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KEENELAND OPENING APRIL 14 Horsemen Speeding Up Work . in Preparation for Inaugural. Weather Man Kind to Trainers, Permitting Workouts Daily McLennan Blocks Out Conditions. j LEXINGTON, Ky., April 5 With little more than a week remaining before th opening of the Kentucky racing season at picturesque and modern Keeneland Park, on April 14, thoroughbred talk, which al? ways stands at par in this locality, jumped a few points today and from now to th close of the eleven-day season, on Thursday, April 28, it will be at its highest figure unf til it takes another upward jump during the fall meeting some time in October. J Although he dished out a cold snap, the weather man has been exceedingly kind to-r ward the horsemen during the last several days and, consequently, their charges have been able to get in some well-needed workd over the racing strip at the Versailles Pikd track, which is said to be one of the best iri the country. Winter and spring rains slowed up the training, but from now to the openi ing, on Thursday, next, the Keeneland track will be a bee-hive of activity. During the. past two days more horses worked than at any time this spring and with the arrival" ot several stables from winter climes, the forced in the racing secretarys office should have. little trouble in filling the daily programs, ABLE ASSISTANCE. j Charles McLennan blocked out the condl tions for the eleven days and, although he will be unable to assist at the meeting, his Maryland assignment at Havre de Grace conflicting, McLennan has some able assistants in Charles Kenney, Larry Bogenschutz, Fred Burton and Sid Brown. They have served at previous meetings and excepting Kenney, who gave up secretarial work to take over the management of the breeding division of Coldstream Stud, hold prominent positions at other courses. With no racing on Mondays, the meeting will extend over a two-week period and during that time four stakes will be offered Chief of these is the Blue Grass Stakes, a test for the Kentucky Derby and the feature for closing day. Of the 104 original nominees, only thirteert three-year-olds remain eligible for the ,000 added prize, but what is lacking in quantity is made up for in quality. Col. Maxwell Howard, whose Fencing won the 1937 renewal, is represented by The Chief and Menow, recognized as the leading two-year-old of last year, also is eligible. With a majority of the eligibles on the grounds and slated to be here, a representative field is expected to make the nine furlongs race. OPENING DAY FEATURE. Topping the opening days program is the Phoenix Hotel Handicap, at six furlongs,1 and for three-year-olds and upward. Nine-teftn sprinters are eligible and weights are due to be released Saturday. Although nd stakes will be offered on the first Saturday, the Calumet, for four-year-olds and upward, and at one and one-sixteenth miles, and the Winona, for three-year-old fillies, at six furlongs, should attract sparkling fields. The Calumet should be a good test for Ben Ali Handicap candidates and its winner" probably will draw the top assignment for the stakes, which will be offered on the second Saturday of the meeting. The La-Fayette Stakes, for two-year-olds, will be run over the Headley course on the eve of the closing, and like the Ben Ali and Phoenix carries ,500 in added money. Overnight handicaps listed are the Trial Handicap, the Claiborne Handicap, the Le Mar Claiming Handicap, the Mineola Claiming Handicap and the Castleton Handicap. A race for amateur riders is carded for Friday, April 22. . Excepting Saturdays, amateur riders day and the final two days of the meetings, only! seven races will be offered. MORE HORSES EXPECTED. With the close of Hot Springs and Florida" -this week, the thoroughbred colony should be increased by more than 150 horses between now and Saturday. Several stables are coming over from Louisville, among them being divisions of the strong Valdina Farms, Tall Trees and Milky Way Farms. Ike Weil and the Brown Hotel Stable also are expected to send over several charges from their establishments, while other horsemen have signified their intentions of vanning horses here to fill engagements. With the racing end of the plant moving along at a steady pace and workmen busy installing units for the totalizator, little remain to be done between now and the opening. Joe Wolken, head of the Turf Catering Company, who again will have the conces-! sions, arrived from Hot Springs, where his firm had a successful season and im- mediately started arranging the preliminary : details of his department. His track kitchen, one of the most modern at any race course in the country, has been in operation all winter. j
