Ocean Downs announces summer late closers

from Ocean Downs Racing Publicity

BERLIN, Md. — Ocean Downs will offer a quartet of late-closing series — two for 2-year-olds and two for claiming pacers — through the balance of its 2024 meeting.

The Bucky Gray Jr. Memorial Pace and the Tom Cooke Memorial Trot are open to 2-year-olds (Maryland Sire Stakes or Race Fund-eligible horses preferred) and will span July. Both series consist of $7,500 and $8,500 preliminary legs leading to a $12,500-added final. Nominations, accompanied by a $100 fee per horse, are due to the Ocean Downs race office by July 1 for the Gray and July 2 for the Cooke.

Two claiming series are slated for the second half of the meet. The Diane ‘Mum’ Stevenson Memorial, for horses with a base claiming price of $7,500, spans July 11 through Aug. 8; while the David Hill III Memorial, for horses with a base claiming price of $10,000, will take place from Aug. 15 through Sept. 5. Both series offer three preliminary legs and a final, with progressively higher purses and claiming prices in each leg. To take part in these series, horsepeople must pay a $250 declaration fee in conjunction with a given horse’s first start in the series; no nomination prior to entry is necessary.

For more information, contact the Ocean Downs race office at 410.641.0600, ext. 3212.