Race Day

It was a typical workout for Papa Clem on Pimlico Race Course's main track Tuesday - underwhelming if not slightly disappointing. The Kentucky Derby's fourth-place finisher ran a leisurely five furlongs in 1 minute, 5 seconds, a time his trainer said he wished were faster. But the result didn't come as a surprise for Gary Stute, who said his horse doesn't prepare for races well, yet has a way of turning it on when needed. "All of his workouts before the Derby were bad except the last one," said Stute, whose father, Mel, won the Preakness 23 years ago with Snow Chief.

Do not be fooled by his diminutive size, slobbering devotion to smoked sausage or the dainty sweaters he wears in winter. Papageorgio "Poppy" Bidle-Booth is a serious athlete. Today, with two regional victories under his, uh, collar, the 2-year-old Bay Ridge canine will attempt to blow away the competition today at the Petco Unleashed National Chihuahua Races in San Diego. But for Poppy, it's not about winning. "He doesn't even know he races," said Rob Booth, 33, who owns the dog with his girlfriend, Brande Bidle, 30. Rather what speeds the sand-colored pup along the 35-foot course is the sight of Bidle by the finish line and the tempting aroma wafting from the plate of smoked sausage she carries.

Most days, the little white house is quiet. Robins bob through buttercups on the front lawn, then dart off into the fields surrounding the house. The horse on the mailbox is frozen in a silent gallop. But today will bring a very different scene. Hundreds of cars will crowd around the little house, and the fields will be full of people chatting about track conditions, black-eyed Susans and horses with grand names like Big Brown or Giant Moon. Once the white brick house stood among many others in a quiet neighborhood flanking the Pimlico racetrack.

Grape run -- Howard County Striders are to "Run Through the Grapevine," in the 14th 8K cross-country run at Linganore Winecellars, 13601 Glissans Mill Road, Mount Airy, at 10 a.m. Sunday. The entry fee is $20 through Saturday; $25 on race day. Registration is available online (www.striders.net) until Friday. Packets can be picked up between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday at the Feet First store in Wilde Lake Village Center or from 8:45 to 9:30 a.m. on race day at the winery. Awards will be given to individuals and teams.

Six years after Baltimore and I each participated in our first marathon, I can tell you a few things about race day. The road is filled with squashed rats and angry motorists trapped behind orange cones. There is crazy litter from 172,000 used water cups and not enough port-o-potties. There are no rain delays. But as thousands descend on Baltimore for this year's Under Armour Baltimore Running Festival on Saturday, I can tell you something else about race day. It's a good day. Everyone is welcome in everyone else's neighborhood.

Horses? What horses? From the infield, the running of the Preakness Stakes is merely a side note - an excuse for tens of thousands to flood Pimlico and throw down all day. "I could probably name two horses a year, probably just the favorites," said Paul Sylvester, a 24-year-old engineer who went the past three years. "Most of the time you go, you're not really sure the race is on." More than 115,000 people came to last year's race, which made it the highest-attended sporting event in the state, officials said.

When her boyfriend proposed, Michelle Lose said yes. But when it came time to start planning the wedding, the 35-year-old Verizon engineer from Abingdon had a conflict - the Catholic Charities Dragon Boat races. "Initially, he suggested a fall wedding," said Lose, the captain of the boat sponsored by Verizon. "But I said, `Can I get through the dragon races? After Sept. 9, I can plan. How about a Christmas wedding?'" Participating in the fundraising event in the Inner Harbor involves weeks of planning and months of practice.

Billy K. Boniface stands to the side of the shimmering, black asphalt road that winds between his stables and breeding shed, and waves his hand, taking in the rolling green fields and weathered board fences. Horses graze calmly in the distance. His father, William who is also known as Billy among horsemen, rides a tractor, mowing the pasture behind him. "Imagine, 40 homes on each side of this road," he said. "It could happen." The Boniface family has been in the horse business since the 1920s, when Boniface's great- grandfather established their first farm in Harford County.