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EASTERN SEASON OPENS TODAY AT BOWIE t x Southern Maryland Course Offers Inaugural Handicap as Initial Attraction Singing Wood Top Weight of Fifteen Eligibles With 128 Pounds Whitney Star Throws Jockey Bobby Jones and Runs Away Hope for Continuation of Good Weather BOWIE, Md., March. 31. The eastern racing season of 1936 will get under way at this course tomorrow afternoon, with the usual Inaugural Handicap heading a program which should furnish first rate sport and draw plenty of customers through the gates of Prince Georges Park. Fifteen have been named for the principal race, a jaunt of five and a half furlongs, and out of this group should come at least a dozen contestants. Topping the field, with 128 pounds as his burden, is Mrs. John Hay Whitneys Singing Wood, winner of the rich Futurity, the Withers and more recently the Santa Margarita Handicap at Santa Anita. However, there is some doubt as to the appearance of this fleet fellow, for he tossed Bobby Jones from the saddle this morning and ran off to the vil-jlage of Bowie, about three miles away, before being caught. If the escapade did him no harm and that is the present Denei ne win go to tne post. And if he goes, hes sure to be a public choice. His class and fine stake-winning record entitle him to such consideration. This was a perfect spring day in these parts, with the skies clear and the sun beating down on a fast track. A continuance of these conditions will provide an ideal setting for the opening days sport. Singing Woods absence might mean that Bright Haven will be the favorite for the 2,500 feature race. This son of Bright Knight was tops among the sprinters at Tropical Park, though he started there only once. Then he carried 120 pounds to victory. He has worked well over this track and should be able to handle 119 pounds successfully enough to trounce all but Mrs. Whitneys flyer. V STDBBS FAST SPRINTER. Another very fast fellow in the party i3 Stubbs. The five and a half furlongs route is made to order for this three-year-old. Hes a fast starter from the post and the fashion in which he has trained for the event points to a sharp performance. It Is difficult to believe any of the others can catch him. After these three the race seeing a wide open one. There is Sailor Beware, a four-,year-old . whose chief claim to distinction lies in his score over Omaha, in the Junior Champion. He always could run in the morning and hes doing just that since unloading at these grounds. Marylanders will be partial to the entry of Good Harvest and Purple Knight, which will carry the banner of young Alfred Van-derbilt. His stable had remarkable success last season and it is common talk about Baltimore that his horses, which have been training at Sagamore Farm, where there i3 an excellent mile track, are well advanced. However, it is difficult" to believe that his entry can come forth first pop out of the box and beat extremely fast horses whicn have been seasoned in winter racing. OHARAS EXPECTED. Mr. and Mrs. Walter OHara will be present to view the performance of their New Deal, a veteran which is as sliarp.as a tack at present. Bobby Currah n. freshened this horse since California competition and that he has plenty of foot was shown this morning when he romped over three furlongs in :35t3. Still, all his best efforts have been at a distance so it is difficult to give him serious consideration. Bright and Early and Vote Boy- are iSyo other winter campaigners, scheduledtoVgo, though the first named is in a" better" spot in the preceding dash. The latter improved in Hialeah Park competition but looks no more than a plater, nevertheless. The Inaugural Handicap had its first running back in 1923 when Setting Sun was first home. The distance" of the race has varied, but two years back it was decided that five and a half furlongs would be the proper distance for the stake, which starts the eastern season. Some fair horses have accounted for the event, with three of the lot being well above the average. They were General Thatcher, Son of John and Tred Avon. General Thatcher later won many good races, while in his three-year-old days Son of John was capable enough to finish third to Flying Ebony in the Kentucky Derby. Tred Avon is generally rated the best mare ever bred in Maryland. Another dash of five and a half furlongs fLCbiiliriued on twenty-fifth page.. i EASTERN SEASON OPENS TODAY AT BOWIE Continued from first page. will serve as a secondary attraction, with four of the six entrants being horses which started in Miami during the winter. These are Torita, Ste. Louise, Galmica and Bright and Early. The last named went from Florida to Hot Springs where he was a good winner. Three of the remaining races are over a route, each calling forth platers. There did not appear to be a distinct standout in any of the lot, all of which should make for keen competition. It should be a good dav J of racing.
