Valley Crossing

If Devil His Due wins his second straight Pimlico Specialtoday, he moves into an elite group of thoroughbreds.The $360,000 winner's share will increase the horse's lifetime earnings to $3,182,485 and rank him 20th on the list of all-time leading money earners.Only 22 horses in the history of the sport have earned $3 million or more. The leader is Alysheba, who retired in 1988 with winnings of $6,679,242.Devil His Due currently has $2,822,485 in winnings, making him the third-leading money earner in training.

Customers at Pimlico/Laurel will soon be able to take their ideas or complaints to the top of the tracks' management structure.Karin De Francis, who owns the facilities with her brother, Joe De Francis, and their partner, Marty Jacobs, is hoping to retool the tracks' approach to customer service and is developing a hospitality department to improve communications with horsemen, patrons and special groups.How does she see her mission?"To make as many people as happy as possible," De Francis said.

During the next couple of weeks, most of the trainers who left the Maryland thoroughbred circuit to campaign their stables over the winter at warm-weather tracks will be trickling back into Pimlico and Laurel Race Courses.How did they and their stock fare out of town?In most cases, pretty well.For some horsemen, like Vinnie Blengs, taking the outfit to Florida for the winter is an annual event. According to Daily Racing Form statistics through the beginning of last week, Blengs ran the most horses out of town and won the most races.

Valley Crossing runs against better company, but Root Boy is the horse attracting quite a following among Maryland's race fans in older state-bred competition.Today the 5-year-old is the favorite in the biggest race of his career -- the $200,000 Michigan Mile Handicap at Detroit Race Course.A victory there could put Root Boy in the forefront for Maryland-bred Horse of the Year honors. The title is up for grabs since there has been no state-bred standout so far this year. Valley Crossing ranks fourth in the American Championship Racing Series after two second-place finishes in the Pimlico Special and Nassau County Handicap.

LAUREL -- Pimlico Race Course management has reduced the value of the Pimlico Special from $1 million to $750,000 for the fourth running since its revival, on May 11.Part of the savings will go toward making up a $1.5 million bonus announced Wednesday for an American Racing Championship Series.The series, consisting of 10 major races for older horses at nine tracks, will start Feb. 9 with the Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park and ends with the Woodward Stakes at Belmont Park on Sept. 15. All of the races will be televised by ABC.Bonuses will be awarded to the four horses with the most points, based on a 10-7-5-3-1 system.

The question was fitness and favored Be Nimble showed he was feeling just fine yesterday in Pimlico's $18,000 allowance feature on the turf.The 4-year-old gelding came flying from off the pace to defeat Alpine Choice by a neck at the wire in his first start since Jan. 11.It was the third victory of the day for jockey Mario Pino, who steadily gained ground throughout the 1 1/16-mile affair and got Be Nimble up in a tight three-horse finish.Long shot Sovereign's Escort was third, a head behind Alpine Choice.

Best Pal continued his preparations for the May 9 Pimlico Special by working five-eighths of a mile in 1 minute, 1 1/5 seconds, breezing yesterday morning at Pimlico Race Course."

Speakerphone, with Clarence Ladner aboard, stalked Rainbow Prospect down the back stretch, took the lead on the turn and pulled away through the home stretch to win the Hirsch Jacobs Stakes yesterday at Pimlico Race Course.The three-year-old son of Fappiano out of Hat Brim by In Reality covered the six furlongs in 1 minute, 10 1/5 seconds. Coin Collector, coming on with a rush in the stretch, finished second and Golden Phase was third."He broke good, laid up close and moved up near the lead on the backside, so I let him go to the lead on the turn," said Ladner.

Before Link ran to a workmanlike victory in the Woodlawn Stakes yesterday, emotions ran high at Pimlico Race Course.About an hour earlier, Little Bold John notched his first triumph in 20 months. Just after his longtime fans and handlers urged him on, owner/trainer Jerry Robb walked slowly down a flight of stairs with his wife, Robyn.Fans greeted Little Bold John and jockey Greg Hutton with whoops and applause as they entered the winner's circle. But something was missing, and it made Robyn Robb cry.John E. "Jack" Owens and his wife, Roseanne, were not there.

LAUREL -- Mario Pino is quite reserved, as even-tempered a jockey as you'll find.So when Pino gave a fiery wave of his whip after winning the $54,500 Governor's Cup at Laurel Race Course yesterday, something was up."It gave me a thrill," the veteran rider said. "It gave me a little zing."With an abundance of speed in the 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds, Pino figured the best strategy would be to settle Subtle Step -- at 13-1, the longest shot in a field of six -- then make one run. When the scheme paid off, Pino said, beaming: "I used my head this time.