Laurel Park, a historic thoroughbred racetrack located just outside Laurel, Maryland, opened on October 2, 1911, under the direction of the Laurel Four County Fair. In 1914, it was purchased by New York businessman James Butler, who appointed prominent promoter Col. Matt Winn as general manager. The track changed hands several times, including a 1947 acquisition by the Maryland Jockey Club (with plans to shift racing from Pimlico that were later abandoned), before being sold in 1950 to industrialist Morris Schapiro, whose son John D. Schapiro revitalized it and introduced the prestigious Washington, D.C. International Stakes. After further ownership changes, including to Frank DeFrancis in the 1980s and later the Stronach Group, Laurel Park has hosted major events, undergone modernizations, and in recent years served as a key venue for Maryland racing—most notably hosting the Preakness Stakes in 2026 amid Pimlico renovations—while celebrating over a century as a staple of American horse racing.