John Banno, the track superintendent at Thistledown in Northeast Ohio for the past 22 years, has been hired by the Maryland Jockey Club as its director of racing surfaces, the government-owned MJC said on Friday.
Banno, who began working in track maintenance more than 30 years ago, will be responsible for oversight of the racing and training surfaces at Laurel Park, Pimlico Race Course, and a new training center planned for the Shamrock Farm property, the MJC said.
The bulk of racing in Maryland over the next three years is expected to take place at Laurel while Pimlico is rebuilt and redeveloped, at which point all racing in the state will be consolidated at Pimlico. MJC officials have not settled on a timeline for the opening of the new training center, but it is expected to be completed within the next two years.
“John is the perfect fit for the Maryland Jockey Club,” said Bill Knauf, the president and general manager of the MJC, in a release. “He has a proven track record and great experience.”
The MJC was created by the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority last year after the legislature passed a bill adopting an agreement between the state and 1/ST Racing and Gaming to take over the state’s racing industry.
Under the management of 1/ST, horsemen frequently complained about the condition of the main racing surface at Laurel, leading to several renovations and cessations of racing over the past four years. Laurel runs year-round in a mid-Atlantic environment that can produce rapid changes in weather conditions.
Banno began working at Thistledown as a truck driver and heavy equipment operator before being named track superintendent in 2003. While at Thistledown, he was also responsible for maintaining compliance and contractor relations with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Agriculture.
The MJC also announced that Danny Finke has been named the track superintendent at Laurel. Finke had been serving in that position on an interim basis.
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