Jet Stream

The glamour of the glorious times was gone.Little Bold John has competed at much more prestigious tracks, for much more money and against much more competition than faced him in the $16,000 allowance feature yesterday at Timonium Race Course.But to trainer Jerry Robb, Little Bold John's victory romp was another steppingstone toward a milestone."I'd like to reach that $2 million mark with him before we stop," said Robb after the all-time No. 3 money earner among Maryland-breds scored by 13 lengths over Jet Stream in a three-horse race.

It drizzled on Earth Day. It poured on the Preakness Parade. Memorial Day was memorable mostly for the cold and rain. And yesterday's high temperature was the coolest May 26 on record in Baltimore.But if you think May has been a lot chillier and wetter than normal, think again."Everybody probably thinks it's been 4 to 5 degrees below normal this month, but it really hasn't," said Ken Shaver, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service at Baltimore-Washington International Airport.Instead, he predicted that May temperatures would wind up only 1 degree below average.

It drizzled on Earth Day. It poured on the Preakness Parade. Memorial Day was memorable mostly for the cold and rain. And yesterday's high temperature was the coolest May 26 on record in Baltimore.But if you think May has been a lot chillier and wetter than normal, think again."Everybody probably thinks it's been 4 to 5 degrees below normal this month, but it really hasn't," said Ken Shaver, TC meteorologist with the National Weather Service at Baltimore-Washington International Airport.Instead, he predicted that May temperatures would wind up only 1 degree below average.

Enough already.For nearly two months now, Marylanders have been stuck in a loop of chilly, dank weather that has robbed them of the sweet, balmy springtime they've come to expect."

Enough already.For nearly two months now, Marylanders have been stuck in a loop of chilly, dank weather that has robbed them of the sweet, balmy springtime they've come to expect."

WASHINGTON -- For the third time in 10 years, a huge expanse of unusually warm water has developed in the equatorial Pacific, setting in motion a so-called El Nino system that could disrupt weather patterns worldwide, National Weather Service scientists said yesterday.Evidence of another of the periodic upsets had been accumulating for several months. After analyzing satellite data and other information collected in December, the Weather Service's Climate Analysis Center concluded yesterday that the system has formed and probably will reach its peak in the next six months.

Attention, warm weather whiners and wimps: This summer was every bit as bad as you thought.June, July and August were, on average, the hottest ever recorded at the Custom House in Baltimore and tied the record set in 1988 at Baltimore-Washington International Airport, the National Weather Service said yesterday.The average temperature at the Custom House for June, July and August was 81.5 degrees -- one-tenth of a degree warmer than the sweltering summer of 1988. The temperature averaged 77.3 degrees at the airport, matching the record set in 1988.

LAUREL -- Few could have predicted just how yesterday' $60,000 Native Dancer Handicap developed. Long shot Hooliganisim was off to a big lead, while the likeliest front-runner, Flaming Emperor, was 10th and last.But at the finish, many horseplayers at Laurel Race Course and Pimlico inter-track had the correct solution: Jet Stream, the favorite, had surged to victory, holding off an all-out bid by Reputed Testamony, the second choice.Flaming Emperor stumbled badly at the start of the 1 1/8 -mile race, altering its complexion.

LAUREL -- In racing, as in most things, it's business before friends. So when Jet Stream runs today, Mario Pino will find himself driving home instead of riding what he calls "the best horse in Maryland."Owner-trainer Jack Mobberley said unusual circumstances led to Edgar Prado getting the mount for today's $60,000 Native Dancer Handicap at Laurel Race Course, but that won't preclude Pino from feeling "a little odd" about the situation."It does hurt inside," said Pino. "We've done good with Jet Stream and a lot of horses.

LAUREL -- Silano has been away from the races for nine weeks, but Phil and Dale Capuano hope their stable star is streamlined enough not to get Stream-lined today.Silano faces Jet Stream and Runaway Stream in the $75,000 Harrison E. Johnson Memorial Handicap at Laurel Race Course. Those three are the likely favorites in the 1 1/8 -mile race for older horses.Phil Capuano owns Silano, a winner of $673,577. His son, Dale, trains the 7-year-old gelding, who won a Nov. 17 allowance race at Laurel in his last start.