Along Brock Bridge Road, just before it intersects with Whiskey Bottom Road, lies a burial site beyond the fence, into Laurel Park Racecourse. The site includes a short cement bench, a small bear statue, empty rose bushes fighting for sunlight in the shade and a headstone.
On that site are words eternally etched into stone: “Here lies MOUNTAIN ROSE II ‘An honest, faithful horse who did his best to the end.’ Destroyed Oct. 24, 1924.”
The words only paint a small picture of the legend of Mountain Rose II, a racing horse, and the love his owner and trainer, Benny “Chappie” Chapman, had for him.
Now, as the racecourse’s future remains uncertain, so does the burial site of Mountain Rose II for the family of his trainer. According to Tracy Scagliarini, who married into Chapman’s family, she and the Laurel Historical Society have been advocating to ensure that the burial site remains unharmed, with possible construction looming over Laurel Park.
In January, the Maryland Stadium Authority announced its intent to acquire Laurel Park and redevelop it into the state’s “premier hub for thoroughbred training,” according to a news release from the MSA. The acquisition has since been paused by the Legislative Policy Committee, which imposed a 45-day delay to review the proposed purchase of the track, according to the letter by the committee.
The Legend of Mountain Rose II
Mountain Rose II started in 156 races, winning 39 and a total of $38,069 – an estimated worth of more than $740,000 today – throughout his racing career, according to a 1924 Daily Racing Form article.
But his last race in 1924 didn’t result in a first-place or even third-place prize; it ended with a fatal bullet to the brain.
That October night of 1924 didn’t only mark the death of Mountain Rose II, but also the birth of his legend. In the days following his death, local publications including the Daily Racing Form, the Baltimore Sun, and the Washington Post, had to inform the community that their favorite old Yankee gelding was no more.
At the time of Mountain Rose II’s death, news reports didn’t explain exactly how he injured himself, just that he broke his leg and was “destroyed.”
“Mountain Rose broke down so badly in the last race Friday that it was necessary to destroy him,” read a 1924 Washington Post article, marking the horse’s burial. “When the veterinary fired the fatal shot, Benny leaned against the rail and wept like a boy.”
Chapman was so torn up that he also put his jockey colors in and buried it with the horse, who he credited for providing much of his personal wealth, Scagliarini said.
His most successful year was 1923, the year before his death, when he won 11 out of 27 starts and $11,365 – an estimated worth of over $220,000 today – according to the Daily Racing Form article.
“Mountain Rose was like Chappie’s baby, I guess you’d call it,” she said. “Mountain Rose was the horse that he raised. He came forward and always said that Mountain Rose bought his house – the house he had on Main Street – because of his winnings.”
After the horse’s death, Chapman ensured he was buried on Laurel Park’s property instead of being sent to the glue factory – a fate all too common for race horses turned out to pasture back then, according to Scagliarini.
‘A local favorite’
According to a 1924 Baltimore Sun article, Mountain Rose II, described as “the favorite,” was installed in the seventh event, which was at 1 ¼-mile, when she broke down.
His resting place was once overgrown with shrubs from the roses that cultivated there after Chapman had roses planted on the site, according to Scagliarini.
Multiple people have taken care of the burial site in recent years, including Scagliarini’s sister-in-law and a friend of the family who worked at Laurel Park, to address overgrown shrubs and maintain the site, according to Scagliarini. Then a guest relations coordinator found out about the site and had facility employees clean it up, Scagliarini said.
Kristen Norton, executive director of the Laurel Historical Society, described Mountain Rose II as a celebrated racehorse who was a “local favorite until his fatal injury.” According to Norton, Mountain Rose II was the first horse interred at Laurel Park.
“The site represents Laurel Park’s and the Laurel community’s deep ties to racing heritage,” she said in an email.
Scagliarini learned the tales of Mountain Rose from her mother-in-law, Virginia, who is Chapman’s daughter. Now, she said the story of Chapman and Mountain Rose II has become an increasingly important one to her family in recent years, ever since the site began receiving proper maintenance.
“The kids like to talk about it, and I know that we try to make sure that the grandkids and everybody knows about it,” she said. “Everybody tries to talk about it and just make sure people are aware of it, especially after we found out that it wasn’t being maintained and nobody knew it was there.”
A small piece of the burial site lives on with members of the Scagliarini family. Multiple members, including Scagliarini, took some roses from the burial site to grow by their homes. The family hopes this isn’t the last memorial of Mountain Rose II.
“We’ve all been trying to work very hard to keep that area preserved, at least, like a little park or something,” she said, “because it is part of the history of [Laurel Park].”
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