Bowie Training Center running out of time

After playing host to thoroughbred racing for 71 years, when it was known as Bowie Race Course, the Bowie Training Center has withstood the test of time over the past quarter century. But many of the trainers, grooms, exercise riders and backstretch employees who work there every day know that invariably the facility is running out of time.

In what has become a common trend within the racing industry, tracks across the country have been reluctant to keep the backstretch stable areas open, and various newer tracks have been built without them. Maryland's two harness racing tracks, Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington and Ocean Downs in Berlin, have already closed their backstretch areas. Owners and trainers ship horses into those tracks on the day they race and then depart after they compete. The 170-acre training center in Bowie gives owners and trainers a place to both stable and train their horses in the same location.