Sport: International Laurels

International horse races, like the weather, are something that people talk a lot about but seldom do anything practical about. In recent years, attempts to lure European and South American entries into big U.S. "specials" have proved a bust. The few whose owners took the $50-75-100,000 bait were either not good enough, or they ran far below their home form. Last week, at Maryland's Laurel Park, the job finally got done—in good, if not conclusive, style.

The first running of the 1½-mile, $50,000 Washington International drew three first-class European horses—England's Zucchero and Wilwyn, Germany's Niederlander —and Indian Hemp, a Canadian-owned hopeful which...