Gallop

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Sharp Cat, the 4-year-old filly who would have been the biggest favorite in the Breeders' Cup, rested in her stall at Churchill Downs yesterday after nearly losing her life the day before.Undefeated in races this year -- and never headed at any point -- Sharp Cat would have been the favorite Saturday in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff. But the day before yesterday, as she was leaving the Churchill Downs' track after a morning gallop, she cramped up severely, went into shock and nearly died.

Linda Crandell thinks nothing of hopping on her horse and going for a little ride -- of about 100 miles or so. The 59-year-old Anne Arundel County resident is on the short list of the nation's top endurance riders. This international sport features 100-mile races on horseback, usually completed in about 12 hours. The terrain varies from flat, sandy courses in Florida to mountain rides through Virginia to switchbacks in the Rockies. Competitors have up to 24 hours to finish a race, and veterinarians are stationed along the trail to monitor the horses.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- He is just a plain bay gelding.Hardly the stuff Kentucky Derby legends are made of.But, in this observer's opinion, Best Pal is going to be the first gelding since Clyde Van Dusen in 1929 to win the Kentucky Derby."

Last weekend at Misty Manor Farm in Clarksville more than two dozen riders competed in the wildest outfits I've ever seen on horse people.The occasion was the underwear race at Judi Reinke's 23rd annual Play Day."People come from all over the country to compete in this race," Reinke said. "I think it is the only one in the country."Riders sported bras, boxer shorts and briefs on their heads. Each rider had to gallop (or trot, in the case of the junior riders) to the far end of the arena, find the proper partner, dismount, take off the underwear and put it on the partner.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The American sporting public is demanding, fickle and unforgiving. Consider Behrens, a thoroughbred for the ages who might be forgotten in a minute. He's a horse who's done what the public expects of its stars: Succeeded at the highest levels, won more money than any of his fellow competitors and remained in the game longer than nearly all of his contemporaries. Yet Behrens gets no respect. Despite finishing first or second in 16 of 24 races, mostly top-graded stakes, he will likely be no better than the bettors' third choice in the $750,000 Whitney Handicap tomorrow at Saratoga.

"Watch this!" says Ira Zimmerman as he stoops on his kitchen floor and makes a hoop with his arms.His orange tabby Ben sits at attention until prompted and then leaps cleanly through his master's arms."We teach everything to jump around here," says Mr. Zimmerman as the cat returns to the kitchen counter of the Glenelg home and resumes eating out of a silver trophy cup.Mr. Zimmerman, now 42, won the cup when he was 12 by teaching a horse to perform similar feats, and he has been collecting trophies ever since.

Horse racing fans talk about their sport not having a Triple Crown winner in nearly 35 years much the way baseball fans lament the fact that their favorite game has gone more than twice as long without a .400 hitter. Undoubtedly, in the days leading up to the 138th Preakness at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday, there will plenty of discussion about Orb's chances to repeat what he did at the Kentucky Derby and, if victorious in Baltimore, what he might do next month in New York at the Belmont Stakes.

Kentucky Derby winner Orb continues training toward Preakness from the track at Belmont Park. He galloped a mile and a quarter Friday morning for trainer Shug McGaughey, who was happy with what he saw. Orb should arrive in Baltimore by Monday afternoon. The Malibu Moon colt can become the 13thhorse to win both the Derby and Preakness since Affirmed completed the Triple Crown in 1978. Co-owned by Baltimore County resident Stuart Janney III, Orb won the Derby by two-and-a-half lengths, and appears likely to be a heavy favorite in the 138th Preakness.

Left, Mark Weesner of Ridgely strives to spear a ring during a jousting tournament at St. Margaret's Episcopal Church near Annapolis. The event last weekend provided enthusiasts of the state sport an opportunity to gather with likeminded competitors from Maryland and beyond. In the modern version of the sport, jousters ride down an 80-yard track with three arches, each with a ring suspended from it. The object is to spear the rings with a lance in nine seconds.

Does anybody out there know how many dollar amounts are printedin one day's paper? Do the editors? Does anybody know what they mean? Can our elected leaders, or the unelected who advise them, or editorial boards comprehend them well enough to know what actions ought to be taken, if any?7-- Cardin bill's proposed tax per pound of mined lead.* * *Kind of puts it all in perspective, doesn't it?Harry London is a free lance with time on his hands.