Rick Snider: Local long shot at Pimlico is Norm

Norman Asbjornson may be a long shot in Saturday’s 136th Preakness Stakes, but Grove has waited a while to run the Bowie-based colt in Maryland for the first time.

“I didn’t have [Kentucky] Derby fever,” he said. “In mid-February, we were trying to get here and the Belmont Stakes.”

Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom and Florida Derby victor Dialed In are drawing bettors’ backing. But Norman Asbjornson could follow the pattern of local runners who ran well in the Preakness. Deputed Testamony won in 1983 while Oliver’s Twist (1995), Magic Weisner (2002), Scrappy T (2005) and Sweetnorthernsaint (2006) were all second as long shots.

Norman Asbjornson is sitting on a big effort. After opening with three dismal performances, the son of 1998 Preakness champion Real Quiet won two modest non-stakes races. Then, he finished second in the Gotham Stakes on March 5 at 47-1 and fourth in the Wood Memorial on April 9.

If the colt can break cleanly from the No. 2 post in the 14-horse field, Norman Asbjornson’s style of being near the lead on the final turn puts him in traditional position to win.

“There’s four or five horses you can make a case for,” Grove said. “My horse just keeps improving. He’s just one break away from a really big effort.”

Maryland trainers often figure in the spring classics. Animal Kingdom is stabled in nearby Fair Hill, Md. Trainer Graham Motion was an assistant for legendary trainers Jonathan Shephered and Bernie Bond on the Pimlico-Laurel circuit before taking over Bond’s stable upon the latter’s 1991 death. Derby winner Barbaro (2006) and Preakness-Belmont champion Afleet Alex (2005) also began in Maryland.

While the Maryland circuit has fallen from its once lofty perch of “the lion of the Mid-Atlantic,” it still produces top horsemen capable of beating nationally known competitors.

“There’s a lot of good horsemen in this area and we make ourselves better,” Grove said. “We see this race every year so we know what it takes to be competitive in the race. We have a better understanding than coming from another side of the country. We understand what kind of horse is needed to compete here.”

Should Grove reach the winner’s circle, it will be a popular win around the local backstretch. The Frederick native is the son of Maryland steward Phil Grove, who won 3,991 races as a rider. A 2005 fundraiser to pay for an artificial leg for Grove’s son Noah was an overwhelming success among the racing community.

Now, a blanket of black-eyed susans will smell much sweeter than roses for Grove.

“This is a race I’ve been following since I was six or seven,” he said.

Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more on Twitter @Snide_Remarks or email [email protected].