The season may have started out a little slow for trainer Tom Voss, of Monkton, Md., but he notched a win at My Lady’s Manor (Md.) in April and has consistently been in the running since. Then, at the Atlantic City meet, Mays Landing, N.J., on April 29, he won an unprecedented four races.

Always in the top five of the National Steeplechase Association trainers rankings, he was the leading trainer in the races won category from 2000-02 and won the title in 1997. But the last couple of years he has let the annual title go to another Maryland trainer, Jack Fisher.

Voss has gotten an influx of flat track runners, and his chasers were a little behind this year. His run at Atlantic City has him right back in the game.

“It wasn’t any grand plan to run and win at Atlantic City. We were just sort of fooling around, seeing what we have,” Voss said. “I just hadn’t run my steeplechase horses for one reason or another–the ground was too soft or too hard–and I didn’t go to many point-to-points like I normally do. It just all worked out this way.”

The day started out with Merrifield Farm’s Jazzitupgeorge (Cyril Murphy) taking the $25,000 Sport of Kings Maiden Hurdle. Murphy then won with Blackwood Stable’s Crè­¥ d’Argent in the $10,000 claiming hurdle. He scored again for Voss’ wife Mimi with Malagash in the $25,000 Sport of Kings Claiming Hurdle. The last race of the day had Murphy on Fox Ridge Farm’s Charlie Whiskey in the $10,000 flat race for jumpers.

“Days like the first meet at Atlantic City don’t come around often,” Murphy said. “I expected they would do well, but not win all four.”

Atlantic City’s second date, May 13, turned out to be lucky for Voss as well when Murphy won on The Fields Stable’s Guelph in the $10,000 maiden claiming hurdle.

“She is a first-time starter, and she didn’t know she was racing against a bunch of $10,000 claimers,” said Murphy. “She just knew she beat them, and that was great for her.”

The little filly will probably finish her season in the fillies and mare race at Fair Hill (Md.). The rest of the winners are gearing up for Saratoga (N.Y.) later in the summer.

“She’s really nice,” Voss said of Guelph. “I wish there were more places we could point her.”

But the feature for the May 13 date went to Kinross Farm’s Gritty Sandie, ridden by Xavier Aizpuru. Jockey Matt McCarron challenged the Kinross horse on Eldon Farm’s Imperial Gold but had to settle for second.

“Gritty Sandie has been off for a while, and this was particularly a good win for him,” said Aizpuru. “He is an old flat track horse and is more used to the track. Tryon was his first proper run of the season, but I think those hills really took it out of him. It was really nice to get such a classy ride and do well for the stable.”

McCarron tried to get to Imperial Gold, but Gritty Sandie was tough to beat. “Imperial Gold ran his little eyeballs out,” McCarron said. “I just could not get to him. He [Gritty Sandie] obviously likes the flatter course.”

McCarron won the previous race, the $15,000 maiden claiming hurdle, on EMO Stables’ Sweep Domino for trainer Doug Fout. “Sweeps did it very nicely. He just jumped to the lead and stayed there,” said McCarron. “He is a very good horse.”

On April 29, McCarron won again in the $30,000 allowance hurdle feature on Calvin Houghland’s Bow Strada for trainer Bruce Miller.