Over the next few days, leading up to the New Year, we’ll revisit some favorite pictures from the 2015 mid-Atlantic racing year, taking a season-by-season approach, in our Year in Pictures 2015 series.

In the summer, the region’s tracks held some of their biggest events, among them the Haskell, Cotillion, and Delaware Handicap.

Among the summer stories:

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• The Delaware Handicap took place with Sheer Drama, who went on to be a force in the distaff division, outfighting her rivals to get the money.  But there was controversy, too, as The Racing Biz broke the news that Princess of Sylmar — the 2014 Del ‘Cap runner-up — had tested positive for a betamethasone overage following that race but was ultimately not disqualified.
• Triple Crown champ American Pharoah returned to the region, taking a facile victory in the G1 Haskell at Monmouth Park and giving Garden State racing a shot in the arm.
• For the second straight year, Virginia’s racing industry decamped to Maryland, holding a day of racing for Virginia-breds, plus three graded stakes, at Laurel Park.  For the first time ever, a Virginia-bred — One Go All Go — won the (former) Virginia Derby.  Meanwhile, the mud wrestling involving Colonial Downs continued, even as Virginia’s horsemen moved forward with their country racing model.
• Maryland’s breeders held their first-ever Maryland Pride day, a day of races restricted to horses bred in the Free State — and it exceeded expectations.
• I’m a Chatterbox — twice a hard luck loser in Grade 1 events — finally broke through with a solid victory in the Grade 1 Cotillion at Parx Racing.

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SUMMER IN PICTURES