Sunrise at Old Hilltop Meet This Year’s Pimlico Tour Guides!
It is that time of year again when live rac- ing in Maryland returns to Baltimore’s Pimlico Racecourse. Racing fans of all ages get a chance to tour the historic facility, which fi rst opened its doors on October 25, 1870, during the Sun- rise Tours. In addition, those attending morn- ing tours meet trainers, grooms, exercise riders, watch the horses work out, and more. Sunrise tours run May 14-17 from 6 a.m. until 9 a.m. Visitors can sign up for a tour at the check-in table on the grandstand side of the track. Larger group tours need to be scheduled though Fran Burns at
fran@boxwoodfarm.com.
Fran Burns Fran Burns
heads up the Sunrise Tours guides and owns a boarding barn in Monkton for retired
theater, she took up riding in 2000 after a retired lesson horse came into her life. She currently owns an OTTB named Bet the Cat and a res- cued Paint named Sugar. April has been a fi erce advocate
for Baltimore landmarks, especially
Old Hilltop. She believes that the sport of horse racing is on the verge of being rediscovered if we, the fans, can help spread the word!
Jenile Tapscott Jenile Tapscott
inherited her love of horses from her parents,
Carylyne
and Radcliff . Both Thoroughbr ed trainers, they passed their passion for the sport to Jenile at a young age.
Jenile horses,
two of which are her own per- sonal off -the- track T orough- breds (OTTB), D ustin ’ s Dreamer and Garcon D’Or. In addition to Sunrise Tours, Fran is passionate about T oroughbred af- tercare and has been a longtime volunteer at MidAtlantic Horse Rescue in Warwick. Fran works at Canter for A Cause and can usually be found guiding horses into the Winner’s Circle at Pimlico. When she is not working with horses, she is the President of the Mary- land State Fair and Agricultural Society, Inc. which runs T e Maryland State Fair and all that happens at the Timonium Fairgrounds. She also hosts Backstretch Tours at Timonium during race days during the summer meet. Fran takes great pride in her role there as her Great Grandfather was also President. Fran was the recipient of the 2022 Joe Kelly Unsung Hero Award presented by the Maryland Million Ltd.
April Smith April Smith
has been a Bal- timore City tour guide for over 25 years. She start- ed at Pimlico in 2006 and can also be seen at the Edgar Allan Poe House or on tours of Fell’s Point. Although her background is in ballet and
trained horses with her dad until his death in the early 1990s, and still works with her mom as an assistant trainer. Her work with horses is expansive, from grooming and training to owning. Growing up, Jenile worked weekends and holidays at the track during school. After graduation, Tapscott started rubbing horses for trainer and mentor Charlie Hadry. Her pride shows when she lists the accomplishments of the horses that thrived under her care. Jenile’s love of animals is refl ected in all areas of her life. She retired from her full-time job as an animal caretaker at the USDA after 21 years and is thrilled that she now has more time to spend with the T oroughbreds in her mom’s stable. Je- nile was appointed to the Maryland Horse In- dustry Board in 2023 by Gov. Wes Moore. Jenile’s expertise and unique experiences
enhance every tour she gives, and her passion makes them memorable.
Lynn Russell Lynn Russell owns
a small farm in Dar- lington where she has successfully bred, trained, and shown horses,
and has
worked with T or- oughbreds her en- tire life. Lynn works with young horses to get them ready to race, and when they are ready to move on from their racing career, Lynn retrains them for the hunt fi eld and show ring. She has enjoyed horse showing, teaching, working with pony clubbers and 4-H riders, and judging local shows. Lynn is a strong advocate for horse rac-
16 | MAY 2024 | THE EQUIERY YOUR MARYLAND HORSE COUNCIL PUBLICATION Yomar Ortiz, Jr.
T ose who attended Sunrise Tours in 2023 may have run into pony jockey Yomar Or- tiz,
Jr., who
was stationed with Frank Douglas demonstrating how jock-
continued... 800-244-9580 |
www.equiery.com
Courtney Young Courtney Young
grew up riding po- nies and horses and foxhunting with friends.
always loved T or- oughbreds.
She has Court-
ney’s experience in the racing industry includes being an exercise rider, trainer and owner of T oroughbreds. She has worked in the Maryland horse racing industry for almost three decades. Pimlico is by far her favorite Maryland racetrack because of its rich history and accessibility to the masses.
Denise Carnes Denise Carnes’
love for horses stems from her love of all animals. Her parents took her to Pimlico and Timonium for races when she was young and she loved to watch the horses. “My dad,
being
an avid horse rac- ing fan, told me the stories of the great horses of the past. We enjoyed all the racing events when I was growing up,” she said. Her love for horses was passed on to her daughter, who took the love a step further by showing in hunter/ jumper competitions. “We also attended events such as Preakness, Belmont, Breeders’ Cup and the Kentucky Derby,” she added. Denise stated, “I love being a Sunrise Tour guide because it brings back wonderful memories for me. I also love passing on the history of Pimlico and the traditions of Maryland horse racing to new gen- erations of fans who come to the Sunrise tours.”
ing and has attended some of the biggest races in the country. Lynn is excited for her fi rst year as a Sunrise Tour Guide and looks forward to meeting everyone at Pimlico.
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