HORSE RACING : For a Change, U.S. Entries May Churn the Turf in Festival

The creation of the International Turf Festival wasn’t a good thing for the U.S. balance of payments. Horses from Europe regularly have dominated their American rivals at Laurel.

There has been no mystery about the reason for their success. Running on grass is the Europeans’ game. Even their moderate 2-year-olds and sprinters have been able to win here because very few American 2-year-olds and sprinters ever have a chance to try the turf. The invaders have won 11 of 18 events since Laurel (Md.) Racetrack transformed the old Washington, D.C. International into a two-day “festival” of grass racing.

But this weekend the European lock on these races seems likely to be broken. U.S. horses will be favored -- with justification -- all five stakes races that will be run today and Sunday. And the American forces appear to be especially deep in the main event, this afternoon’s $750,000 Budweiser International.

Solar Splendor, a 4-year-old based in New York, has emerged in recent weeks as the best turf runner in the East, and possibly in the whole country. He scored back-to-back victories in Belmont Park’s two most important grass races, the Man o’ War Stakes and the Turf Classic, beating not only domestic rivals but some well-regarded foreign invaders.

His main obstacle may be the condition of the turf course, which was inundated by Thursday’s rain and will be soft even if the sun keeps shining until the 5:35 post time. Running on soft grass is a whole different thing from running on firm grass, and Solar Splendor has no experience under such conditions. But even if the favorite falters, U.S.-based horses still could dominate the event.

California-based Algenib finished second in the Arlington Million but bled when Solar Splendor beat him in the Turf Classic; trainer Wallace Dollase thinks the addition of Lasix and jockey Laffit Pincay Jr. will enable him to run his best.

Golden Pheasant has recovered from an injury that sidelined him after he won last year’s Arlington Million, and he is returning to top form. Trainer Charlie Whittingham is using the International as a prep for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Turf.

Against these stars, the five European horses in the International might find themselves outclassed. None has ever won a Grade I stakes, although the best of them, the French 3-year-old Sillery, has come close, losing by a neck in the Grand Prix de Paris.

The relative weakness of the invading forces is due in part to the fact the Breeders’ Cup is scheduled two weeks from today, and the best of the Europeans are pointing for that race. It was the competition of the Breeders’ Cup that motivated Laurel’s late president, Frank De Francis, to create the Turf Festival, for he figured the track could still attract top foreign horses for races that wouldn’t be affected by the Breeders’ Cup-notably the 2-year-old stakes.

However, the European entrants for these other events are weaker than usual; illness and injury knocked out several prospective runners. And the Americans also are stronger than usual. Many good U.S. horses have made the Turf Festival their principal objective of the year -- such as Miss Josh, the favorite in Saturday’s $300,000 All Along Stakes.

“We built our whole campaign around the All Along,” said owner George Rowand, “and if somebody beats us they’ll have to run the race of their lives.”

The U.S. representation is unusually strong in today’s two $200,000 races for 2-year-olds, the Laurel Futurity and the Selima Stakes. The Futurity has drawn three colts -- Free at Last, Smiling and Dancin and Older But Smarter --

who have run brilliantly and could be major turf stars in the future. Maryland-based Sand Lady established herself as the solid favorite to beat filly rivals in the Selima when she won a prep race at Pimlico by nearly five lengths.

Miss Josh probably will be the strongest favorite of the weekend, in Sunday’s All Along Stakes. The Maryland-based filly, trained by Barclay Tagg, has beaten the country’s best turf runners of her sex and established herself as a favorite for the Eclipse Award. Her toughest challenge will come from the French invader, Once in My Life.

Sunday’s $250,000 Laurel Dash -- the country’s richest turf sprint -- will be a duel between two brilliant speedsters, the East’s Double Booked and the West’s Forest Glow. This is a race an American horse is sure to win; no Europeans showed up for an event they have dominated in the past.