Horse Racing - Laurel Park - Arabian Breed Racing Authorization

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
*hb0911*

HOUSE BILL 911
C6 EMERGENCY BILL 6lr3203
CF SB 453
By: Delegate McCaskill Delegates McCaskill, Beauchamp, Chang, Harrison, Ivey,
Metzgar, Toles, and Watson
Introduced and read first time: February 5, 2026
Assigned to: Appropriations
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
House action: Adopted
Read second time: February 22, 2026

CHAPTER ______

AN ACT concerning 1

Horse Racing – Laurel Park – Arabian Breed Racing Authorization 2

FOR the purpose of authorizing a licensee at Laurel Park to conduct live racing of Arabian 3
breed horses; and generally relating to live racing of Arabian breed horses. 4

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 5
Article – Business Regulation 6
Section 11–522 7
Annotated Code of Maryland 8
(2024 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 9

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 10
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 11

Article – Business Regulation 12

11–522. 13

(a) In this section, “Arabian breed horse” means a horse that: 14

(1) is a purebred Arabian breed horse; and 15

(2) has a valid certificate of registry with the Arabian Jockey Club of 16
America. 17
2 HOUSE BILL 911

(b) A licensee at Pimlico Race Course OR LAUREL PARK may conduct live racing 1
of Arabian breed horses if: 2

(1) no more than one Arabian breed race is conducted per day; 3

(2) no more than three Arabian breed races are conducted during a race 4
meet; 5

(3) an Arabian breed race is conducted i n addition to, and not in place of, 6
an existing thoroughbred race; 7

(4) an Arabian breed race does not reduce the number of thoroughbred 8
races conducted by the licensee per racing day; 9

(5) the purse for an Arabian breed race is: 10

(i) not funded by the thoroughbred purse account; and 11

(ii) funded by the licensee or the sponsor of the Arabian horse race; 12

(6) the takeout provisions of §§ 11 –514 and 11 –515 of this subtitle are 13
applied to the race; 14

(7) the licensee pays all taxes and fees associ ated with the Arabian breed 15
race that would otherwise be due on a thoroughbred race; and 16

(8) the Arabian breed race is approved by the State Racing Commission. 17

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act is an emergency 18
measure, is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public health or safety, has 19
been passed by a yea and nay vote supported by three –fifths of all the members elected to 20
each of the two Houses of the General Assembly, and shall take effect from the date it is 21
enacted. 22

Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.