Howard County had its own harness racing track, the Laurel Raceway, which opened in 1948. Not to be confused with the existing Laurel Park, which started as the Laurel Race Course in 1911 and hosted thoroughbreds, Laurel Raceway became known as Freestate Raceway in 1980 until it closed in 1990.
The Laurel Raceway was the first track in Maryland to offer pari-mutuel betting for harness racing. This method pooled all wagers on a specific race, with winnings distributed among the successful bettors. It was seen as a more legitimate method of betting, already in use for thoroughbred racing.
Richard H. Hutchinson, Jr., the president of the Laurel Harness Racing Association, received a state license to operate in November 1947 for 20 nights the following year. The Laurel Raceway opened in June 1948 and hosted the third and fourth Howard County Fairs in 1948 and 1949, respectively.
While Freestate has a fascinating history, the history that occurred on that land before it was built was also quite notable, featuring some of the most famous horsemen in the country.
“Hard Guy” Bedwell—The Man from Savage
Harvey Guy Bedwell, born in 1876 and known as “Hard Guy,” started a livery business in the 1890s in Grand Junction, Colorado, after several years as a cowboy. Bedwell’s horse, Los Angelino, won his first big race in 1907, marking the start of an impressive career. By 1909, Bedwell was the leading North American trainer with 122 wins. He attributed his success to his deep knowledge of horses and innovative treatment methods, often using human medicines due to the lack of nearby veterinarians.
When the Laurel Race Track opened in 1911, Bedwell was there but initially failed to win. However, he led all trainers in wins in 1912 and 1913. In 1914, Bedwell purchased the Yarrow Brae farm on Gorman Road, becoming the most renowned horse trainer in the country. He continued his winning streak from 1914 to 1917, earning the title of leading trainer in the country. In 1918 the Baltimore Sun referred to him as the “Ty Cobb of the Turf.”
In 1917, Bedwell sold his land to Canadian millionaire Commander John K.L. Ross but remained as the trainer for Ross’s stable. This partnership resulted in Sir Barton, the first winner of what would become known as the Triple Crown in 1919. The two most celebrated racehorses of the time, Man o’ War and Sir Barton, faced off in 1920, with Man o’ War emerging victorious.
Mr. Bedwell and Mr. Ross parted ways in 1921 when the Maryland Racing Commission denied Bedwell his trainer’s license due to his support of a controversial jockey, Carroll H. Shilling. Bedwell was reinstated in 1923, after Ross faced financial difficulties and filed for bankruptcy. Bedwell bought back his land when Ross left the horse racing business.
Laurel Park Farm: A New Era
In 1924, Ross sold his 360 acres to The Laurel Park Stud Company, which soon faced financial troubles. The company was involved in importing yearling horses from Europe and selling them as 2-year-olds at Saratoga auctions. Unable to pay back loans from the Baltimore Trust Company, the bank sold the land to F. Warrington Gillet, who then sold it to Israel “Ral” Parr in 1930.
Ral Parr, an experienced horse-racing businessman, transformed Laurel Park Farm into one of the top breeding farms on the East Coast. Bedwell teamed up with Parr in 1939, achieving significant wins at Havre de Grace and Laurel with the pride of his stable—Victory Morn. Parr died of a stroke just days after winning the October Richard Johnson Stakes at Laurel. After Parr’s death in 1939, his stable was auctioned, and the Ral Parr Stakes at Pimlico was established in his honor. The first winner of the Ral Parr Stakes was a horse trained by Bedwell.
Laurel Raceway
Richard H. Hutchison, Jr. had been interested in harness racing before World War II, but it was not permitted in Maryland at the time. In 1947, a bill allowing nighttime harness racing was supported due to the estimated tax revenue it could generate. Maryland Governor Lane authorized a study, and the legislature approved 100 days of harness racing with pari-mutuel betting. Licenses were provided for only the tracks at Laurel and Rosecroft (near Oxon Hill).
