Deputed Testamony

Among the horses who have beaten Raghib are Coronado's Quest and Lil's Lad.So, it was no surprise that the New York invader was established as the favorite in yesterday's $75,000 Deputed Testamony Stakes at Pimlico Race Course.And the son of Phone Trick upheld his billing with a hard-earned length victory over P Day, who nosed out Farwell Look for the place.Raghib is trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, but assistant Bob Witham was here for the Maryland-bred stakes over 1 1/8 miles."He's growing up and getting better," said Witham of the winner, who covered the distance in 1 minute, 50 3/5 seconds over a fast track.

Although the $200,000 Federico Tesio Stakes showcased 3-year-olds born anywhere in the country, the four other stakes comprising Maryland Spring Challenge yesterday at Pimlico featured horses born in this state.$100,000 Jennings Handicap: Testafly pressed early leader and favorite Fireside Brass for most of the 1 1/8 -mile race before swooping past in the stretch for a 1 1/2 -length victory.The celebration in the winner's circle was jubilant. Testafly's trainer, Dale Mills, 32, celebrated his first stakes victory.

The owner of Touch Gold said he wants to try something different in his next race."We're going to try a new strategy," Frank G. Stronach said. "We're going to walk him out of the gate."Silver Charm took the Preakness in a blanket finish yesterday, but Touch Gold won the award for heart.He stumbled out of the gate and assumed a five-point stance as his nose went in the dirt. Somehow, jockey Chris McCarron stayed on board and rallied Touch Gold to fourth, a length and a quarter behind show horse Captain Bodgit.

Donnie Miller Jr. remembers well that muddy May day when he guided Deputed Testamony through a hole on the rail to a stunning victory in the 1983 Preakness.Miller recalled that after crossing the finish line he didn't think: "Thank God I won the Preakness."No, this Maryland native -- at the time three weeks shy of his 20th birthday -- said he remembers thinking: "Thank God I didn't screw it up."That gilded memory is one of many Miller carries into retirement. After 16 years riding horses for a living -- he won 2,856 races and his mounts earned $37,472,579 -- Miller, 33, has quit for health reasons.

There were four Triple Crown nominees in the original field for the $75,000 Deputed Testamony Stakes, but none of them reached the wire first at Pimlico yesterday.That distinction belonged to Foolish Pole, ridden deftly by Herb McCauley to a 6 1/2 -length romp over 1 1/8 miles."My horse was full of run and placed himself perfectly," said McCauley, who came in from New Jersey to ride two winners and a runner-up in his three mounts. "We got the ideal trip."With the pace snail-like (25 seconds for the quarter and 48 3/5 for a half-mile)

Mixed Count will return to his own level today when he takes on seven other Maryland-bred horses in the $75,000 Deputed Testamony Stakes at Pimlico."He's worked great and his training is terrific," trainer Ron Benshoff said of the Polish Numbers gelding who will be making his first start since finishing 11th in the Preakness at 99-to-1 odds."

Bill Boniface Jr. stuck with superstition at yesterday's Preakness, and it almost led another one of his Maryland-bred horses to victory.His horse, Oliver's Twist, finished second, a half-length behind Timber Country and a half-length away from being the first Maryland-bred winner of the Preakness since Boniface's Deputed Testamony in 1983.The Harford County trainer was pleased that he followed the same pre-race routine with Oliver's Twist as he did with Deputed Testamony."I'm not superstitious," Boniface said, "but it doesn't hurt to be careful."

Charles Oliver is living what sounds like a preposterous dream.In fall 1993, the Aberdeen insurance executive was at a yearling sale being conducted by Bill Boniface Jr. at Bonita Farm in Harford County.Although Oliver had been associated with racing for years and often flew Boniface to various tracks and sales in his small airplane, he never had owned a racehorse.On this day, a son of Horatius out of Heartful Star wasn't receiving any attention from buyers."Bill couldn't get a bid on him," said Oliver.

Don't expect any Kentucky Derby starters to surface in today's Grade III Federico Tesio Stakes at Pimlico.But if the history of the race is any indication, a Preakness starter or two will emerge from the field.Looming, last year's Tesio runner-up who was disqualified and placed out of the money, and past winners Woods of Windsor (1993) and Speakerphone (1992) made their next start in the Preakness, although the best finish was the sixth-place effort by Woods of Windsor.For today's race, Bud Delp, trainer of expected favorite Western Echo, who is being ridden by Kent Desormeaux, has said he's thinking of the Illinois Derby, not the Preakness, for his horse's next start.

Jockey Edgar Prado slipped through along the rail and got up in the final strides with Sondra and Howard Bender's 3-year-old colt, Dixie Power, yesterday and defeated Cloud's Forty Four by a half-length in the $75,000 Deputed Testamony Stakes at Pimlico Race Course."