The continuing struggle to preserve Northern Baltimore County's farmland and the area's rural character now is focusing on Sagamore Farms, one of the nation's most storied horse farms.
A deputy zoning commissioner last week tentatively ruled that part of the Worthington Valley farm was illegally subdivided.
The subdivision by Patricia A. Ward, wife of developer James J. Ward III who purchased Sagamore Farms in 1987, and Dr. Richard D. Maffezzoli and his wife, Mary, violated the county's agricultural preservation zoning as well as its development regulations, said Deputy Zoning Commissioner Timothy Kotroco, whose ruling is not official until a written opinion is issued.
The farm once was known worldwide for its breeding and training facilities with stables for 200 horses, a half-mile outdoor track and a quarter-mile indoor track.
Although the farm and its vast pastures are a glimmer of the glory that once was there, land preservation advocates such as the Valleys Planning Council respond when this cornerstone of scenic Worthington Valley seems threatened. A council official sniffed out the situation that led to Mr. Kotroco's ruling.
Sagamore, which appears in the movie "Diner," is a landmark for its red-roofed buildings and miles of white board fences along Worthington and Tufton avenues near Glyndon.
"Even just as open space, it's wonderful that Sagamore Farms is still there, a monument to a bygone era," said Donald P. Litz, the last manager of Sagamore.
Neither Dr. Maffezzoli nor his attorney responded to offers to comment on the dispute. Efforts to reach the Wards, who live primarily in Florida, were unsuccessful.
Mr. Ward paid Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt an estimated $4 million for Sagamore's 575 acres. Owned by Mr. Vanderbilt since 1933, the farm was the home of Native Dancer, who won the Preakness and Belmont Stakes in 1953 and died in 1967.
Mr. Ward said then that he bought Sagamore to save it. "I don't want to see the land chopped into 13 lots for homes," he said.
He did sell development rights on about 400 acres to the state for about $1.8 million, protecting that section, county officials said.
The disputed Sagamore Farms land covers 181 acres north of Belmont Road. The minimum lot size allowed by the zoning on most of the property is 50 acres.
Land records show that two 50-acre parcels legally were in place when the Wards sold the remaining 81 acres to the Maffezzolis in 1991. Having three parcels met zoning requirements. But almost immediately, the Maffezzolis sold 31 acres back to Mrs. Ward, creating four subdivided lots. That was the first violation.
In February 1992, Mrs. Ward subdivided the 31 acres into eight-acre and 23-acre parcels, creating five subdivided parcels from the 181 acres. That was violation No. 2.
The action also violated the development process which requires a hearing to get approval for subdividing an original parcel into four or more smaller parcels.
The subdivision had been discovered by Margaret H. Worrall, former executive director of the Valleys Planning Council who saw an auction sign on the property and researched land records.
"We've come a long way with the rural conservation zoning, and we need to protect it from violations like this," Mrs. Worrall said.
The zoning office asked the Wards and Maffezzolis to request a hearing to clarify the situation, but got no response, said Catherine Milton, a planner. The office then asked for a hearing on the violations.
Mrs. Ward, the Maffezzolis and T. Rogers Harrison, attorney for both parties, did not attend Tuesday's hearing but it went on as scheduled after Mr. Kotroco decided that the county had given ample notice.
He still is trying to determine which parcels must be re-assembled to comply with the zoning.
Mr. Kotroco's ruling can be appealed, leaving more chapters in the saga of the Wards and Sagamore.
Mr. Ward's purchase of the farm coincided with the economic recession of the late 1980s that crippled the state's horse racing industry.
With racing in decline and buildings and fencing deteriorating, it was almost impossible to continue Sagamore as a horse farm, Mr. Litz said.
But many in the horse racing industry had been skeptical of Mr. Ward's intentions.
"Given his lack of experience in horse breeding there was always the suspicion that he had some real estate ventures in mind for the farm," said Snowden Carter, who was general manager of the Maryland Horse Breeders Association for 25 years.
"I was attracted by Mr. Ward's offer to be the farm manager because of my love for Sagamore and the antiquity of the place," said Mr. Litz, now a consultant for buying, breeding and selling horses.
"I tried very hard to bring Sagamore back to its former prominence. But in the end the cost of keeping up with the aging facilities was . . . more than Mr. Ward wanted to handle."
All of the horses at Sagamore during Mr. Ward's short-lived commercial breeding operation came in through Mr. Litz. When it was clear the venture wasn't working, Mr. Litz shipped the horses to a farm near Westminster. Shortly afterward, Mr. Ward padlocked Sagamore Farms.
"I think Mr. Ward's inexperience caught up with him in that he didn't realize what it would take to run a large and successful horse breeding operation," said Mr. Carter.
In 1993, the Wards leased much of the farm to Carlos and Carol Kaye Garcia for a horse-breeding operation and the rest to John K. Adams and Kim Godwin for a thoroughbred training facility.
The Garcias have managed to restore some of the reputation of horse breeding at Sagamore, Mr. Litz said.