This week we will run a series of 10 Maryland Million Moments, indelible moments that have helped to define the meaning of Maryland’s Day at the Races. Here, prior winners and fan favorites Talk Show Man and Phlash Phelps meet in the 2018 Turf.

When Talk Show Man and Phlash Phelps lined up for the 2018 Maryland Million Turf, it wasn’t just another stakes race; it was a clash between two popular local turf starswhose careers had become entwined with the event itself.

For Talk Show Man, it marked his fifth Maryland Million appearance and fourth try in the Turf, a race he had already conquered in 2014. Phlash Phelps, meanwhile, was returning after missing the 2017 edition, having captured the Turf back-to-back in 2015 and 2016.

The two veterans—both Maryland-breds and both fan favorites—brought a sense of history and pride to Laurel Park that cool October afternoon.

The race lived up to its billing. Phlash Phelps, breaking a step slow, rallied four wide to take a short lead in mid-stretch. But Talk Show Man, under Jevian Toledo, launched a determined rally from midpack, angled five wide, and surged past in the final strides to reclaim his Turf crown.

Owned and bred by Dr. Michael Harrison and trained by Hamilton Smith, Talk Show Man closed out a hard-earned victory that encapsulated his enduring grit. “He was a real good one,” Smith said. “He was a hard-knocker and really a nice horse to be around.”

Talk Show Man would make four more starts after the Turf, while Phlash Phelps would make three. Neither would hit the board again, leaving this moment as their defining farewell to Maryland racing: two popular stars locked in battle.

The two rivals would retire with remarkably similar résumés—Phlash Phelps with seven wins and $434,801 in earnings, Talk Show Man with eight wins and $456,556—but their shared legacy as Maryland Million stalwarts remains unmatched.