Gala

Gala Goldilocks led all the way to win the $26,000 feature at Pimlico Race Course yesterday.The filly-mare event was scheduled to be run on the turf course, but soggy conditions forced a move to the main track. Gala Goldilocks, a 3-year-old filly, was the obvious beneficiary, as she led throughout as a solid favorite.Gaylord's Annie closed late to finish second, beaten by two lengths, but at no point was Gala Goldilocks' lead in serious jeopardy.After finishing the 1 1/16-mile distance in 1 minute, 45 seconds, Gala Goldilocks paid $4.20 to win and led off an exacta worth $8.60.

This year's Baltimore Symphony Orchestra gala will add to the coffers of two charities: the orchestra's and that of Francis X. Gallagher Services.Gallagher Services, a division of Catholic Charities that trains and employs the disabled, was commissioned by the gala committee to make 720 hats for the 11th anniversary gala, the theme of which is "Hats off to the BSO." Gallagher Services will be paid $2,200 for the job.Gallagher workers such as Stewart Sheffey have been spending their days applying handfuls of glitter to white cloches or gluing black ribbons around green-brimmed hats.

LAUREL -- Nicki gets another chance at heavily favored Gala Goldilocks today at Laurel Race Course in a battle of Maryland's best state-bred 2-year-old fillies.The occasion today is the $150,000 Maryland Juvenile filly Championship at 1 1/16 miles. The winner, unless the victory comes by a fluke, likely will be voted the champion younger filly among Maryland-breds.Another good prize is the $80,000 winning purse. Among those in the Championship field, only Gala Goldilocks' bankroll of $102,638 is higher than the winning purse today.

LAUREL -- It was the race, as someone said, "that everybody went in, one of the fullest stakes fields this year."But when the 12-horse field in the Harrison E. Johnson Memorial Handicap reached the stretch yesterday, it was strictly a two-horse fight to the finish.Pace-setter Flaming Emperor surprised almost everyone, even his trainer, Kenny Cox, and almost stole the $45,000 winning purse from favored Gala Spinaway.But when jockey Gregg McCarron switched sticks near the three-sixteenths pole, Gala Spinaway dug in and caught the front-runner about 70 yards from the wire.

If you enjoy an Imax movie, a starry planetarium, the political antics of Capitol Steps, a live auction or just good food and drink, you'd have loved the Maryland Science Center's Solstice Gala . Barbara Bozzuto, whose husband, Tom, chairs the center's board of trustees, chaired this year's successful fund-raiser for the center.The gala began with cocktails at the center, where guests checked out the planetarium and Imax Theater before boarding buses to the Hyatt Regency for dinner. WJZ's Richard Sher did the intros of VIPs responsible for raising for $203,000 before the live auction.

Imagine: across the country, a hundred gala celebrations, food from hundreds of top-rated chefs, dozens of great wines, music, dancing -- and it's all for a good cause.Share Our Strength's annual "Taste of the Nation" takes place April 24 to May 1 in more than 100 cities, including Baltimore, and it benefits hundreds of charities that help feed the hungry in this country.Baltimore's celebration will be held from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. April 25 at the Convention Center. There'll be food from nearly 40 area restaurants and wines from two dozen of the nation's wineries.

LAUREL -- Gala Spinaway returned to stakes-winning form yesterday on a surface he doesn't particularly relish.The 4-year-old colt, a champion in state-bred company last year had not won a stakes since February. And he had only won one previous grass start in five attempts.But under a textbook ride by Gregg McCarron yesterday in th Find Handicap at Laurel Race Course, the Bernie Bond-trained colt took the lead from pace-setters Creative Act and Fahrvegnuggen in mid-stretch. He then strode out well at the finish on a yielding turf course and held off a rallying Be Nimble for a 1 1/2 -length victory.

Beaytiful, elegant and in good taste are just a few of the compliments being used to describe this year's BSO Gala at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall last Saturday night. And it was none other than this year's low-key chairs of the gala, Wendy and Ben Griswold, who set the tone for an evening that raised a record $375,000 for the orchestra.Among the thousand guests at the party were Georgia and Peter Angelos, Baltimore Orioles' owner and this year's gala sponsor; Gov. and Mrs. Parris Glendening; Mayor and Mrs. Kurt L. Schmoke; Carol and George McGowan, past BSO gala chairs; Mr. and Mrs. Frank Pisch, he's the new BSO development director, who just arrived from North Carolina; Pam and Arnold Lehman, he's director of the Baltimore Museum of Art; Linda and Stanley Panitz, she's done a great job with the BSO's new education initiative; Julie Mercer, president of the BSO's Top Brass and a VP at Doner; Pat and John Gidwitz, he's the BSO executive director; and Rosetta Stith, director of the Pacquin School, who goes every year and takes several of her girls with her.There were lots of comments about maestro David Zinman, who looked quite trim and most dapper after his eight-month hiatus.

There is still time to reserve your tickets for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's 11th anniversary gala on Sept. 11 at the Meyerhoff. It should be an elegant evening, thanks to the work of a dynamic wife and husband team, Carol and George McGowan. They are co-chairs of the "Hats Off to the BSO" gala, which is a salute to the orchestra's rise in national stature and to our fine maestro David Zinman.The evening begins with a short concert, followed by cocktails in the lobby, and a dinner dance.

THE ART OF PARTYING: Not your "run of the mill" black tie was how local artist-photographer (and bachelor-about-town) Tom Gregory described the creatively costumed crowd at Maryland Art Place's seventh annual gala "Art Party" last weekend."