Plans to build a state-of-the-art racing track in Laurel were announced, and the Laurel Raceway opened on June 21, 1948, to a crowd of 12,000. It broke records for opening nights at harness tracks for the crowd and betting of $167,000. On July 1, 10,000 attendees wagered a record of more than $187,000, showing the popularity of the Raceway. That first season was characterized by the Washington Evening Star:
“Yet there is something definitely attractive about the Laurel Raceway, regardless of whether you win, lose or don’t play. There is a county fair atmosphere that’s hard to beat, outside of a county fair. There’s the smell of fresh popcorn and taffy candy. There’s dozens of other different smells, including that of sweaty horse and sweaty people and hot light. Unlike at the running horse tracks [thoroughbreds], there are animals and their vehicles on the half-mile strip almost constantly because harness horses go a couple of miles before they are ready to race. They warm up like baseball pitchers.”
After more than 25 years, as harness racing was more available in other states and tracks, the demand was decreasing at the Laurel Raceway and the facility was falling into disrepair, causing 60 racing dates in 1975 to be transferred to the Rosecroft Raceway, which had a new clubhouse and other recent upgrades. Those dates were called “Laurel Raceway at Rosecroft.” To keep business going, Laurel Raceway hosted the Atlantic Regional Championship of Professional Motorcycle Races and other events that summer. One of the events not approved by Howard County Commissioner Ed Cochran was a rock concert featuring The Guess Who, Blue Oyster Cult, and R.E.O. Speedwagon. The Maryland Racing Commission required Laurel Raceway to be rebuilt by 1978 to regain the lost racing days.
A New Jersey family, Joseph Shamy, Greta Shamy, and her father Daniel Rizk bought Laurel Raceway and the 1978 season opened on June 28, during which their bank loan was fully repaid. As they completed the 67-night schedule with a record mutuel betting of almost $29 million, they also had an 18-night extension that was previously approved, but the Shamy’s reported less than a $50,000 profit. While they planned renovations to the track for the 1979 season, the new owners were indicted by a federal grand jury for wire fraud, mail fraud, and racketeering for cheating the minority stockholders of money. They pleaded innocent.
The 1979 season started on schedule and at its conclusion Laurel Raceway was in substantial debt, losing over $1 million. The Maryland Racing Commission declared that to receive the racing dates for 1980 their debts must first be paid. While a mistrial was declared for Greta Shamy and her father, in December 1979 Joseph Shamy was convicted of federal fraud charges and sentenced to serve a four-year term. As a result, the Maryland Racing Commission held the 1980 dates for Laurel Raceway and tasked the Attorney General’s office to appoint a receiver or conservator for the 1980 season.
Freestate Raceway
Laurel Raceway was sold in the spring of 1980, and with new ownership, preserved its 85-night schedule for the year. Frank J. DeFrancis, the new owner, changed the name of Laurel Raceway to Freestate Raceway under the Freestate Racing Association. The 1980 season was now “off to the races” for 85 nights of racing but at the end of the season Freestate experienced a loss of over $1 million. This continued a decline in profits starting in 1976. Their losses in 1981 were about $225,000, but things turned around, and the track became profitable once again due to expanded racing dates and lower taxes. Mr. DeFrancis was able to bring the Messenger Stakes to Freestate, which was one of the triple crown events for harness racing. His success may have been the reason that Maryland Governor Hughes appointed DeFrancis as Secretary of Economic and Community Development in 1983. DeFrancis became a co-owner of the Laurel Race Course in 1984 and of Pimlico in 1986.
In 1988, DeFrancis sold much of Freestate to developer Mark Vogel, who considered transferring all racing to Rosecroft Raceway. After DeFrancis’s death, Vogel sold the property to Conrad Cafritz, and the Maryland Racing Commission moved Freestate’s racing dates to Rosecroft. Today, the site of the former Freestate Raceway is home to a shopping center anchored by Weis food store, CarMax, and the Savage Branch of the Howard County Library System.
Read Hidden History of Howard County by Nathan Davis and Wayne Davis, published by The History Press, for more forgotten and hidden stories about Howard County.