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ROCKINGHAM PARK OPENING Salem Course Supplants Suffolk Downs in New England. Eleven Named for Lawrence Handicap, Headliner of Inaugural Card Rough Time Among Eligibles. SALEM, N. H., June 19: Rockingham Park, pioneer race track in the highly successful New England sector, will open its gates on Monday for the first of two 1937 meetings. The coming season will be one of eighteen days and will be marked by eleven stake events. The most important of these specials is the mile and a furlong Rockingham Handicap, 0,000 added event for three-year-olds and up on, July 10, final day of the session. Inaugural day will be featured by the Lawrence Handicap, for three-year-olds, which carries an added prize of ,500. The race has drawn eleven of the fastest sprinters of the age division in these parts, including the sensationally improved Yancey Christmas colorbearer Rough Time. The latter is weighted with the tremendous burden of 133 pounds, and if he wins under that weight, must be rated one of the outstanding short-distance horses of the country in any age division. Rough Times form at Suffolk Downs was one of the highlights of the meeting. Tomorrow he will face Guy Fawkes again and the latter colt will be receiving twelve pounds. In their last meeting Rough Time gave him ten. REAL EDGE IN WEIGHTS. Chicolorado, however, is the horse that appears to have a real edge in the weights. This fellow has finished in front of Guy Fawkes, and when he was defeated in his last, was far from being a fresh horse. It is certain to be a three-horse race in the books of the majority of handicappers. The others in the field have given no indication that they have a right to beat the horses named above. Sun Celerina and Sun Capture will both bear the silks of Willis Sharpe Kilmer. Jack D., a fair sort of campaigner back at Narragansett, will be the reliance of Araho Stable. Prospects are that Rockingham will have its best session since that first year of operation under legalized mutuels, when there was no competition for the track. The barns are filled to overflowing and many horses will make the shipment from Suffolk because their trainers were unable to secure stalls here. There are 309 entries for the stakes, and the nomination lists represent the cream of the crop of New England stables. COMPLETELY REPAINTED. The plant has been completely repainted and the track has been given a new top soil. This year Thomas- H. McKoy, Jr., will serve as president, and James L. Buss, who held that post last year, will be chairman of the board of directors. Lou Smith, who did as much as any one man to bring racing to New England, will again be general manager. Little Jim Monroe, of course, retains the post of secretary and handicapper, and Tom Thorpe will once more preside in the stewards stand. Along about 2:15 Monday afternoon starter Bob Friend, one of the most capable men in his line in this sector, will be getting ready to yell "Come on," and the meeting will be officially under way at 2:30 p. m.
