At least, last winter, there was Looming.
Bob Meyerhoff's colt won stakes after stakes during the winter and early spring season at the Maryland tracks, igniting local interest in the Triple Crown, even if the horse eventually wound up racing in the shadow of his more illustrious stablemate, Concern.
This year, it's slim pickings as far as the local 3-yearold crop is concerned.
In 1994, a total of 354 3-year-olds were nominated to the Triple Crown and 25 of them were principally based in Maryland, representing 21 local trainers.
Only two -- Concern and Looming -- actually made it into a Triple Crown race (the Preakness, finishing third and seventh, respectively). But the list included horses such as Richie The Coach, Silver Profile and Honorable Flight, all of whom developed into decent stakes winners.
But this year, the numbers are down. Only 15 of the 317 Triple Crown nominees come from Maryland-connected outfits, representing 11 trainers. And the quality appears on the light side.
Why the scarcity of good 3-year-olds?
For starters, Maryland's top breeder, Meyerhoff, raised more fillies, such as Broad Smile, Special Broad and Tough Broad, than colts in his 1992 foal crop, and the fillies aren't Triple Crown-bound. Trainer Dick Small had three 1994 Triple Crown nominees; this year, none.
Secondly, stakes-oriented Maryland trainers such as Charlie Hadry, Jimmy Murphy, Barclay Tagg and others haven't unveiled any 3-year-old powers -- yet. Most of them had at least one 1994 Triple Crown nominee; this year, none.
At this stage, New Jersey-based trainer Ned Allard has invaded from Garden State Park with Onto Luck and Dakota's Trick and made a clean sweep of Laurel's 3-year-old colt and gelding stakes.
The one Maryland hope to appear this winter is the Carlos Garcia-trained He's Got Gall, who finished second to Onto Luck in his last start and could run Saturday in the Herat Stakes.
Maryland-based 3-year-olds that shipped south for the winter have run into a streak of bad luck.
Laurel Futurity winner Western Echo has been plagued with a virus at Gulfstream Park and still isn't right. He developed an aversion to South Florida similar to that of 1993 Kentucky Derby winner Sea Hero -- and might rebound for trainer Bud Delp when he ships north. But he'll miss the Florida Derby on March 11.
Trainer Billy Boniface plans to start Maryland-bred 2-year-old champ Oliver's Twist in the Florida Derby. But the horse will be a long shot. Oliver's Twist bled in his last start -- a fifth-place finish in the Fountain of Youth Stakes -- and will race on Lasix for the first time in the Derby. He again will be ridden by Laurel jockey Albert Delgado.
Boniface's other stakes-class 3-year-old, Ops Smile, also bled in the Fountain of Youth after finishing 11th and is being reserved for a career in grass races.
One bright development on the local 3-year-old scene has been the three-race win streak by Buckingham Farm's filly Palliser Bay.
But don't expect to see her racing in Maryland soon.
Trainer Ron Cartwright said the filly left a week ago and has joined trainer Frank Alexander's string at Calder Race Course. For the next month or so, Palliser Bay is expected to be racing in Florida.
Winning return
Not all is necessarily g-gloom and doom on the local 3-year-old front.
Trainer John Lenzini Sr. unveiled an interesting prospect -- the 3-year-old filly Count Your Gold -- last weekend for a father-son ownership team that hasn't been seen in a Maryland winner's circle for quite some time.
Leo Nechamkin III, a controller at Laurel during the ownership of John Schapiro, and his dad, Leo Nechamkin Sr., former admissions director at the track, are the owners of the filly, who won in her first start after all kinds of trouble in the fifth race last Saturday.
"It's the first horse we've run in 22 years," said the younger Nechamkin. "Our third partner in the horse is my brother-in-law, John Kloss, who is a surgeon in Boise, Idaho."
The trio bought Count Your Gold for the bargain price of $5,000 at a Horsemen's Bloodstock Sale 15 months ago. The filly had strong bloodlines -- she is sired by Slew o' Gold and is out of a daughter of champion Shuvee -- but physically is not entirely correct in her legs.
The Nechamkins took their time with the horse, and the effort has paid off. "Every time she wins some money, we want to set a little aside and breed her to a good stallion when she retires," said the younger Nechamkin. The stable also owns a 2-year-old colt sired by Devil's Bag.
A unique victory
Gulfstream Park racing secretary Bob Umphrey recently carded an unusual race at the South Florida track -- a high-priced claimer written for horses 7 and older. The race was called "The Methusaleh."
The winner, by five lengths, turned out to be the Maryland-bred gelding Seven Salutes, who is still capable of a big win at the age of 9.
Snowden Carter, former editor of Maryland Horse Magazine, bred the horse.
"I remember he was the cheapest horse I ever sold," Carter said. "He brought $500 as a yearling at Timonium."
But, Carter also said: "He's also the best horse I ever bred. I think he's won something like $300,000."
L Seven Salutes is by the deceased Maryland stallion Salutely.
MARYLAND NOMINEES
There seems to be a scarcity of good 3-year-olds stabled at the Maryland tracks this winter. Of the 317 horses nominated to the 1995 Triple Crown, 15 are principally from Maryland, although many local horsemen are wintering elsewhere. A list of the
Maryland-connected nominees:
Trainer ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Horses(s)
* Leon Blusiewicz ... ... ... .. .. ... Mighty Magee
* Billy Boniface ... ... ... ... .. ... Lawyer Referral, Olivcr's Twjst, Ops ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Smile
* Francis Campitelli .. ... ... ... ... Danny's Crown
Ron Cartwright ... ... ... ... .. .. .. Palliser Bay
* Bud Delp ... ... ... ... ... .. .. .. Spanish Halo, Western Echo
Michael Dickinson ... ... ... ... .. .. Tyson's Revenge
* Bill Donovan ... ... ... ... .. .. .. Momentous Code
Carlos Garcia ... ... ... ... ... .. .. He's Got Gall
Dean Gaudet ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Absolute Appeal, Cappuccio
Billy Turner .. ... ... ... ... ... ... Shimmering Prince
Gene Weymouth ... ... ... ... .. .. ... Colonial Secretary
* -- Currently stabled out of town