Valay

Mark Johnston fractured his collarbone yesterday after tumbling off a maiden 2-year-old filly and might be forced to miss the mount on Warning Glance in a $2 million Breeders' Cup race.The accident has sent local agents scrambling to line up their jockeys on Johnston's mounts.For the past year and a half, Johnston, 24, has led the Maryland standings and rides as many as eight or nine horses a day as well as many of the state's leading runners. He could be out as long as five or six weeks.

The status of Preakness entrant Valhol was clouded yesterday after the Arkansas Racing Commission disqualified him from the $300,000 purse money he would have earned for winning the Arkansas Derby.Because of the 14-horse limitation for the race, Valhol would need three or more probable Preakness candidates to withdraw from the race by Wednesday morning to qualify for the field. Scratch time is 9 a.m. daily. His career earnings without the Arkansas money would stand at $44,000, less than those of 16 others pointing for the Preakness.

LAUREL -- While Gala Prospector tries following in her brother's footsteps, another horse with Maryland connections will attempt to gain even greater prominence today.Gala Prospector, 2-for-2 lifetime and a half-sister to Gala Spinaway, could be the betting favorite when today's Cameo Stakes is run at Laurel Race Course. Some 1,000 miles south and an hour later, Dash For Dotty and 11 other 3-year-olds begin the road to the Triple Crown in the $300,000 Flamingo Stakes at Hialeah.Gala Spinaway, the top Maryland-bred 3-year-old last year, is one year older than his sister.

The long commute to Laurel Park and the Bowie Training Center by Baltimore-area horsemen and their employees is just about over.Laurel/Pimlico's director of racing, Lenny Hale, said yesterday that the stable area and track at Pimlico Race Course will reopen on March 15, barring bad weather that could delay renovation work on the racing strip.Hale said that track superintendent John Passero and his crew have started working on the strip, which has been unused since the Pimlico backstretch closed in early December.

A mixed bag of winning favorites, upsets by long shots, Cinderella stories and a disqualification of a Bob Meyerhoff-owned horse marked the second running of Maryland's Spring Breeders' Challenge undercard.Offspring of Cecil County stallion Two Punch, who dominated the first running a year ago with three wins in the five stakes, once again starred on the program."[The late] Bernie Bond used to say: 'Never buy a horse with four white feet,' " said trainer Graham Motion.But that's exactly what he did two years ago for owners Gertrude and Skip Leviton.

Brass Scale, a 3-year-old competing against older horses, made his stakes debut an impressive one yesterday at Pimlico.The gelding challenged the track record for 1 1/8 miles while coming from just off the pace under Edgar Prado for a 2 1/4 -length victory over Jest Punching in the $53,400 Broad Brush Stakes.In the process, Brass Scale defeated the defending champion of the stakes, Frottage, who passed the tiring pacesetter, Ameri Valay, for third in a five-horse field.Brass Scale stalked the leaders until reaching the top of the lane, then roared past them to finish in 1:47 3/5, only two-fifths of a second off Private Terms' track record.

Maryland newcomer Ricky Frazier continued his impressive riding yesterday, winning aboard odds-on favorite The Unforgiven in the $50,000 Alma North Handicap at Timonium.Frazier, a fixture at Delaware Park the past few years, is poised to take over for Edgar Prado as the No. 1 rider for trainers Dale Capuano and Hamilton Smith. Capuano, trainer of seven-time winner The Unforgiven, was impressed with yesterday's score, even though it came in a four-horse race with limited competition.Frazier showed poise while waiting patiently behind pace-setting Silent Valay.

Jockey Brent Bartram didn't ask any questions when he was asked to ride Delta Music at Laurel Park yesterday.The Delaware Park regular has learned to do as told when New York trainer Neil Howard has instructions. The result was an easy commute down I-95 and an easier ride to victory in the $125,000 Straight Deal Breeders' Cup Handicap."When Neil calls, you just go," said Bartram, 36. "You know he's going to have the horses ready to go."Delta Music, with seven wins from 14 career starts, had been battling tougher competition before yesterday's debut in Maryland.

A Preakness without Bob Baffert?That seems almost unthinkable after Baffert trainees Silver Charm and Real Quiet captured the last two runnings of the Triple Crown's middle jewel. But it's a real possibility in the aftermath of the disappointing, 4-5-11 finishes of his three Kentucky Derby entries.General Challenge (11th) was shipped home to California. Excellent Meeting (fifth) will stay in Kentucky. Prime Timber is at Churchill Downs, but still on the fence. And the outstanding filly, Silverbulletday, will come here with a rider, but isn't certain to run.Baffert will wait until workouts Monday in Kentucky before deciding the agenda of Prime Timber, who raced wide with a host of others in the Derby before rallying for fourth money.

Commingling pools between racetracks in different states is the wave of the future.But, so far, Maryland's thoroughbred tracks have been thwarted in their attempt to export their races, other than major stakes such as the Preakness, outside the state.The latest try, with Lincoln Greyhound Park -- formerly Lincoln Downs thoroughbred track -- in Lincoln, R.I., was aborted last week after the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association gave thumbs down to the proposal.Last year, Delaware Park wanted to initiate commingled pools on Maryland races, but couldn't get the necessary legislation passed through the Delaware General Assembly.