Gelding Killed By Fire at Laurel

A fire in the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Grover "Bud" Delp on Sunday morning at Laurel Park left one horse dead from smoke inhalation and burns.

The horse, Connecticat, a 3-year-old gelding owned by Samuel Bayard, had six lifetime victories and competed Oct. 28 in the $100,000 Japan Racing Association Stakes, finishing out of the money.

The cause of the fire, which did not do extensive damage to the barn, has not been determined, said Lt. Roy Phillips of the Anne Arundel Fire Department. "It does not appear to be incendiary; it appears to be accidental," he said.

The 15 surviving horses in Delp's barn have been moved to the receiving barn, where horses shipping in from Pimlico, the Bowie Training Center and from out of state are processed and treated before racing.

"That was the worst place they could have put me," said Delp, 74, who worries that the commotion in the receiving barn each race day will upset his horses, who are not used to the environment. He plans to tranquilize them and wrap their ankles for precaution.

"That action starts early in the morning," Delp said. "I'm worried about my horses going goofy in there. There are stalls on the grounds that could have accommodated me that are empty."

Delp's horses have been stabled in Barn 32 since 1965, when he was given permanent residence there by the track's owner after 28 of his 30 horses were killed in a barn fire the year before.

"We want to move him out of the receiving barn as soon as possible," Laurel Park President Lou Raffetto said.

-- John Scheinman