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Maryland
Mindframe comes close to breaking Triple Crown losing streak for MD-breds
:format(url)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/baltimorebanner/6EVWAFTAIRDVTJ5I6Z7ODSDWAU.jpg?ssl=1 "Mindframe comes close to breaking Triple Crown losing streak for MD-breds")
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Mindframe entered the 156th Belmont Stakes as a colt with scintillating potential, winning his first two races by a combined 21 1/4 lengths.
But neither of them was in stakes company, and here he was making the leap to the last race of the Triple Crown series for trainer Todd Pletcher, running the longest distance of his career.
And, though he didn’t know it, the 3-year-old son of Constitution by Walk of Stars was carrying the flag for Maryland. Entering Saturday, 1983 Belmont winner Caveat was the last horse born in the state to win any of the races that make up the Triple Crown, the most famous series in American thoroughbred racing.
Mindframe fell just short of breaking the 41-year winless streak Saturday, finishing second in a field that included Kentucky Derby winner Mysitk Dan, Derby runner-up Sierra Leone, Preakness winner Seize the Grey and six other runners at historic Saratoga Race Course.
Dornoch, unraced since the Kentucky Derby, finished first by half a length at odds of 17-1.
Bettors seemed to doubt Mindframe due to his short résumé, his odds going up from 7-2 to 5-1.
Mindframe broke from post No. 10 and was bumped by the stumbling 8-5 favorite Sierra Leone, who then bumped the No. 8 Honor Marie. But the Maryland-bred got toward the front of the pack without issue.
On a dirt track that favored early speed throughout the day, Preakness winner Seize the Grey grabbed an early lead heading into the clubhouse turn, trailed by Dornoch and Mindframe.
The trio kept that order into the backstretch, with Seize the Grey and Dornoch separating themselves from the rest of the field entering the far turn.
It was on the turn where Dornoch got a head out in front and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. asked Mindframe to go. In the stretch run, Seize the Grey tired and was soon passed, effectively making this a two-horse race.
Mindframe briefly had a head in front near the 3/16ths pole, but Dornoch regained the lead as he came down the lane along the rail.
Traveling down the center of the course, Mindframe appeared to drift outside late when Ortiz used the crop with his left hand, prompting the jockey to switch to his right hand to urge his mount for another bid. The Maryland-bred surged forward toward his foe but couldn’t get there in time.
Pletcher said Ortiz told him the colt briefly lost focus during the stretch run.
“If he could have run a straight course down the lane, that would have been the difference,” Pletcher said.
Late-running closer Sierra Leone got up for third place but never threatened the lead in this 1 1/4-mile edition of the Belmont. The final time was 2:01.64.
The race was moved to Saratoga while Belmont Park undergoes a $455 million renovation, leading the New York Racing Association to conduct the race at a shorter distance. Had it been run at its traditional 1 1/2 miles, there might have been a different outcome.
Fans and handicappers will have weeks to debate it. But the result will be there in black and white. Dornoch crossed the line first, and the Maryland breeding industry will have to look for its next Triple Crown hopeful in 2025.
Mindframe was bred by R. Larry Johnson of Virginia but foaled in May 2021 at the Eastern Shore farm of veterinarian Dr. Thomas Bowman and his wife, Chris, prolific breeders in their own right. Because Johnson continued to keep breeding stock in Maryland, he was able to register his foal as a Maryland-bred.
Johnson has bred and owned Maryland horses for years, and from 2017 to 2023 he’s been one of the most successful breeders in the state. During that stretch, he has led the state each year in bonus money from the Maryland Fund, a program to boost the industry in the state by offering rewards for locally bred horses that finish first, second or third in certain in-state races.
One of his homebreds, the 4-year-old filly Future Is Now, won the Grade 2 Intercontinental Stakes here Friday.
Seeing the value fetched by other horses sired by Constitution, Johnson consigned the horse to the Keeneland Association September Yearling Sale 2022. Mike Repole (co-founder of beverage brand Glaceau) and Vincent Viola (founder of Virtu Financial) put in the winning bid of $600,000.
Even before Saturday’s race, breeding a Belmont runner was its own reward, an accomplishment people outside the world of racing can grasp.
“I‘ve been fortunate to raise some pretty good horses but nothing that got to this level,” he said in the lead-up to the Belmont.
His work was reflected most in the lineage of Mindframe’s dam, Walk of Stars, who can be traced all the way back to one of the first fillies he purchased, Ran’s Chick. She was injured and never raced, and Johnson said she didn’t really have a pedigree.
Nevertheless, he decided to use her as a broodmare because he didn’t know any better, he said, and it’s paid off with 40 stakes-quality relatives.
Reached by phone, Johnson said he thought Mindframe would win at the top of the stretch. So did all the screaming attendees at his watch party.
“It looked like he was going to go by those horses and get in front,” he said. “And then, when Ortiz hit him left-handed, he ducked out seven or eight paths and lost momentum and still came back and got close.
“I think it’s just misfortune and inexperience,” he continued. “I think he reacted to being hit left-handed and it cost him the race. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say he wins the race if he doesn’t do that.”
Johnson said he believes Mindframe is just getting started. There are still a number of important races coming up in the summer, including the Travers Stakes at Saratoga.
“I would think he’d be very, very tough to beat with the experience he’s now got and what he showed today,” he said. “I mean, to go farther than he’s ever gone, against horses that are much more experienced and accomplished, and to frankly run a great race, I think, shows how talented he really is.”
