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TWENTY-ONE NAMED FOR TROPICAL INAUGURAL Large and Classy Field Assured for Mondays Opening Feature Mucho Gusto, Wise Prince, Count Morse, Mythical King Among Those Entered and May Be in Field Everything Ready for Florida Opening MIAMI, Fla., Dec. 16. The Inagural Handicap, six furlongs, which will feature the opening of the winter season here when Tropical Park swings wide its gates on Monday, promises to draw a larger field than anticipated at first! A record number of nominations went through the entry box today when twenty-one members of the three-year-old and upward division were passed on to racing secretary Bob Shelley for his weight adjustments. These will be published early tomorrow morning with declarations at 12 noon. From such a heavy entry list it is now reckoned that there will be at least a dozen contestants, with Mucho Gusto, Wise Prince and Count Morse shaping up as the probable high weights. All three have been good stakes winners, with their achievements under colors entitling them to such consideration. Mucho Gusto has been just about unbeatable in. Tropical Park competition, registering no less than three stake victories over the Coral Gables jt course last winter. He needs no introduction to Florida racegoers. Wise Prince accounted for the Miami Beach Handicap at Hialeah Park last winter, as well as several good stakes up the line later in the year, and promises to prove one of the keenest sprinters active hereabouts during the forthcoming" season. ! CLASS IN ABUNDANCE. Count Morse, a weak tendoned Reigh Count five-year-old in the Calumet Farm outfit of Warren Wright, holds class in abundance and if Frank Kearns has him thoroughly sharpened for Mondays feature, he should prove most formidable. With him has been named Privileged, which was first home in the 1936 Pimlico Futurity, only to be disqualified out of major honors. He has not been seen under colors during 1938. Mythical King and Wise Fox, a pair of capable three-year-olds, which were developed in Miami competition last winter, are also up fprAveights with the first named training in a manner which suggests his appearance. The other colt was able enough to win the Louisiana Derby last March, but has not done so well since. Court Scandal, surprise winner of the Flamingo two winters back, is another prominent hopeful. Townsend Martin, who owned this fellow at the time of that stake, has a pair of three-year-olds in the Inaugural Bigey and Galapas. The latter has been training more briskly than the Victorian colt and shapes up as a likelier starter. EXPECTS IMPROVEMENT. Our Ketcham, which is expected to race more consistently for John Partridge than he did under his previous trainer, was a keen racer on occasions during the past season up north. He won a three-quarters sprint at Pimlico in November, and has been galloping in handy fashion since. Another keen possibility is Cardinalis, a son of Blue Larkspur, a nine-time winner during 1938 over various tracks. Roar broke his maiden right over this track and is a candidate with a world of early speed. Gay Balko might be troublesome while Gold Flag would be a factor on top Aqueduct form. Such remaining nom- Continued on twenty-sixth page. TWENTY-ONE NAMED FOR TROPICAL INAUGURAL Continued from first page. inees as Bobs Boys, Dunade, Ghost Queen, Rissa, Your Buddy, Josh and Xavier promise to be among the light weights. Many of the candidates for the Inaugural, as well as other racers, have been taking their trials during the afternoon, when dockers are. absent from the two tracks. However, several were noted Friday morning in finals for the opening day attraction. Chief among these was Wise Prince, which went three-quarters in 1:19, and Mythical King, which went over the same distance in 1:15. Townsend B. Martins two candidates, Bigey and Gaiapas also moved along briskly, the first named stepping five-eighths in 1:02, and the other completing three-quarters in 1:15. Both were handy trials. Roar was well within himself as he galloped "six furlongs in 1:17, and Bobs Boys loped five-eighths in 1:04.
