The Maryland General Assembly authorized the state Racing Commission to determine whether a race track license should be issued in Allegany County.
Two parties were interested: William Rickman Jr., president and co-owner of Delaware Park, who for a decade tried to gain a foothold in Maryland, his home state; and Joe De Francis, president and co-owner of Pimlico and Laurel racecourses.

"It's not like we're bringing something to Western Maryland that's never been here," says Del. Casper Taylor Jr. (D-Allegany), the House Speaker. "We know [horse racing] was here and was very successful."

By year's end, De Francis changed course to pursue two off-track-betting parlors. Rickman's Maryland involvement was as owner of the Ocean Downs harness track.

Richter Scale romped to a track record-setting victory in the 11th Grade 1 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash, getting 6 furlongs in 1:07.95, the fastest time in Laurel Park's 89 years of existence. Mary Jo Lohmeier trained for Richard and Nancy Easter and Nathan Fox.

Richter Scale's record still stands today.

Pleasant Colony, Virginia-bred winner of the 1981 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and a longtime leading sire, was pensioned in his home state following a brief stay at the Kentucky Horse Park. The 22-year-old son of His Majesty had been retired from stud duty at Lane's End Farm in Kentucky in April. In May, he moved to Blue Ridge Farm near Upperville, Va.
n Dr. Richard and Gale Reveley had the distinction of campaigning possibly the tallest Thoroughbred in training -- 18.2-hand homebred S W Clarence. A winner of 14 of 25 starts and $319,763, the Pennsylvania-bred had most recently recorded his sixth stakes win in Penn National's Lyphard Handicap.
"When we go to the paddock and see people looking at him, you can hear them say, 'Mother of God, look at this thing!' He just towers over other horses," said Dr. Reveley. "It's a good thing he's nice, because there's no way you could control him if he didn't want you to."