Brandon Weigel is the Assistant Sports Editor at The Baltimore Banner.
The 21-year-old second baseman and 11th overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft has deep ties to the D.C. region.
(Courtesy Washington Nationals)
Courtesy Washington Nationals
(Courtesy Washington Nationals)
Courtesy Washington Nationals
(Courtesy Washington Nationals)
Courtesy Washington Nationals
(Courtesy Washington Nationals)
Courtesy Washington Nationals
(Courtesy Washington Nationals)
Courtesy Washington Nationals
(Courtesy Washington Nationals)
Courtesy Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals’ first-round draft pick Chris Hacopian inked his first professional contract Wednesday, a moment made sweeter by the fact it was just a 30-minute drive from home to get to Nationals Park and put pen to paper.
The 21-year-old second baseman and 11th overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft has deep ties to the D.C. region. He’s from Potomac, Maryland, and played his high school ball at Winston Churchill, where he was named the 2022 Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year and a 2022 Washington Post All-Met selection.
According to MLB.com, Hacopian grew up a Nationals fan, admiring the likes of Ian Desmond, Danny Espinosa and others. He also played his first two collegiate seasons at the University of Maryland, where his father Derek played before him, before transferring to Texas A&M for his junior season.
With the Aggies, Hacopian hit .319 with 11 home runs and 41 RBI across 42 games en route to being named First-Team All-Southeastern Conference and a Third-Team All-American by Baseball America, the Nationals said in a news release.
After inking his contract Wednesday, Hacopian donned his new jersey and ball cap and stepped onto D.C.’s beloved diamond as a part of the Nationals organization for the first time.
“That was so cool, oh my gosh. I’ve been in the stands like, 100 times, but being on the field is so different,” he said.
Hacopian was ranked 14th among MLB Draft prospects by MLB.com. The 6-foot-1-inch, 210-pound second baseman boasted one of the best bats in college baseball, according to MLB.com, with excellent control over the strike zone and feel for the barrel, along with solid pop.
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The state said the five recently traveled together to “a location in the U.S. experiencing an active measles outbreak.”
Maryland health officials confirmed five more measles cases, all in Carroll County.
“These individuals recently traveled together to a location in the U.S. experiencing an active measles outbreak,” the state Department of Health said in a release.
The agency said others may have been exposed on the afternoon of July 13 in the emergency department waiting room at Carroll Hospital Center in Westminster.
Another measles case recently prompted warnings from health officials in Maryland, Virginia and the District. On June 17, a Maryland resident traveled through Dulles International Airport and visited a D.C. urgent care clinic.
Measles is highly contagious. It can spread through the air through coughs, breathing, and sneezes. Early symptoms can include fevers of over 101 degrees, coughs, runny noses, watery eyes and face or body rashes.
It can take up to 21 days after exposure for the first symptoms to appear, and those who are not fully vaccinated or otherwise immune to measles are especially vulnerable.
The five new measles cases in Maryland bring the state’s year-to-date total to nine. The state health department confirmed three cases in 2025, and one in each of the previous two years.
“All Marylanders should review potential exposure times, watch for symptoms, and confirm they are up to date on their measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations,” the health department said.
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Baltimore may be under an extreme heat alert, but residents can dream about autumn, as tickets are now on sale for the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show returning to the Maryland State Fairgrounds in October.
This three-day celebration of home and garden takes place from Friday, Oct. 16 through Sunday, Oct. 18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Expect hundreds of exhibitors, local makers, home improvement experts, family-friendly experiences and celebrity guests. The show offers everyone the chance to explore the very latest in home improvement, landscaping, outdoor living and decor, the chance to take part in hands-on experiences, and do some holiday shopping all under one roof.
This year’s show will have more than 300 exhibitors, including more than 100 crafters from around Maryland in the Makers Market. There will be unique exhibits, stage presentations and a special appearance by Chase Morrill, Ashley Morrill-Eldridge and Ryan Eldridge from Magnolia Network’s hit series “Maine Cabin Masters.” The three will have two Main Stage appearances, one on Friday, Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. and the second on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 12 p.m.
“As temperatures start to drop and the holiday season comes into view, the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show is a place to gather ideas, meet local experts and get inspired before the busy season begins,” said Dave Paul, show manager, in a statement. “Whether attendees are planning a home project, looking for outdoor living ideas or getting a head start on holiday shopping, the show brings together resources and experiences for every kind of homeowner, maker and DIY enthusiast.”
In addition to the Makers Market and stars of “Maine Cabin Masters”, the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show will have a petting zoo, a Kids Market where attendees can shop from local children, and much more.
Tickets are available online and at the door. Prices are as follows:
Online:
- Adults: $8
- Senior Citizens (60+): $6
- Children (ages 6-12): $4
- 4-Pack Online: $30 for four tickets, valid for one admission each and one day only
At the door:
- Adults: $10
- Senior Citizens (60+): $8
- Children (ages 6-12): $4
- Friday & Saturday: $4 after 4 p.m. at the door only
Special Offers:
- Active and retired military personnel, veterans, firefighters and police officers receive free admission all weekend, along with one guest, with valid ID at the box office.
- Attendees who show a CharmPass app, Light RailLink ticket or eligible transit pass at the box office receive free admission any day of the show. One admission is available per pass.
The Maryland State Fairgrounds is located at 2200 York Road in Lutherville-Timonium.
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