The phone has stopped ringing incessantly at Murmur Farm in Darlington and at Nancy Alberts' in Jessup. Life has returned to normal, more or less, but the fairy-tale memories remain fresh.
"A wild ride," said Audrey Murray. "Once in a lifetime."
Audrey and Allen Murray, who own Murmur Farm, said goodbye last week to Our Emblem, the stallion they owned for a brief, but exhilarating, eight months. After breeding his last two of 100 mares in Maryland, Our Emblem boarded a van Monday for the ride to his new home, Taylor Made Farm in Kentucky.
"I'm starting to feel sad," Audrey said. "Allen's very relieved. It was a lot of pressure and responsibility. I'm having to let go."
The Murrays bought Our Emblem last fall after he had fallen out of favor at Claiborne Farm in Kentucky. The purchase proved so risky that they had trouble selling shares in the stallion back home in Maryland.
But the Murrays struck pay dirt when Our Emblem's offspring suddenly started winning around the world. His most famous son, War Emblem, captured the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. He might have won the Triple Crown if not for stumbling, nearly falling, at the start of the Belmont.
Offers poured in for the suddenly in-demand sire. Finally, the Murrays accepted $10.1 million from a partnership of two Kentucky farms, Winstar and Taylor Made. The Murrays have declined to say what they paid for Our Emblem. But if it was around $200,000, the figured most bandied about, then they sold him for 50 times that.
Audrey pointed out that 48 percent of the $10.1 million goes for taxes. And the Murrays have to pay the syndicate members fortunate enough, or wise enough, to invest in Our Emblem last fall.
With their portion of the profit, the Murrays might buy a few new horses - maybe a couple of stallions to complement the six that remain at Murmur, or maybe a couple of nice broodmares to breed to Our Emblem. The Murrays retained two lifetime breeding rights.
"We've been so overwhelmed, we haven't really thought about what we'll do," Audrey said. "But it's been exciting. It was fun having the leading sire in the country."
Meanwhile, Alberts and her darling, Magic Weisner, have settled into a summer routine devoid of reporters and potential buyers calling every minute. After Alberts saddled her gelding to a second-place finish in the Preakness and a fourth in the Belmont, she felt like collapsing from exhaustion.
"I didn't realize how much it knocked me out," she said.
She gave Magic Weisner four or five days off. She breezed him five furlongs eight days ago for his first serious work since the Belmont. What's she going to do with him now?
"Pet him," Alberts said. "Give him some peppermints, some carrots. Admire him. ... I think the little horse is just phenomenal. Every time I get on him, I just thank the Lord I have him."
Actually, she said, she'll probably run him in the Haskell Invitational Handicap. That's a Grade I stakes at 1 1/8 miles worth $1 million Aug. 4 at Monmouth Park.
Would she then consider running Magic Weisner in the prestigious Travers Stakes - the so-called "mid-summer Derby" - Aug. 24 at Saratoga? She might, she said.
Alberts, who had never been to Belmont Park before the Belmont, has never been to Saratoga, either.
"Everybody says that would be fun just to go there for a week," she said.
Miscellaneous
Tom Bowman, the Eastern Shore breeder and veterinarian, has been elected president of the Maryland Horse Breeders Association. He said his goal will be to foster fresh ideas and to educate the public and legislature about the significance of the horse industry in Maryland.
He said the breeders will not rush into replacing Michael Flynn, former executive vice president of the MHBA. Flynn started the job in February, did not perform up to expectations, and on June 11 he and the association parted company.
Plans for Xtra Heat call for the Laurel speedster to race July 13 in the $400,000 Princess Rooney Handicap at Calder Race Course in South Florida. That's a Grade II, six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares.
The $500,000 Virginia Derby will take place July 13 at Colonial Downs in Virginia. The $600,000 Delaware Handicap is set for the next weekend, July 21, at Delaware Park.
After skipping the Suburban Handicap yesterday at Belmont Park, Include will likely run next Aug. 18 in the Iselin Handicap at Monmouth, said his trainer, Bud Delp.
The Kentucky trainer Carl Nafzger says that Belterra, the 3-year-oldfilly owned by the Marylander Bob Manfuso, will not race again until nextyear. She's been beset by various training setbacks, including throatsurgery.
