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JOHNSTOWN ODDSON FAVORITE TO WIN CLASSIC Eight Others Named Overnight to Oppose Three YearOld Champion Challedon Technician and Sun Lover Considered Most MostDangerous Dangerous Rivals Viscounty Total Eclipse and Yale Yaleo o Nine Doubtful Starters One Filly Entered ARLINGTON HEIGHTS HI July 21 Johnstown the years champion threeyearold and winner of seven major engagements in 1939 is expected I to entertain a crowd of possibly 50000 persons with his brilliant speed and present his owner William Woodward with his fourth Classic Stakes triumph in the eleventh running of the 30000 added mile and a quarter midsummer feature at Arlington Park tomorrow afternoon That was the consensus of opinion contingent upon a fast track as eight were named to oppose the current star of the Belair Stud which will be out to emulate the feats of such other Belair luminaries as Gallant Fox 1930 Omaha 1935 and Granville 1936 Johnstown is an overwhelming favorite for tomorrows engagement and by post time the odds against his chance may be as low as 1 to 5 The bay son of Jamestown owes his histremendous tremendous following to his brilliant 1939 record which includes victories in the Ken ¬ tucky Derby Belmont Stakes and five other important fixtures and his sensational train ¬ ing performances Hardly encouraging to the owners of his prospective opponents was his final Classic warmup a half mile spin yesterday on a dead track in 45 one full second faster than the worlds record for four furlongs furlongsJOHNSTOWNS JOHNSTOWNS OPPONENTS OPPONENTSAlthough Although eight are listed in the entries aa Johnstowns opponents only five are ex ¬ pected to be actual starters These ara W L Branns Challedon winner of the Preakness Stakes run in the mud in which Johnstown met his only defeat of the year the Woolford Farms Unerring a filly and Technician the latter winner of the Fla ¬ mingo Stakes in Florida the Millsdale Sta ¬ bles Sun Lover captor of Delaware Parks Kent Handicap and John Hay Whitneys Heather Broom The other three listed as doubtful contestants are Valdina Farms Viscounty Valley Grey Farms Total Eclipse and the French Lick Springs Stables Yale o Nine NineIf If six start the race will have a gross value of 50100 and the winner besides his Continued on thirtyfourth page JOHNSTOWN ODDSON FAVORITE TO WIN CLASSIC Continued from first page share of the purse will receive a replica of Englands gold Coronation Cup CupTHE THE BIG ATTRACTION ATTRACTIONThe The thousands who attend Arlington Park tomorrow will be turning out to see a great race horse in action rather than in antici ¬ pation of a hotly contested battle of speed and endurance among thoroughbreds If such a race develops it will be an added thrill for never before in the history of the Clas ¬ sic has a horse been so solidly supported as Johnstown is and the racing public is all but ready to concede victory to the running sensation of the year yearIf If Johnstown repeats any of his previous victories of 1939 he will literally run away from his opponents and that he is primed for just such a performance has been pre ¬ saged by his brilliant training for the Ar ¬ lington special James Fitzsimmons trainer of the colt says Johnstown Is at the peak of his form and that if the track is fast he will have no excuse to advance for defeat Johnstown whistles while running and some have said the horses wind is affected but Fitzsimmons says the colt is sound as a bell and indeed his racing and private train ¬ ing seems to bear out the trainers summary NOT A MUD RUNNER RUNNERShould Should the track become muddy Johns ¬ town may be withdrawn for the Woodward representative has convinced his connections that such footing is strictly not for him In the Preakness he flattened out miserably after an early display of his dazzling speed speedJohnstowns Johnstowns principal contention if he has any at all could come from one of sev ¬ eral of his rivals In the Dwyer Stakes at Aqueduct Sun Lover got within a length of him in finishing second On that occa ¬ sion howevei Johnstown conceded tho Millsdale threeyearold ten pounds 126 to 116 but tomorrow they will be facing each other at more equal weights weightsSun Sun Lover has raced and trained well sinco then and so for that matter has Tech ¬ nician which recently returned to competi ¬ tion after being idle since his defeat in tha Kentucky Derby DerbyCHALLEDON CHALLEDON SECOND CHOICE CHOICEChalledon Challedon has been one of Johnstowns most persistent rivals all year and he may rule second choice to the Belair star in to ¬ morrows race His chance of victory would be greatly enhanced by a muddy or heavy track over which he excels The Brann colt has the happy faculty of being able to ne ¬ gotiate either firm or soft footing a virtue which also can be claimed for Heather Broom winner early in the spring of Keene lands Blue Grass Stakes and Unerring the only filly in the field The latter has been racing here in splendid style and last Sat ¬ urday captured an overnight event in which Technician and Sun Lover were second and third respectively behind her herTotal Total Eclipse which has been showing steady improvement has won his last two engagements to give him some sort of rec ¬ ommendation as a threeyearold of quality but the recent efforts of Viscounty and Yale o Nine hardly recommend them with the better horses of their age ageNEW NEW RECORD PROBABLE PROBABLEThe The fast track that prevailed when entries closed this morning gave rise to hopes for a new track record in the running of the Classic The current figure is 201 made by Discovery in 1935 while the record for the stake is 201 a mark Omaha estab ¬ lished in winning the 1935 running of the Classic The weather forecast however was for local thunder showers which may or may not strike in this immediate vicinity vicinityWhatever Whatever the weather conditions Arling ¬ ton Park is virtually certain to entertain one of its largest crowds in recent years Johnstown has become almost a household word and his presence here has stimulated such interest that every box reservation has been sold to support the managements fore ¬ cast that tomorrows attendance will far ex ¬ ceed that of last year
