It may not have attracted the attention of the parade held in honor of Michael Phelps and other Olympians that same day, but to 8-year-old Grace Fritz of Ellicott City, there were other important events to consider Oct. 4.

Namely, the Hamster Ball Derby at Petco in the Enchanted Forest Shopping Center.

Grace skipped a soccer game to enter her new teddy bear hamster, Cupcake, into the race.

Mom Allison Fritz said her little girl had been crying for four weeks due to the death of Grace's previous hamster, Snickers, which died on the first day of school. Grace is in the second grade at The Lamb of God School in Halethorpe.

The flag went down at 2 p.m. and the hamster showdown was on.

With the "Rocky" theme playing in the background, 24 hamsters rolled in plastic balls, racing to the finish line, while a crowd of about 60 family members and onlookers cheered, Petco general manager Tim Golden said. Last year's derby had only eight pets participating, he said.

"It's very festive and the pet parents -- the kids -- are just so excited," Golden said. "It's a friendly competition."

Cupcake proved victorious, winning Grace a trophy, a ribbon, a poster promoting the upcoming Disney movie "Bolt" (featuring an animated hamster) and her very own hamtrack -- a hamster track for the small animals to get their exercise.

"All Cupcake was used to was running around in the roller ball in the kitchen," Allison Fritz said.

About 25 hamsters competed in the derby, in heats of four at a time. "I thought there would be four hamsters there," Allison Fritz said, recalling how that was the total number of participants on the sign up sheet when Grace penned her name.

"Everyone got into it," she said. "It was adorable."

According to Golden, this was the third year the little creatures raced in a derby.

Meanwhile, Grace has enjoyed her bragging rights, sharing her victory with her teachers and classmates, she said.

"I was very happy. I didn't think she'd win, but I practiced a lot with her and she got better and better," Grace said.

Grace said she kept calm during the event.

"I was at the (finish line) and Cupcake saw me and wanted to run to me," Grace said. "I was saying 'Cupcake, come here, come here Cupcake' and she did. I was really glad."

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