Belair became an early center of American thoroughbred racing in 1747 when Maryland's Provincial Governor Samuel Ogle brought there the first documented breeding pair of thoroughbred horses, Spark and Queen Mab. Its legacy continued through Ogle's brother-in-law, Colonel Benjamin Tasker, Jr., who imported Othello and Selima, two of the most noted horses of colonial turf. Under William Woodward, the Belair stud flourished again, and from its first victory at the track in 1909 he established the Belair name as preeminent in racing. Gallant Fox won all three Triple Crown races in 1930, only the second horse ever to do so, and his son Omaha repeated the feat in 1935. Nashua, Horse of the Year in 1955, was the last great Belair racehorse. The stable, built in 1907, housed the thoroughbreds as well as carriage and riding horses, and included stalls, tack rooms, a carriage house, and an apartment for the stable master; it now serves as part of the City of Bowie Museums System.
