Leading to the Breeders' Cup, Andy Plattner highlighted the 14 Mid-Atlantic-breds to run on the championship day more than once. Thomas Mellon Evans's Buckland Farm homebred Pleasant Tap held the record by starting in four of the eight Grade 1 events offered annually. He contested the 1989 Juvenile, 1990 Turf, 1991 Sprint and 1992 Classic. While he never won, he finished second in 1991 and 1992, and won an Eclipse Award as champion older horse of 1992.

Ben Perkins Jr. took his first training title when he won 29 races from 97 starts at Monmouth Park. Top runners included Raymond Dweck's graded stakes-winning 2-year-old filly Stormy Pick and stakes winner Max's Pal.
n Travis Dunkelberger rode seven winners on Timonium's 10-race card Aug. 30. The 23-year-old had done the same at Charles Town in March. He led the 2000 Timonium standings, with 26 wins from 54 mounts.

Of the 27 Mid-Atlantic-breds who won stakes from mid-August through early September, 17 were first-time stakes winners. Among them was Robert Meyerhoff's homebred Include, a son of Broad Brush who captured Delaware Park's Vincent Moscarelli Memorial for 3-year-olds. Trained by Buddy Delp, he had four wins in seven starts. The oldest, 8-year-old Band Performance, broke through in Colonial Downs' Punch Line Stakes for Virginia-breds in his 74th start.

Include became a Grade 1-winning millionaire, won half his 20 starts, seven stakes, and had a solid stud career. Band Performance raced 130 times, winning 28, with the Punch Line his only stakes score.