Horses

Joe Thompson, who owns Winbak Farm in Chesapeake City, can't help but laugh when he talks about the name his wife gave their foal, Roll With Joe, three years ago. "I think she planned for the horse not to do well, so she could tease and laugh at me about it forever," Thompson said. "But he turned out to be quite a horse. " Roll With Joe was recently named the United States Harness Writers Association Dan Patch Award winner as the 3-year-old pacer of the year. He was also runner-up for Horse of the Year after winning more than $1.6 million in 2011.

Approximately 50 horses will be on display for auction at the Carroll County Agriculture Center in Westminster on Sunday, Feb. 26. One is blue, another has stripes and another has balloons. Another has the scene of a fox hunt painted on its side. Yet another comes with two tickets to a Broadway show. These horses don't eat much and can easily fit into your car - they aren't real, but rather a mix of ceramic statues, wooden models and others - all created for the "Horses of Many Colors for a Cause Retreat Round-Up," a fundraiser hosted by the Horse of Course 4-H Club, and benefiting The Retreat at Beckleysville.

It's only a matter of time before Maryland horse trainer Dale Capuano steps into the 3,000 wins club, a rarefied group that includes only 25 others in the history of North American racing. Capuano, 49, who has been training here for 31 years, is only two wins from the milestone heading into Thursday's races at Laurel Park. "I'm really happy to be in this position," said Capuano, who has horses scheduled to run Thursday, Friday and Saturday. "I've been blessed with good clients and help.

The outbreak of an equine herpes virus at Belmont Park has caused Maryland racing officials to ban horses shipping into local tracks from Aqueduct, Belmont, Philadelphia and Garden State parks.In addition, horses that leave Laurel and Pimlico race courses and the Bowie training center and ship to those tracks will not be allowed to return.The ban might last up to 10 days. If it goes longer, entries for Laurel's Feb. 19-20 Sprint Fest, showpiece of the track's winter racing season, could be affected adversely.

Sharon Huskey of Manchester has been certified in equine sports massage therapy. The certification program, offered by Equissage & Associates in Round Hill, Va., prepares Huskey for a career providing muscle therapy for horses in athletic competition. Massage therapy, used to improve human athletes' performance, has been shown to have the same effect on equine performance. Certification training concentrates on massage therapy and its benefits, and includes hands-on experience with high-performance horses.

Five horses will vie for the $300,000 Maryland Million Classic, the featured race of the 12-race Maryland Million Day card Saturday at Laurel Park. In the post-position draw yesterday, the two favorites for the race, Cuba and Five Steps, drew side-by-side starting gates. Cuba, in the No. 2 position with Pedro Cotto aboard and trained by Robert Dibona, is the 6-5 favorite. Five Steps, with J.D. Acosta in the irons and trained by Chris Grove, is 7-5. The defending champion, Evil Storm at 6-1, is the No. 4 and will be ridden by Jeremy Rose.

In order to make a living, Robin Graham once had to give up working with thoroughbreds for a job in an electronics assembly plant.Linda Albert was lucky to get more than $5,000 to claim a horse.Kim Godwin was advised to train under the name -- the male name -- of her partner.But those are old stories about women trainers in Maryland. Times have changed.On Saturday, Graham and Joanne Hughes will saddle starters in the Maryland Million Classic. The two are among a dozen Maryland women trainers who have had stakes winners at state tracks this year.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The Humane Society of the United States, the largest animal protection organization in the country, with approximately 2 million members and an estimated annual budget of $24 million, is launching a drive for federal legislation to improve interstate shipment of horses bound for the slaughterhouse."

Services for Clarence W. Mills, who founded a company that transports horses, will be held at 11 a.m. today at the Fleck Funeral Home in Laurel.Mr. Mills, who was 87 and lived in Laurel, died Sunday at the Greater Laurel Nursing Home after a long illness.He started C. Mills Inc., which trucks horses between racetracks and to other places, in 1932 after working in Baltimore for a similar firm, the Beitler Transportation Co.Mr. Mills served as president of the company during the early 1950s after it was incorporated and retired as a member of the board about 20 years ago.He was a native of Swanton in Garrett County and moved to Baltimore as a youth.

Equestrian enthusiasts gathered in Glyndon on April 26 to enjoy the Maryland Hunt Cup. Charles Fenwick III, riding Askim, a horse trained by Fenwick's mother, won the 112th running of the race. Fenwick's win continued a family tradition: His father, Charles Fenwick Jr., won the race five times. His mother, Ann D. Stewart, has won the race three times as a trainer. About 7,500 fans perched in grassy fields and on fences to catch a view of the race, which is four miles with 22 fences and carries a $75,000 prize.