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The Art Of Michael Geraghty |
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A Bit Of Maryland Racing History |
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Maryland and our neighbor, Virginia, were considered the premier horse-breeding states until the Civil War, at which time the valuable breeding stock was relocated to a presumably safer locale - you guessed it, Kentucky. In 1870, Pimlico was built, making it the second oldest track in the country to Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York. The industry continued to flourish, and in 1911 came the construction of Laurel Four County Fair Track. Over the course of 75 years, it evolved into modern-day Laurel Park. In 1952, the Washington, Dc International - a mile-and-a-half turf race - was created by Laurel's owner, John Schapiro. It annually drew a large contingent of foreign horses at a time when horses rarely shipped across the Atlantic Ocean. Not only would horses travel from Ireland, England, Germany and France, but they also came from Argentina, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Russia. The DC International was the predecessor to the Breeders' Cup and Arlington Million. The owner of Laurel wrote the book on how to host a world class international horse racing event. John Schapiro had amazing vision. He would get politicians, movie stars, and leaders from foreign countries to attend the race. Winston Churchill, Queen Elizabeth II and several presidents of Ireland came to Laurel, Maryland. I got actress Elizabeth Taylor's autograph at the 1977 International! If you were competing in the race, Schapiro paid all travel expenses for human and equine; and sent limousines to pick up everyone - from owners to hotwalkers. Funny . one of my distinct memories as a teenager was going over to the Laurel quarantined barn area to see an "actual Russian." Keep in mind, this was in the teeth of the Cold War, and when television had all of 4 channels. The only Russian's I had ever seen were on TV during the Olympic Games, once every 4 years! Laurel Race Course provided all the motivation and foundation I would need to succeed as an artist depicting the sport. My early experiences there were priceless.
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