Laurel, September 18, 1988—Maryland Million III Exceeds Expectations

When the field of nine 2-year-old fillies took to the track for the third running of the USF&G Maryland Lassie, who could have known they were witnessing history? Participants in that single Maryland Million race included one Hall of Famer (jockey Laffit Pincay Jr.) and eight future Hall of Famers – one trainer (D. Wayne Lukas), five riders (Chris McCarron, Julie Krone, Kent Desormeaux and Jose Santos, and Canadian inductee Robin Platts) and Safely Kept and Open Mind, the two marvelous Eclipse Award-winning fillies who became members of the Racing Hall of Fame in 2011. The winner? Richard Troncone’s Ms. Gold Pole, trained by John Forbes and ridden by Julie Krone, who defeated a rallying Open Mind by four and a half lengths, with early leader Safely Kept giving way to finish another half length back in third.

• Glade Valley Farms’ Rollicking sired a record four winners – Budweiser Maryland Classic winner Mister S. M., his full brother King’s Nest, winner of the Jiffy Lube Sprint, 2-year-old All Maryland Nursery winner Snow King and State of Maryland Distaff winner Dark Tzarina.

Two other stallions have matched the record—Allen’s Prospect (2000) and Not For Love (2009, 2011, 2014)

• Mr. and Mrs. Philip F.N. Fanning’s Ivy Dell Stud of Unionville, Pa., became the first owner to repeat in the Maryland Million. Their 3-year-old filly Oh My Pride (by Oh Say) won the Kennard Warfield Jr. Group Maryland Oaks. The previous year the filly’s half-sister Gold Glove won the First National Bank of Maryland Ladies on the turf.

• Master Speaker’s victory in the Ryehill-Windfields Maryland Turf for 3-year-olds was the first by a favorite in 14 straight races. Laffit Pincay Jr. rode the son of Master Willie (GB) owned and bred by Anderson Fowler and trained by Buddy Raines.

• Samuel F. Morrell’s Mister S. M. set a track record (2:01 3/5) when winning the mile and a quarter Classic as the longest shot on the board. Defending winner Little Bold John wound up third.

• Even with competition from a Washington Redskins football game 20 miles away, total attendance was 21,223 and handle was $2,079,017, the first $2-million Sunday in state history.