Pimlico, September 8, 1991—Memorable milestones in sixth Maryland Million

Back to the winner’s circle for a third straight year following the featured $200,000 Budweiser Maryland Classic were breeder/owner Anderson Fowler and trainer Virgil “Buddy” Raines. The two octogenarians sent out Timely Warning, a 6-year-old gelded son of Caveat, to become the first two-time Classic winner. Their Master Speaker won the race in 1989.

Fowler noted the Classic was targeted since the previous year: “We wanted to win it again. All year long, Buddy was pointing him for the Maryland Million. We did everything the same as the year before – Buddy ran him in the same races, trained him the same, fed him the same.”

And the results were much the same as Timely Warning stalked the pace in second, made his move entering the stretch and won by more than a length. His final time for the mile and a quarter was 2:024⁄5 (three-fifths off his time of the previous year). One change was the rider – aboard for his first Classic win was Raines’ grandson Mike Luzzi. Raines exited the day as the Maryland Million’s leading trainer by wins, with four, as he also sent out Master Speaker to win the Ryehill-Windfields Maryland Turf in 1988.

Odds-on to do it again, outstanding racemares Safely Kept and Countus In recorded their third consecutive Maryland Million victories. Ridden by Gary Stevens and toting 130 pounds (12 to 22 more than her five rivals), Jayeff B Stable’s Safely Kept turned back In the Curl in the State of Maryland Distaff Handicap. Stevens rode the Horatius mare conservatively after she grabbed a quarter leaving the gate, but the Alan Goldberg-trainee set every fraction in the six-furlong Distaff. The Kentucky-bred 6-year-old Dancing Count mare Countus In was guided to victory for a third time by Julie Krone in the mile and an eighth First National Bank of Maryland Ladies on the turf. Owned and bred by Charles G. Middleton III of Louisville, Ky., and trained by Steven Reiser, Countus In was sent off the 1-2 choice in the six-horse field, vied for the lead after a half mile and strolled home three lengths clear. Earlier in the day Krone was victorious aboard Missy White Oak in the Lassie, upping her win total to seven to maintain her position as Maryland Million’s top winning rider.
Sonny Hine purchased Coolin It at a California 2-year-olds in training sale for $40,000 for owner Ben Cohen, sent him out to win the Rollicking Stakes at Laurel in August, and aimed for the Crown Central Petroleum Maryland Nursery. The son of North Pole won it in style, leading at every call and drawing off to win by seven and a quarter lengths. The 90-year-old Cohen, one time co-owner of Pimlico, led the chestnut colt into the winner’s circle.

The greatest winning margin in Maryland Million history was recorded when Richard’s Lass, from the first crop of Allen’s Prospect, captured the Maryland Million Oaks for 3-year-old fillies by 14 lengths. Bred by Allen Paulson, the chestnut filly was purchased privately by New Yorker Robert Perez as a yearling. It was her first stakes win.

Eleven stallions sired the 11 winners, all but one having sired a winner previously. Northview Stallion Station’s Baederwood was the exception, getting his first winner with 2-year-old filly Missy White Oak.
The largest Maryland Million crowd to date (23,254) turned out at Pimlico and the Laurel simulcast outlets. The total mutuel pool was more than $2.3 million on the 11-race card. The day kicked off with an amateur rider race and the Maryland Million Steeplechase, which was won by Dogwood Stable-owned, Charlie Fenwick-trained Make Azilian (a son of Run the Gantlet), ridden by Jeff Teter.