In 2024, Rosecroft Raceway is celebrating its 75th anniversary – a meaningful milestone for the diamond in the rough found along the 495 Interstate.
‘The Raceway By The Beltway’ has been the host of many, many shining moments since opening on May 26, 1949… or was it May 27, 1949? Built by William E. Miller, a Standardbred breeder, owner and driver, the first harness racing track in Maryland welcomed a reported crowd of 12,000 for opening day, only for daylong rains to force a one-day postponement of the racing program.
Miller, who was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame as an Immortal in 1976, operated the only gambling option in the region during its early days and drew many prominent politicians from Washington, D.C., as well as such glamorous stars as Elizabeth Taylor and Zsa Zsa Gabor.
While celebrities come and go, the enduring stars at Rosecroft have been the Standardbreds, the trotters and pacers that have produced so many memorable miles over the years. They will continue beginning Monday when Rosecroft opens its season.
The Potomac Pace has showcased some of harness racing’s brightest star performances in recent years, such as Allywag Hanover’s 1:46.4 world record mile in the 2022 edition. Maryland’s premier pacing event, won last year by Breeders Crown Open Pace champion Bythemissal, promises once again to bring together some of the nation’s biggest stars to compete over Rosecroft’s five-eighths of a mile oval Nov. 17.
The Potomac Pace, which had been contested as the Potomac Stakes before being suspended in 1993, was revived and renamed following the Stronach Group’s purchase of Rosecroft in 2016.
Rosecroft has played host to some of the most prestigious races in the U.S., including Triple Crown and Breeders Crown events.
The Messenger Stakes, a leg of the Triple Crown for pacers, was contested by the country’s top three-year-olds at Rosecroft for five years, starting with Jake and Elwood and driver John Campell’s victory in 1990. Die Laughing, Hall of Famer Western Hanover, Riyadh and Cam’s Card Shark, the 1994 Pacer of the Year who paced the mile in a stakes record 1:51, followed Jake and Elwood into the Rosecroft winner’s circle.
William Miller II, the racetrack founder’s grandson who took over operations in 1980, brought the Breeders’ Crown to Rosecroft in 1984. Fancy Crown won the first of five events held at Rosecroft, winning the Breeders’ Crown Three-Year-Old Filly Trot on her way to Horse of the Year honours. ‘Tiny’ Robust Hanover pulled off a huge upset over Barberry Spur in the 1985 Breeders’ Crown Two-Year-Old Pace with John Campbell in the bike. Camtastic, driven by Bill O’Donnell, set a track record of 1:56.2 over the then-half-mile oval in the Two-year-old event on his way to 1987 Pacer of the Year honors.
Rosecroft will continue to build on its tradition of excellence with the 2024 Potomac Pace Nov. 17.
Monday’s (Sept. 16) opening night will feature 13 races with a first race post of 7:15 p.m.
(Rosecroft Raceway)