Phlash Phelps Back to Defend Find Title

Visiting Laurel Park last fall for the annual Maryland Million Day festivities, SiriusXM personality and Baltimore-area native Phlash Phelps smiled as a large crowd that gathered around him began shouting his name.

As it happened, they were cheering for his namesake, Hillwood Stable-owned Phlash Phelps, who won the Maryland Million Turf by three-quarters of a length for a fourth straight victory to cap his 4-year-old campaign.

“I’m watching the race and people are yelling, ‘Go, Phlash, go’ behind me and I thought that was the weirdest thing, to have people all cheering for him. It was really cool to hear that,” Phelps said. “One lady stopped me and I said I had a horse in the race. She asked which one and I said, ‘Phlash Phelps,’ and she said, ‘Oh, I love him!’ I said, ‘Which one, the radio one or the horse?’ It was the horse.”

Phlash Phelps 

Phlash Phelps, the man, shares more than just his name with the popular gelding. Both were bred in Maryland and are based in the Mid-Atlantic; Phelps at SiriusXM’s '60s On 6 studios in Washington, D.C. and the horse with trainer Rodney Jenkins at Laurel.

Each have developed a passionate following and both took several tries before finding success. The human Phelps was fired 17 times over a radio career that began in 1984 prior to landing his current gig 16 years ago; the equine Phelps needed seven tries to break his maiden and has since won five of his last six starts.

“It’s been a really cool thing. That’s how I really got into the horse racing part of it after that,” Phelps said. “I wish I knew a lot more about it or had the money to actually own a horse. That would be neat, but its’ been really fun following him especially when he’s been winning.”

According to Horse Racing Nation, he is the 1-2 program favorite from post 1 in a field of six for the $75,000 Find Stakes on Saturday.  The race is one of five turf stakes worth $330,000 on Maryland-Virginia Breeders’ Day at historic Pimlico Race Course. Phlash Phelps is the defending Find champion.

Unlike last fall, DJ Phlash Phelps doesn’t expect to be on hand to see the race live. Having just turned 50, he is in the midst of an ‘All 50 at 50’ tour where he is visiting each of the 50 states to mark his personal half-century. Already, he has driven 19,000 miles since it kicked off April 11 and has been to 30 states, with Ohio penciled in this weekend as No. 31.

“Usually every weekend I’m gone. I’ve been traveling 1,800 miles a week so the odds are that I will probably not be in town. I will have to watch to find out how he does,” Phelps said. “I usually don’t see it live but I’ll look to find out what happened as soon as he’s done and then I’ll post it on my site if he wins. If he doesn’t win I don’t post it, but he’s been winning so there’s been a lot of posting.