Sagamore Farm

Under confident handling, Marc Ferrell's Called to Serve waited behind the leaders, tipped to the outside and pounced, winning the $125,000 Broad Brush Stakes, the co-feature on New Year's Eve at Laurel Park. Joel Rosario was at the controls as the Nick Canani trainee covered the nine furlongs in 1 minute 50.75 seconds. Eighttofasttocatch, who has six stakes victories at Laurel Park, set the pace and was racing comfortably on the lead but could offer no resistance when Called to Serve ranged up to his outside.

Sagamore Farm is back in a Triple Crown race. Monzon, bred at the Baltimore County farm, will run in the Belmont Stakes on June 11. Tom Mullikin, general manager at Sagamore Farm, said Tuesday that it has been the plan for about the last 2 1/2 months to run the gelding in the Belmont. Monzon (pronounced Mon-Zone) won the Count Fleet Stakes at Aqueduct on Jan. 1, but struggled when shipped to Florida. Monzon last raced in the Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont on May 14, finishing sixth. "When we won the stakes race, we starting dreaming big," Mullikin said.

Cecil F. Coffman, a former jockey who owned and trained several thoroughbred horses, died of lung disease July 28 at Longview Nursing Home in Manchester. The longtime Hampstead resident was 87. Mr. Coffman was born and raised in Cumberland, and at 14 left home to work as a jockey in West Virginia. After riding professionally for eight years, he became an exercise rider and trainer at Alfred G. Vanderbilt's Sagamore Farm in Glyndon, where among other horses he exercised was Native Dancer, winner of the Preakness, Belmont and Travers stakes.

Iditarod L. Mackey wins race in just over 9 days Lance Mackey won the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, becoming the first musher to win major long-distance North American sled dog races back-to-back. Mackey crossed under the famed burled arch in downtown Nome, Alaska, early yesterday evening, completing the 1,100-mile Iditarod in just over nine days. He celebrated as he came down Nome's Front Street, alternately waving a fist in the air, then high-fiving fans who lined the street. His family mobbed him at the finish line.

Local trainer Mary Eppler confirmed yesterday that her promising 2-year-old colt Traitor will not run Oct. 26 in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Woodbine.She said the hard-running son of Cryptoclearance would spend the winter in Florida and launch his 3-year-old career there. The Florida Derby in March would be a target, she said. After that, if all goes well, the Triple Crown races are the goal."We'll put him away for the winter and hope he comes back bigger and stronger next year," she said from her barn at Pimlico.

Traitor, a top contender for the Kentucky Derby, has resumed training after a freak accident Feb. 1 at Hialeah Park in Florida. But the week and a half of lost conditioning could jeopardize his chances of racing in the spring classics.Traitor is trained by Mary Eppler, based at Pimlico but spending the winter at Hialeah. He is owned by Alfred G. Vanderbilt, former owner of Sagamore Farm in Baltimore County.The accident occurred as Traitor walked off the Hialeah track after galloping. A horse behind him became unruly, upsetting Traitor and causing him to lunge into a railing.

Kentucky Derby winner and Preakness runner-up Animal Kingdom put in a final workout this morning before Saturday's Belmont Stakes. Trainer Graham Motion told reporters that  “it couldn't have gone any smoother.” With jockey John Velazquez aboard, Animal Kingdom worked four furlongs in 47.76 seconds over the main dirt track at Belmont Park, according to the Associated Press. The 3-year-old colt, who is based in Fair Hill, Md., traveled to New York over the weekend. Motion says he wanted a four-furlong workout because he figured Animal Kingdom would gallop out strongly for another furlong, which he did, according to the AP. Velazquez concurred, saying everything went well, and “he knew he had a jockey on top of him because he just played with me. He had me at hello.” Animal Kingdom and Preakness winner Shackleford are the top two horses in a likely field of 12 starters for Saturday's Triple Crown race.

Due to potentially record-breaking heat, Belmont Park has canceled live racing for today. The heat wave is expected to break on Friday in time for the running of Saturday's Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the Triple Crown. On Wednesday, Kentucky Derby winner and Preakness runner-up Animal Kingdom, who is based in Fair Hill under trainer Graham Motion, was made the morning-line favorite at 2-1 . Nehro, runner-up in the Derby, was made a surprising 4-1 second choice. Preakness winner Shackleford was the 9-2 third choice.

It's been a good start to Preakness weekend for Maryland horse racing. In the first race of the day today, Sagamore Farm's All Mettle won the $30,000 maiden special weight race in just her second career start. She finished third in her first career race at Keeneland Opening Day on April 8. Luciano was second and Aquitania finished third. Jose Lezcano had the mount on All Mettle, who paid $3 to win. In the first stakes race of the day, the $75,000 Jim McKay Turf Sprint, Ben's Cat, bred, owned and trained by legendary Maryland trainer King Leatherbury, covered the five furlongs in :59.71, rallying to win by two lengths.

It is amazing how the Under Armour line of apparel has caught on with the school kids. I had a chance to attend grandfather's day recently and stood in the back of the room watching the kids sitting on the floor and singing. Initially, I thought all of the kids were in uniform, but when I looked more closely I was surprised to see that all the shirts bore the Under Armour logo. Also, at a recent soccer game many of the players' fathers also wore shirts with the Under Amour logo.