Fasig-Tipton Midlantic has listed 189 horses for its auction of 2-year-olds in training and horses of racing age at Timonium Tuesday. The sale features the New York-breds Foreverness and Decisive, who recently ran first and second, respectively, at Belmont.
Yearling show
Acting Op, a near-white filly owned and bred by Karen Dempsey and shown by Bonita Farm, earned distinction last Sunday as grand champion of the MHBA annual yearling show. She was produced by breeding the broodmare Allepia to the sire Ops Smile.
John Ward Jr., the Kentucky trainer of such standouts as Monarchos, Booklet and Beautiful Pleasure, judged the show at the Timonium fairgrounds. He selected the filly tops of the 119 Maryland-bred yearlings shown in six classes.
A colt owned and bred by Bob Manfuso (Roy-Devil's Miss, by Devil's Bag) secured the title of reserve champion. Manfuso alone or with his partner, Katy Voss, owned and bred the top three finishers in Class III.
Yearling show results
Class I (21 colts and geldings foaled in Maryland before April 10, 2001, produced from mares covered in Maryland): 1) Diamond Tip (Diamond-Tippy, by Dancing Count), owned and bred by Pam and Allen Garst. 2) Davanti (Tamayaz-Lisa Be Smart, by Smarten), owned and bred by Betsy and Ron Sapp. 3) Flying Duck (In Case-Fly to Venus, by Lord Gaylord), owned and bred by Mrs. J.W.Y. Martin Jr. Groom's award: Kelly Hayes.
Class II (20 colts and geldings foaled in Maryland on or after April 10, 2001, produced from mares covered in Maryland): 1) Unnamed colt (Not For Love-Pot of Antics, by Anticipating), owned and bred by Hindman Ltd. Partnership. 2) Class Concern (Concern-Class Vow, by Spring Double), owned and bred by Mede Cahaba Stable and Stud. 3) Diamond David (Horatius-Jazema, by Bold Forbes), owned and bred by Nancy H. Alberts. Groom's award: Mardi Herman.
Class III (13 colts and geldings foaled in Maryland in 2001, produced from mares covered in states other than Maryland): 1) Unnamed colt (Roy-Devil's Miss, by Devil's Bag), owned and bred by Robert T. Manfuso. 2) Unnamed colt (Hennessy-Hey Butterfly, by Theatrical), owned and bred by Katharine M. Voss and Robert T. Manfuso. 3) Unnamed colt (Gentlemen-Rare Flight, by Rare Performer), owned and bred by Katharine M. Voss and Robert T. Manfuso. Groom's award: Mary Eppler.
Class IV (28 fillies foaled in Maryland prior to April 7, 2001, produced from mares covered in Maryland): 1) Acting Op (Ops Smile-Allepia, by Allen's Prospect), owned and bred by Karen Dempsey. 2) Lady Krista (Wayne County-Lady Beaumont, by Lord Gaylord), owned and bred by Mrs. J.W.Y. Martin Jr. 3) Unnamed filly (Allen's Prospect-Hey Frankie, by Hay Halo), owned and bred by Sharon Manzari. Groom's award: Beth Baldwin and John Boniface.
Class V (23 fillies foaled in Maryland on or after April 7, 2001, produced from mares covered in Maryland): 1) Stone Fleet (Swear by Dixie-Seven Paces, by Dancing Count), owned and bred by Bonita Farm. 2) A Firm Prospect (Storm Broker-Prospect's Deal, by Allen's Prospect), owned and bred by Fred T. Lewis DVM. 3) Unnamed filly (Malibu Moon-Silencer, by John Alden), owned and bred by Silent LLC and Country Life Farm. Groom's award: Kelly Bailey.
Class VI (14 fillies foaled in Maryland in 2001, produced from mares covered in states other than Maryland): 1) Unnamed filly (Horse Chestnut-Clever Phrase, by Clever Trick), owned and bred by Dark Hollow Farm. 2) Unnamed filly (Scatmandu-Mine Inning, by Mining), owned and bred by William Paca Beatson Jr. 3) Pink'ster (Frisk Me Now-Allegro, by Timeless Native), owned by Diane Mukherjee, bred by Diane Mukherjee and Kendua Farm. Groom's award: Paul Randall.