Tenski, the only Maryland-bred last year to win a Grade I stakes, has been named 1998 Maryland-bred Horse of the Year.
In the annual poll conducted by the Maryland Horse Breeders Association, Tenski was the unanimous choice for Horse of the Year and champion Maryland-bred 3-year-old filly. She was also the winner for outstanding turf runner.
Tenski's 2 1/2-length victory Oct. 10 in the Grade I Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Invitational at Keeneland was one her seven wins in 1998. She also won two Grade III turf stakes at Saratoga.
Other unanimous winners were Red Star Rose as outstanding 2-year-old male and Weather Vane as top older female. Eight Maryland racing writers participated in the poll.
The winning connections will be honored at the annual breeders association awards dinner April 15 at the B&O; Museum. That's two days before Pimlico's Spring Challenge Day, featuring the Federico Tesio Stakes and four stakes for Maryland-breds.
The Maryland-bred champions for 1998:
Horse of the Year, champion 3-year-old filly, champion turf runner: Tenski (Polish Numbers-Miss Rudy T), bred by Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Bowman and Victor Ives, owned by Richard L. Golden, trained by Linda Rice.
Champion 2-year-old male: Red Star Rose (Proud Truth-Rose Rouge), bred by Albert H. and Randy L. Cohen, owned by Hickory Plains Farm, trained by Hamilton A. Smith.
Champion 2-year-old filly: Magic Broad (Broad Brush-Illeria), bred and owned by Robert E. Meyerhoff, trained by Richard W. Small.
Champion 3-year-old male: Greenspring Willy (Smarten-Jolly Polka), bred by Mr. and Mrs. Charles R. McGinnes, owned by Post Time, trained by Richard E. Dutrow Jr.
Champion older male: Partner's Hero (Danzig-Safely Home), bred by Mr. and Mrs. David Hayden and Gilman Investment Co., owned by Horton Stable Inc., trained by D. Wayne Lukas.
Champion older female: Weather Vane (Willard Scott-But in Vain), bred by William B. Delp, owned by Par Four Racing Stable, trained by Richard W. Delp.
Champion steeplechaser: Smart Jaune (Smarten-Ocre Jaune), bred by Hidden Lake Stable, owned by Augustin Stables, trained by Sanna Nielson.
Caroline Stewart dies
Caroline Stewart, 94, mother of the Maryland veterinarian Jim Stewart, died Thursday.
She and two other Maryland women were the first female trainers of thoroughbreds in the country, her son said. They obtained their licenses in the early 1940s. Her husband, "Irish" Jimmy Stewart, also trained horses.
"She always took the bad horses to bad tracks, and dad took the good ones," Jim Stewart said. She also rehabilitated horses at her farm in Elkton.
Services will be tomorrow, a visitation from 10: 30 to 11: 30 a.m. at Gee Funeral Home, and a mass at noon at Immaculate Conception Church. Both are in Elkton.
Virginia announcement
Jeffrey P. Jacobs, chairman of Colonial Downs, has scheduled a news conference tomorrow at the southern Virginia track. He has promised a "major" announcement -- perhaps a lawsuit against the Virginia Racing Commission in their continuing battle over harness and thoroughbred dates.
First MATCH race April 17
The third edition of MATCH (Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championships) will begin April 17 at Pimlico with the Federico Tesio Stakes and conclude 5 1/2 months later with five races at four tracks on Oct. 2.
The series features five divisions of seven races each offering $3.75 million in purses and $550,000 in bonuses for top owners and trainers. Racing secretaries at mid-Atlantic tracks have eliminated the few conflicts that hampered MATCH last year.
"We really have put together what is a true series," said Alan Foreman, head of the Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association. "The horsemen who participate are going to run for some very good money."
The richest stakes is the $300,000 Pennsylvania Derby on Sept. 6 at Philadelphia Park. But Foreman said the target horse for MATCH is one that can compete at the $75,000-to-$150,000 stakes level.
The minimum stakes in the series has jumped to $75,000, from from $50,000. And last year's weakest division, 3-year-old and up long on dirt, has been replaced with a sprint series for fillies and mares 3 and older.
No MATCH races will be run at Colonial Downs. But the resurgent Charles Town will conduct its first MATCH race June 5.
"The series has gotten better every year," Foreman said. "But I think we're about ready to hit our stride."
Pub Date: 3/07/99