The Maryland Million, scheduled for Oct. 11 at Laurel Park, hosts its 40th edition this year. I was not at the first one, though it's fun to think of the people who were. Jack Van Berg trained a winner, so did P.G. Johnson, Woody Stephens and Allen Jerkens. So, too, did Marylander Katy Voss -- who will probably have a runner this year.

October's magazine always finds a Maryland Million story, which sounds simple enough. This year we went in a little different direction. The goal was to find 40 moments. Casey Kasem may or may not have been mentioned in the initial conversation, though we really weren't going for the "top 40" moments or anything you could dance to. We just wanted 40 and they could be momentous, magnificent, personal, big-picture, historic or virtually unknown. We asked for input, got some, then filled in with favorites from various people involved professionally or personally.

Writer/editor Vinnie Perrone put the text together, designer Barrie Reightler made it shine and the 17-page package sums up the Maryland Million and its status as both an everyman event and a major achievement in Thoroughbred racing. One reader sent in a note about free hats. Other contributions literally relate to life and death. That's the Maryland Million, where the world's most influential stallion Northern Dancer gets remembered alongside the considerably lower profile Parker's Storm Cat; where Hall of Famer Safely Kept makes a list with 113-start claimer Let Me Be Frank; where the legendary Stephens joins Maryland stalwart Annette Eubanks among discussion topics.

Kirsten Green contributed one of my favorites. In 1998, she attended the Maryland Million with her non-racing family because the event made a "things to do" list in The Washington Post. Today, Green makes a difference for ex-racehorses every day as the executive director of the Retired Racehorse Project. The Maryland Million did that.

Racing journalist Marty McGee came out of a retirement with a contribution that pointed to the event's staying power. Jim McKay used his considerable influence to get the first one off the ground in 1986, but even he wouldn't have guaranteed success. A stretch battle between past Maryland jockey phenom Chris McCarron and then Maryland jockey phenom Kent Desormeaux in the 1987 Lassie at Pimlico convinced McGee that McKay's big idea might stick around. Not only is the Maryland Million still going, it has been copied by multiple Thoroughbred states around the country.

The challenge, of course, is to make it all last. Even if it's still going, the Maryland Million isn't quite what it was.

Start with the purses available (a million in 1986 is not the same as a million in 2025). Add a shrinking pool of potential entries (far fewer Maryland sires produce far fewer foals now). Toss in the impact of major racing opportunities around the country. Maryland Million races used to overfill with state-sired runners, now there's a safety provision that Maryland-breds can run if the Maryland-sired list dips too low.
The Million used to bounce between Laurel and Pimlico. Laurel is the only host now. And Pimlico will stand alone someday. That's OK, but also carries a little less buzz for fans and participants.

Thanks to McKay and some others, corporate involvement played a major part in the early days. First-year winner Smart 'n Quick even wound up in promotional material for the First National Bank of Maryland. I bet you didn't know that Maryland Million started the trend of hospitality tents in the infield of a racetrack. Corporate sponsorship is more challenging today, though look for some more partnerships this year, plus a pre-race event at Camden Yards Oct. 10 and a rejuvenated Maryland Million board driving new ideas.

Here's hoping that energy pays real dividends and fuels purse increases because the Maryland Two Million would sound nice. While we're hoping, maybe Maryland's Thoroughbred industry can coalesce around the stability of a rebuilt Pimlico, a new training center and a new management structure. Perhaps that stabilizes the stallion business -- some success from a young sire already here couldn't hurt -- and helps bring more mares to the state.
No pressure. I'm not planning to attend the 80th Maryland Million, though I guess it's a possibility, and I'm definitely not working on a list of 80 moments but they shouldn't be that difficult to find.