Fair Hill

FAIR HILL -- Sharon Chesson, a "hockey mom" from Far Hills, N.J., and former Olympian Bruce Davidson of Unionville, Pa., won the overall driving and riding championships, respectively, at the conclusion yesterday of the Fair Hill International equine triathlon."

FAIR HILL -- Suspended a year ago for erratic jumping -- he bolted off course in his first start -- 7-year-old Melissa's Quickie improved to 2-for-2 in 1998 with a win yesterday in the $25,000 Miles Valentine Novice Stakes, the headliner on an eight-race steeplechase and flat card at the Fair Hill Races.Racing near the back of the 11-horse field for the first half of the 2 1/4 -mile, 15-jump race, Melissa's Quickie and jockey Peter Walsh burst out of a pack approaching the final turn. The son of El Raggaas challenged Ivory's Pleasure at the 12th jump, and powered to a clear lead by the stretch.

FAIR HILL -- The Fair Hill Races dug into some unbroken ground yesterday and encountered a few rocks.An experiment with simulcasts of steeplechase races from a major flat track, Monmouth Park in New Jersey, produced some run-ins with the six-race live card and left bettors precious little time to ponder between events.Overall, a 10-race card was completed in a little more than three hours, a dizzying pace."The handle was way down on those simulcast races," Fair Hill executive director Gregg Morris said.

The Maryland Stadium Authority has scheduled a meeting tomorrow at Cecil Community College in North East to provide information and receive public comment before selecting a potential site for what is being promoted as one of the premier horse parks in the nation. In what she called an open letter to Cecil County residents, Alison L. Asti, executive director of the stadium authority, said: "There are no plans to include thoroughbred or standard-bred horse racing" at the park. "The only horse racing will be steeplechase, which already takes place at Fair Hill."

With probable favorites Praise The Prince and Golden Marvel scratched, the $30,000 Miles Valentine Memorial Stakes looms as a wide-open affair when Fair Hill conducts its annual Memorial Day weekend program today. The 10-race card begins at 12:15 p.m., earlier than usual because of more racing. The program offers a chance for Maryland trainer Tom Voss to begin catching up after a slow start in a bid to win his fourth consecutive National Steeplechase Association training title. Voss has entered five horses on the day, including Anofferucantrefuse and Teb's Bend in the feature.

FAIR HILL - Miserable weather put a damper on the 70th annual Memorial Day races at Fair Hill, but Footlights emerged as bright sunshine. A downpour that made the sixth race almost invisible abated for the feature, and Footlights won a rousing stretch duel over Classic Gale, prevailing by a nose in the $30,000 Valentine Memorial. Sent off as the even-money favorite in a field of seven fillies and mares, Footlights returned $4.20 to win and set up smallish exacta and trifecta payments with the two other top choices, Classic Gale and Almost There, who finished third.

Jack Fisher, fresh from a major triumph in England, will send out Batchwood as the probable favorite in tomorrow's $25,000 feature race at Fair Hill.Fisher became the second owner-trainer-rider combination from the United States to win a sanctioned English race last week, taking Saluter across the finish line first in the Marlborough Cup (three miles over timber), about an hour from London.The other horse was Lonesome Glory in 1992, winner of a hurdle event in England."We were both kind of tired after it took 36 hours to get there because of flight problems," said Fisher.

Several thousand fans of country music may think twice the next time they're invited to hear top-name entertainment at an outdoor festival. Many of those who attended the sold-out Fair Hill Country/Bluegrass Music Festival in rural Cecil County Saturday spent more time on the road than they did at the festival.A sellout crowd of 20,000 coupled with heavy rain the day before made for mud-rich parking conditions and traffic backups of up to 10 or 12 miles along country roads leading to the Fair Hill site.

The race among counties to house what is expected to be one of the premier horse parks in the country is coming to the finish line and Cecil is still in the running. The Maryland Stadium Authority, which is overseeing the site selection and construction for what is being called a Disneyland for horses, is expected to announce its decision in about two weeks. Last week, the state narrowed the contenders to Cecil and Anne Arundel counties. Four other jurisdictions - Harford, Carroll, Frederick and Wicomico counties - either dropped out or were eliminated during the week when the authority announced its short list for the final selection.