The owner of Laurel Park and the track’s horsemen’s group have reached an agreement to retain an outside racetrack superintendent to conduct an assessment of the dirt surface at the track, which has been closed for live racing since last week. The superintendent, John Passero, will begin work on an assessment of the track as soon as Wednesday, the officials said at a Tuesday Maryland Racing Commission meeting scheduled just days ago to discuss the condition of the track and attempt to iron out hard feelings between horsemen and track management. Live racing will continue to be suspended until Passero’s assessment of the track surface is complete. Live racing was suspended at Laurel on Friday when many horsemen refused to enter their horses after two horses were euthanized following injuries suffered on the Thursday card. The track’s owner, 1/ST Racing, has maintained that testing on the track revealed that it was “within industry norms,” but the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association has pushed for Passero to be hired to conduct an independent assessment. Craig Fravel, the chief executive officer of 1/ST – who is based in California – appeared in person at the meeting on Tuesday and said that the agreement with the horsemen to bring Passero on board had been signed 30 minutes before the meeting was scheduled to start. :: Bet the races on DRF Bets! Sign up with code WINNING to get a $250 Deposit Match, $10 Free Bet, and FREE DRF Formulator.  “We will certainly cooperate with the MTHA and certainly make sure that whatever recommendations are made will be considered,” Fravel said. In a letter to the commission sent on Saturday evening, the MTHA had also asked the commission to consider moving live racing to Pimlico, the track in Baltimore also owned by 1/ST. Fravel said that the possibility of relocating had been discussed but that, for now, it was “premature” to make that decision. Instead, 1/ST will wait for Passero’s report and then discuss what solutions might be needed. “We’re not taking anything off the table,” Fravel said. The condition of the Laurel main track has been a source or contention in Maryland for three years, despite several renovations over that same time period. In their letter to the commission, the MTHA said that five horses had suffered catastrophic injuries while either racing or training on the Laurel main track since the beginning of April. Live racing has not been held at Laurel since the boycott started on Friday. Michael Algeo, the chairman of the commission, said that horsemen and Laurel management need to work together to solve the problem in a spirit of “cooperation.” He cited the upcoming Preakness Stakes, scheduled for May 20 at Pimlico, in urging the two sides to find common goals. The Preakness is the second leg of the Triple Crown and one of the highest-profile races in the sport. “Equine safety and welfare is the single most important thing at the track,” Algeo said. “This commission is not making any judgments as to who is at fault. We cannot afford to get this wrong. We have to get it right.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.