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TRAINER FITZSIMMONS REPLV] Says "Where There Is Class, Never Fear Running Against Other Horses of Class." BALTIMORE, Md., May 10.— If you werj the owner of any one of a dozen or so Preakw ness candidates today, other than Johnstowifij would you feel it a hopeless task to run you* horse against Johnstown this Saturday? That was the question asked of trained, "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons this morning atj Pimlico, the man who prepared and saddled the Belair Stud star for the Derby and lag now preparing him for the Preakness. Perl haps the query would be considered ridicuS lous by many, but to those who know thand dean of all thoroughbred horse trainers tha answer, in characteristic Fitzsimmons style* promised to be a revealing one as to whac Mr. Fitz actually thought about this years Preakness. j] The genial veteran of a thousand and ones races, the man to whom another triple crown is simply one more treasure in a vast colj lection of great achievements, flashed a friendly smile. "Where there is class in a thoroughbred, Id never be afraid of running against other class. It may be that Johnstown is super-class, but every horseman knows that even the best have a way of tail| ing off at least once. Its too much to exl pect of a horse that he be perfects" 1 CLASS WILL TELL. Quite obviously the seasoned trainer on Johnstown was not paving the way for arc alibi should his colt suffer defeat on Saturji day. Rather to the contrary, he was phiH osophizing very frankly and simply the tru3 ism of the turf: "Class will tell." Just where is the class that will opposd Johnstown in the Preakness? The race iff full of class, opined Mr. Fitz. "Challedon ia definitely what is termed class; he is welF bred and has proven his distinction in racea where only horses of class dare to contend. 3 "Gilded Knight, one of my own charges, iff another high type thoroughbred and also has] earned the superlative rating of class. Voli tant, a son of Display, the Preakness winneq of 1926, is most certainly entitled to be listed among those of high rank. Didnt Display] produce the great Discovery? "The Preakness on Saturday," he continued, "seems to abound with class. Impound, a son of the great and mighty Sun Beau, is typical of a good class thoroughbred. He is always running and his record shows he has rarely ever missed being up there with the first three. , CIENCIA BY COHORT. j "Ciencia, the only filly in the race, Is by Cohort, which, perhaps, is not quite so fashionable as some of the others. Right there is where the class which has flashed in the off-spring of Cohort may be revealed at its fullest. Thats what I fear mostly — class." The man who has experienced all the emotions possible for a trainer concluded with a generous and sincere compliment, not premature but based only on what he believes. "If," and he emphasized the two-letter word, "we win with Johnstown, and I think we will, I still believe that the rest of the starting field would be a superior group of horses in any race and in any year. It would make Johnstown a truly great horse, and there arent many really great horses around; never have been and never will be."
