Racetrack reunion has them asking, when's the next one? * The Racing Biz

Racetrack reunion has them asking, when’s the next one?

Emily White
March 20, 2025

The racing industry is much like one big, happy, occasionally dysfunctional family.

And sometimes, family grows apart – which is precisely why event organizers Lauren Heathcote Amberman and Cathy Rosenberger have worked over the years to bring them back together again in an annual Mid-Atlantic racetrack reunion.

What started in 2021 as a gathering of about 20 or so people will mark its fifth occurrence Sunday, April 13, at Laurel Park.

Past events have attracted many significant names, including Hall of Famers Chris McCarron, Edgar Prado, and King T. Leatherbury, and attendees have traveled and even taken flights to make the reunion. This year, Rosenberger thinks they might see more than a hundred former (and current) racetrackers show up.

“It’s become really fun for them, this annual get-together,” Heathcote Amberman says. “Whether they’re still in Maryland, or in Florida, Kentucky, New York or New Jersey – they seem to really have a blast hanging out with each other.”

In 2020, Heathcote Amberman, a longtime photographer, began posting old racing photos on Facebook in the wake of COVID-19 shutdowns. Those updates revived memories of days gone by – a sort of “reunion.”

*The 2024 Racetrack Reunion at Laurel Park. Photo by Jim McCue.*

Cathy Rosenberger appeared in many of Heathcote Amberman’s shots, ponying one stakes winner or another. Within her racing career, she held a training license and then worked ponying horses for trainers like Bud Delp. Eventually, Rosenberger called it quits and launched a new career in real estate.

“Lauren said to me: ‘There’s so many photos of you ponying the feature race,’” Rosenberger says. “I replied, ‘Well, I worked almost every race, every afternoon. So you’re going to keep running into me.’”

All of this reminiscence eventually led to the thought: “Why don’t we reunite in person?”

The first gathering was a small get-together at Delaware Park in July of 2021, closely followed by a larger one in November at Laurel, where it’s been ever since – though, given the growing numbers, the party moved upstairs.

“The last two years, Laurel graciously allowed us to have the second-floor clubhouse space,” says Heathcote Amberman. There, the current and retired racetrackers gather to relax, enjoy food and drink, and most importantly, share stories and memories, which are the backbone of these events.

The event has attracted a wide spectrum of racing folks, from grooms and hotwalkers to trainers, jockeys, and owners. Last year’s event included jockeys who combined to win well over 10,000 races, among them 7,000-race winner Prado, Preakness winner Donnie Miller, and local stalwarts like Danny Wright and Frank Douglas.

This year, reunion day will be a special one for Heathcote Amberman. Her father, a lifelong racing fan who helped to spark her interest in the sport, passed away in January, and the fourth race will be run in his name and honor.

It’s unclear where future reunions will take place, given Laurel’s expected closure in a couple of years. But it’s clear racetrackers will seek a place to gather, no matter the location.

After all, Rosenberger remembers, thinking back on the first gathering: “Before the reunion was over, they were asking me when the next one would be.”