Laurel, MD — The Maryland Standardbred Race Fund on Wednesday (Nov. 12) received Maryland Racing Commission approval for a 2026 stakes schedule that will mark the return of a one-day championship program for all division finals in the fall at Rosecroft Raceway.
Given that change, the Maryland Sires Stakes for 2- and 3-year-old pacers and trotters will commence July 6, 2026, at Ocean Downs Casino, which will offer a set of two legs and finals for both ages. Rosecroft will then host two legs for the eight divisions leading up to the eight finals on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, according to the schedule submitted to the MRC.
Ocean Downs will as usual host Maryland Standardbred Race Fund stakes for all divisions in August. Purses for the MSS and MSRF stakes will be announced at a later date.
In other business, the MRC at its meeting approved live racing dates for 2026 at Ocean Downs. The track requested 48 racing programs — the same number as this year — from May 18 through Sept. 7. For the most part, Ocean Downs will race on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday evenings.
Chris Merz, executive director of the MRC, reported that meetings continue among Standardbred stakeholders in Maryland, Delaware and Virginia who are working to achieve uniform rules for harness racing in the three states. The representatives will now review each state’s regulations and make recommendations to have the same language in all three states, hopefully sometime in 2026.