dancer Stakes, visit www.laurelpark.com. For information on Sagamore Racing, visit www.SagamoreRacing.com. In addition, visit Sagamore Racing’s new online Team Store featuring Under Armour apparel at www.SagamoreRacingStore.com. 

About Sagamore Racing:

Sagamore Racing is a professional horse racing team based at historic Sagamore Farm in Glyndon, Md.  Once owned by Alfred G. Vanderbilt II, Sagamore Farm was developed into a world renowned racing and breeding operation from 1933 – 1986.  During that time, Sagamore became home and the eventual resting place of Hall of Fame horses Native Dancer, Bed o’Roses and Discovery.  In 2007, Under Armour founder and CEO Kevin Plank, a Maryland native, purchased the 530-acre farm implementing a long-term restoration plan with the mission to breed, raise and race Thoroughbreds at the sport’s highest level, while preserving its storied and rich tradition.

About Laurel Park

Laurel Park is a Stronach Group company, North America’s leading Thoroughbred racetrack owner/operator. The Stronach Group racetracks include Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park & Casino, Golden Gate Fields, Portland Meadows, Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, home of the world-famous Preakness. The company owns and operates the Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida and is one of North America's top race horse breeders through its award-winning Adena Springs operation. The Stronach Group is one of the world's largest suppliers of pari-mutuel wagering systems, technologies and services. Its companies include AmTote, a global leader in wagering technology; Xpressbet, an Internet and telephone account wagering service; and Monarch Content Management, which acts as a simulcast purchase and sales agent of horseracing content for numerous North American racetracks and wagering outlets. The Stronach Group is also a major producer of televised horse racing programming through its HRTV cable and satellite network and is North America's premier supplier of virtual online horse racing games, as well as a leading producer of social media content for the horseracing industry.