Valay

Capp the Power sprinted to the lead at the start and led thereafter for a 3 1/4 -length victory in the 16th running of the $100,000 Geisha Handicap at Pimlico yesterday.Capp the Power completed 1 1/16 miles in 1 minute, 45 3/5 seconds with jockey Michael Luzzi, whose 52nd win at Pimlico this spring gave him one more win than runner-up Edgar Prado.McKilts finished second by two lengths over Miss Protege, as Valay Maid, the even money favorite in the field of seven Maryland-bred fillies and mares, finished sixth.

Yesterday's card was canceled because the track was frozen, but Laurel officials will try to run today's card as scheduled.Today: The $75,000 Native Dancer Handicap at 1 1/8 miles features top older horses Richie The Coach and Western Echo. When they met Dec. 21 in the Hail Emperor at Laurel, Richie The Coach romped by 6 1/2 lengths. With top jockey Edgar Prado in the irons, Western Echo seeks revenge.Tomorrow: The $50,000 Marshua Stakes at six furlongs showcases talented 3-year-old filly Assault John, winner of the $100,000 Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship.

Eastern Daydream raced three wide around both turns, but had sufficient kick to hold off post-time favorite Algar and win the $50,000 Hail Emperor Stakes by a length yesterday at Laurel Park.The 3-year-old chestnut son of Eastern Echo, owned by Harry and Tom Meyerhoff, finished the 1 3/16-mile distance in 1: 56 4/5. Testing took third.Eastern Daydream paid $7.60, $4 and $2.60.Algar paid $3.20 and $2.40, and Testing paid $3.20.Eastern Daydream's jockey Mark Johnston was impressed."It's hard to say where his talent will end," said Johnson.

A wall of horses parted before him and Magic Weisner barreled through to win his third stakes race in a row, this time the $75,000 Deputed Testamony Stakes yesterday at Laurel. Odds-on favorite Touch Love, the only filly in the field of five, tired and finished last. Touch Love, a two-time stakes winner, had been expected to take the lead in the 8 1/2 -furlong race, but two geldings were bent upon denying her the front. Root With Style rushed outside and passed the filly early and Majestic Sir joined the pair down the backstretch.

Vinnie Blengs, the trainer who had waited until the Maryland Million's 10th anniversary to run his first horses in it, shook his head as he saddled Brilliant Patriot for the $200,000 Classic."

The rail is golden. Those were Albert Delgado's words of wisdom at Pimlico Race Course yesterday, after he won four races and jumped three places in the jockey standings. The 29 year-old jockey went from eighth to fifth in the rankings. He won races aboard Harbor Sounds (fifth race), Busy Me (eighth), You Slewz You Lose (ninth) and Set the Pace (10th). "I don't know why the fence is so good right now, but that's the place to be," Delgado said. The jockey is bracing himself for Saturday, when he will ride in three stakes that are collectively worth $400,000 on the Maryland Spring Breeders' Challenge card.

The memories stretch back a long way at Memory Lane Farm. For more than two decades, Elaine and Nick Bassford bred winning thoroughbreds at their farm in Davidsonville. But in two weeks, the Bassfords will end their breeding operation by selling their 22 broodmares and weanlings at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic mixed sale Dec. 3-5 at Timoniun. "Everything is growing up around us," Elaine Bassford said of their Anne Arundel County neighborhood. "We're also getting older. We just have to make a change.

Older horses will be at center stage when nearly 40 major stakes are offered during the Fourth of July weekend at tracks on both East and West coasts.The headliners are a pair of Maryland-breds, Cigar and Concern, who meet for the third time this year in the $1 million Hollywood Gold Cup tomorrow in California.Cigar, who defeated Concern in both the Oaklawn Handicap and Pimlico Special, will be the high weight at 126 pounds and might face his stiffest career challenge. He drew the 1-post in an eight-horse field and isn't expected to get an easy lead, as he did a couple of months ago at Pimlico.

Mario Pino studied the Daily Racing Form, thought he had "a couple of shots" yesterday to win races, then dominated the Pimlico card with five winners from seven mounts."

On a day when the rail was golden, Merengue scored an upset in the $100,000 Twixt Stakes at Laurel Park.In her first stakes appearance, the daughter of Broad Brush used her inside post position to her advantage and led all the way to beat favored Maragold Princess by a half-length.The game plan for Merengue quickly was dispatched after the speed horse, Valay Bullet, failed to seize the early lead."The plan was to let Valay Bullet go, with us laying second," winning jockey Carlos Marquez Jr. said.