Racing Fans

THE POLITICAL wrangling over slots is far from over, but yesterday's successful vote in the House of Delegates moves them closer than ever before to becoming a reality. Despite the initial cool reaction from the horse racing industry, the vote could be good news. Maryland racing desperately needs the money for purses and racetrack improvements. But the potential arrival of slots also represents a challenge. One of the main reasons it has taken this long for legislators to agree on slots is they plainly distrust the state's racing industry, which, in their eyes, spends more time bickering than helping itself - not an incorrect assessment, by the way. The influx of hundreds of millions would obviously provide a huge boost, but the industry needs to recognize that money alone won't solve all of its problems.

By the end of the year, Bear Fan could be the most talked-about horse in the world. She could be known as the fastest horse, the mare who's beaten males in the two biggest sprint races on the planet. She begins that quest today at Laurel Park. The 6-year-old mare is the heavy favorite in the $200,000 Barbara Fritchie Handicap, a seven-furlong stakes for females. The Barbara Fritchie counterpart for males, the $200,000 General George Handicap, will be Monday. The Grade II stakes make up Winter SprintFest, the most important weekend of winter racing in the state.

Maybe Smarty Jones will capture the second leg of the Triple Crown today, and maybe he won't. But one sure bet at the Preakness Stakes is the free flow of alcohol. "I'm expecting some extra business," said Saeyong Oh, owner of Knight's Liquor on Park Heights Avenue one block from Pimlico Race Course. "I'm hoping for maybe 10 or 15 percent more business. I'll stock extra beer in the coolers." Oh is hoping horse racing fans, in turn, stock their coolers with a stop in his store. For businesses and residents near Pimlico, the third Saturday in May is certain to bring tens of thousands of visitors to the neighborhood.

The wrecking ball began swinging its way two weeks ago through the old wooden, steel and glass grandstand at Bowie Race Course, where for 71 drama-filled years horseplayers cheered winners and mourned losers. Perfect Park, ironically, won the last race before 12,012 racing fans at the Prince George's County race track, which closed on July 13, 1985. While departing fans were serenaded over the public address system by a recording of Guy Lombardo's "Thanks for The Memories," the infield board flashed its final message: "Bowie: 1914-1985.

Before hardly anyone outside New York had heard of Funny Cide, everyone in racing late last year knew about these power-packed 2-year-olds: Sky Mesa, Soto, Toccet and Vindication. They were supposed to propel racing into a sensational Triple Crown series this spring that would feature possibly the best young horses in years. It's an old story - repeated every year, it seems - of what happened. The big four got hurt. They not only didn't provide the fireworks in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont, but they also didn't even take one step - not one of them - in any of the three races.

Preakness officials had Pimlico's dirt track steamrolled twice, workers in Columbia spread mulch at the site of the two-day Wine in the Woods festival and Hood College employees set up tents for commencement, scheduled for today in Frederick, as area event organizers worked feverishly yesterday to counteract the effects of two inches of rainfall. Organizers hope that their efforts pay off today. Forecasters say a light drizzle should stop by early afternoon with temperatures in the 60s, giving weekend revelers plenty of time to enjoy horseracing, wine and graduation.

There aren't many sure things in horse racing, but state officials say that Saturday's Preakness Stakes - and the surrounding hoopla - are a safe bet to pump $60 million into Baltimore's economy. The city's major hotels say they have to turn away thousands of potential guests, and spending on food, drinks and transportation is solid. In some cases, the annual windfall represents a company's biggest day of the year. Even with Pimlico Race Course's aging facilities, the event is a dependable economic boost because the winner of the Kentucky Derby nearly always runs in the Preakness, giving racing fans hope of seeing the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978.

On most days, Pimlico Good Neighbors is a quiet community of brick rowhouses and free-standing bungalows nestled along tree-lined streets. But on Preakness Day this tiny neighborhood - tucked behind the northwest corner of historic Pimlico Race Course - is transformed into a bustling hub of commercial activity. Lawns become parking lots, back yards double as concession stands, and kids work as porters hauling coolers and other spectator paraphernalia for race fans. On Saturday, more than 100,000 people are expected to watch the Preakness, the second jewel of horse racing's Triple Crown.

Nicholas J. DeLuca, former owner of a popular Remington tavern and an avid thoroughbred racing fan, died Wednesday at Sinai Hospital of injuries suffered in a traffic accident. He was 83. Mr. DeLuca, who had lived in Mount Washington for more than 50 years, was returning home from Pimlico Race Course on Wednesday when he was involved in an automobile accident on Northern Parkway. He was born and raised on Huntingdon Avenue in the city's Remington section. He was a graduate of Polytechnic Institute.

W. Md. track will help revive racing The five Maryland Racing Commissioners who voted unanimously to approve the Rickman family's Phase II application to construct a new racing facility in Allegany County strongly feel that this new track will be an excellent addition to Maryland racing. And The Sun's editorial "A stalking horse, not a real racehorse" (Nov. 29) contained numerous statements we feel compelled to respond to. It indicated that Gov. Parris N. Glendening and House Speaker Casper R. Taylor Jr. are creating "a stalking horse for slot machines."