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INSPECTION DAY SUCCESSFUL Big Crowd Watches Special Sunday B Program at Fairmount Park. Estimated Attendance of Several Thousand C Take Part in Special Handicap Bating Event. COLLINSVILLE, 111., May 2— Inspection day frills out of the way, Fairmount Park C today began pointing to the opening of the £ twenty-seven-day spring meeting. Scattered j shipments of horses, horsemen, jockeys and officials are due to get in between now and I opening day, next Saturday, and then the stage will be set. 1 Norman "Butsey" Hernandez, owner of one of the leading stables on the grounds, got in late yesterday and took over bis , charges. Satisfied with the condition of the -j group, Hernandez, who led the owners and i trainers at the recent New Orleans meeting, i said he planned to start a two-horse entry in the Inaugural Handicap, his reliances being Prince Argo and Roidef. Prince Argo was one of the leading sprint- ers in these parts last spring and fall, and having been fired and blistered after the last ■ local meeting, will make his 1939 bow. Roi- -def is Hernandez prize claim of the Cres- , cent City campaign. The horse for which Hernandez paid ,750, beat the outstanding sprinters in the South in the Spanish Fort Handicap, among them Old Rosebush, Be Jabbers, Fairflax and White Cockade. If the crowd turning out for inspection day yesterday can be used as a yardstick of interest jn the coming spring campaign, indications point to one of the best meetings in the history of the east side plant. RECORD ASSEMBLAGE. With the awarding of a 0 prize in a trial showing of the handicap rating event as a lure, along with the customary test race, an estimated throng of several thousand packed the plant, representing a record assemblage for such an occasion. Grandstand and clubhouse was taxed to capacity, and the grounds were also fairly well packed. Fred Ohnesborge, a printer, residing at 326-a Collinsville Avenue, East St. Louis showed uncanny handicapping ability in winning the handicap event. Ohnesborge had six of the seven mythical winners on the program for a total of 420 points and won the prize hands down, not needing the eighth and last race, the actual test affair, which will be used during the season to break any ties. The test race, nevertheless, turned out to a thrilling contest. Roy "Boots" Dickerson, making his debut as starter across the river, got the field off to a nice start in the half-mile dash. In the stretch, Red Magic and Pegging Away hooked up in as pretty a duel as seen anytime, and a photo print delivered by Jack Thomas showed the former a nose winner. Be Discreet, a half-brother to Leading Article, and which set the early pace, came in third. Besides Dickerson and Thomas, many other officials were at their posts yesterday during the open-house program, including Judge Cliff Abbo, racing secretary Dick Leigh and general manager D. C. Burnett. Burnett announced himself as immensely pleased with the vast turnout.
