view raw text
HEAD PLAY FAVORITE » Rules Popular Choice to Carry Off Wood Memorial Stakes. ♦ Preakness Winner Expected to Encounter Tougher Opposition at Shorter Distance. i The field for the Wood Memorial, including names of prospective starters, weights and jockeys, follows: Horse. Wt. Jockey. Head Play 126 Kurtsinger Mr. Khayyam 122 Walls Kerry Patch 120 Schaefer Poppyman 120 Jones Balios 120 Malley De Valera 117 Mills Pomponius 117 Robertson Dark Winter 114 Coucci , -* NEW YORK, N. Y., May 19— Eight of the nominees for the Wood Memorial have been named through the entry box for the big three-year-old prize of the Metropolitan Jockey Club, to be decided at Jamaica Saturday afternoon. This is a gallop of a mile and seventy yards, to which ,000 is added, and, should they all go to the post, it will gross ,770. Mrs. Silas B. Masons Head Play, winner of the Preakness, naturally stands at the top in the field. The son of My Play and Red Head, by reason of that score in the Preakness, is the only one engaged that carries the scale weight of 126 pounds. Since his arrival at Jamaica from Pimlico the colt has been doing all that has been asked of him by the veteran T. P. Hayes and his public tria1 of Wednesday was tremendously impressive. He will be ridden by Charlie Kurtsinger, who rode him to his hollow victory in the big Maryland prize and it was Kurtsinger who was in the saddle in the recent public trial. He thoroughly understands the colt and indications are that Head Play will be an overwhelming favorite at post time. LADYSMAN ABSENTEE. W. R. Coe, whose Ladysman was second to Head Play in the Preakness, will be represented in the Wood by Pomponius, a son of Pompey that has already shown excellent form in Maryland. He is in under 117 pounds and may readily be a worthy pinch hitter for Ladysman, rated the star of the stable. De Valera and Balios will both be saddled by James Fitzsimmons. The first named will race under the silks of the Wheatley Stable and Balios will carry the banner of H. C. Phipps. Mr. Khayyam, winner of the Chesapeake Stakes at Havre de Grace is the hope of the Catawba Farm Stable. He is under a burden of 122 pounds, but a colt of high speed that will probably be more at home over the Wood distance than at the longer route. Lee Rosenbergs Kerry Patch, winner of the Futurity of last year, will be sent to the post by Joe Notter, who has high hopes that the son of Desperate Desmond will improve over what he has been showing. Mrs. John Hay Whitney has selected Poppyman as her representative and the Willie Sharpe Kilmer candidate is Dark Winter, a colt that had a cantering victory over the Jamaica course Thursday. NOTABLE RENEWAL. With the promise of bright weather and a fast track, the renewal of the Wood Memorial should be a notable one. It is the most important prize of the Metropolitan Jockey Club season and preparations have been made for the handling of a record crowd that is confidently expected to be on hand. The setting for the Wood is an entertaining one. The Rialto, a six furlongs dash, promises well when it brings together Blind Bowboy, Sweeping Light, Bertrano, Crowning Glory and Kerry Patch, should it be elected to start the Rosenberg colt there instead of ii the Wood. The Garden City is another of promise. It is at a mile and a sixteenth and while only four have been named it should be an excellent contest. These are Apprentice, unbeaten at the meeting, Blenheim, Jimmy Sutro and Helianthuo.
