Live racing in Maryland will shift away from Laurel Park to the Fair Hill Turf Showcase on Sunday and Monday. The newly renovated racecourse at the Fair Hill Training Center will host its second event since reopening, offering an eight-race flat racing card on Sunday and a nine-race steeplechase card on Monday. It’s hard to argue that anyone is taking better advantage of the move to Fair Hill than trainer Keri Brion, who has been waiting for racing there for years. She and many others were forced to sit through the pandemic and a lengthy renovation process going back to 2019. “It’s been frustrating for sure, and I know a lot of people have felt the same way,” Brion said. “A lot of racetrack people have donated money to get it back and it hadn't been back. But everything seems to be falling into place now, and hopefully we're going to have a good weekend.” Brion is not the only trainer crossing disciplines at Fair Hill this weekend, but she is easily the most extensive, having entered a combined 14 starters across the two cards. She has five entered in flat races on Sunday and another nine jumping on Monday. Balancing between the different variations of horse racing can lead to quirky situations for Brion, who constantly looks for runners who can switch between the two. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. The 7-year-old gelding Carloun, a Grade 1 winner over hurdles for Brion, is eligible for a starter handicap on Sunday because of his lack of similar success in flat racing. In the $50,000 Valentine Memorial, a 2 1/4-mile hurdle stakes on Monday, Brion entered Fiery Dart, who boasts a rare win over the Fair Hill surface when he won a flat 1 5/8-mile maiden race during the two-day meet last August. As the final assistant trainer to the late Jonathan Sheppard, a steeplechase icon who also had his fair share of success in flat racing, Brion said she feels the pressure and honor of carrying on as a standard-bearer in an underappreciated niche of American horse racing. She hopes the Fair Hill Turf Showcase will offer positive exposure for steeplechase racing, as well as the reopened course. “So many people, if you just talk to them, think jump racing literally only happens at Saratoga,” Brion said. “They don't even realize that there's a whole world out there where we race almost every weekend over jumps.” Jack Fisher, one of the leading hurdle trainers in the country, has 12 horses entered on the Monday card, including three in the Valentine Memorial. He shared Brion’s frustrations about the long wait for Fair Hill to reopen and will be quick to take advantage of the opportunity to run there. “Long overdue. Long, long overdue,” Fisher said. “The Fair Hill meet’s always been a favorite of local people, and I'm one of many looking who want to support it, so there we are.” For many trainers, the return of Fair Hill is cause for immense celebration. For others, it’s another day at the track. Trainer Jamie Ness has six horses entered on the Sunday card, just as he might on a busy day at Delaware, Laurel, or Parx. It’s a mark of broad appeal for the reopening course. “Delaware’s actually 20 minutes away, so it’s actually closer to Delaware [than Laurel],” Ness said. “Some are coming from Delaware, from Laurel, from Parx. It’s a chance for local fans and people with horses who live in that area.” As of Wednesday morning, forecasts for Sunday and Monday call for light rain at Fair Hill, which could lead to issues for both turf-only cards. For now, racing is slated to carry on as scheduled. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.