view raw text
IslPr H 5L mm m m% MAX HIRSCH— Sends out Attention in the Dixie today to try and eclipse the defeat of Whirlaway, which feat the Corning colt accomplished in the classic at Arlington Park last summer. Ten Ten Face Face Whirlaway Whirlaway in in Dixie Dixie Today; Today; War War Benefit Benefit Day Day at at Sportsmans Sportsmans Park Park jMioland, Challedon, Attention Main Rivals of Calumet Star Latter Takes Up Top Impost Of 128 Pounds in 0,000 Pimlico Mid-Week Feature Dixie Handicap. 0,000. Three-Year-Olds and Upward. One Mile and Three-Sixteenths. PP. Horse. Jockey. . Wt. 1 Air Master J. Deering 112 2 Sir Alfred P. Keiper 115 3 Whirlaway W. Eads 128 4 Mioland L. Haas 126 5 Filisteo A. Shelhamer 108 6 Best Seller S. Young 114 7 Challedon G. Woolf 124 8 Pictor G. Woolf 122 9 Century Note E. Arcaro 112 10 Attention D. Meade 124 11 Impound D. Madden 110 W. L. Brann entry — Challedon and Pictor. BALTIMORE, Md., May 5.— The Dixie Handicap, most important of Marylands spring annuals for distance horses, has drawn an extraordinary high-class field of 11 to match strides over a mile and three-sixteenths of the lightning-fast old Pimlico course here tomorrow. Whirlaway, Warren Wrights 1941 "Triple Crown" hero, is the top weight and favorite in this 0,000 special. Handicapper Charles McLennan assesses Blenheim II.s long-tailed son at 128 pounds, but Plain Ben Jones charge looms no more than a 2 to 1 shot right off his recent spectacular conquest in the old Clark Handicap. The Dixie will bring about the initial meeting between Whirlaway and W. L. Branns Maryland-bred Challedon, who holds considerable sentimental appeal for Free Staters, carries 124 pounds and has placed the Philadelphia Handicap to his credit this spring. The Dixie also will develop the first meeting between Whirlaway and Attention, since the latter dusted him off in the Arlington Classic. Attention also has 124. Up-and-Coming Air Master Handicapper McLennan, however, reckons lucky Charley Howards Mioland is the most formidable of Whirlaway s rivals in what is the latter s initial appearance of his 1942 and final campaign in the effete East. Mioland must pack 126. Pimlicos great spring handicap, inaugurated as far back as 1870, is rich in history and has produced some memorable battles among turf giants down through the years, but it never drew a more accomplished field than this. In addition to the box-office draws just mentioned, the promised field includes picturesque John L. Sullivans up-and-coming Air Master. This ex-plater set the one mile .nd one-sixteenth Pimlico course standard in a minor stake a few days back and is burdened here with a mere 112. Another interesting entrant among the light weights is Col.*E. R. Bradleys Best Seller, who has 114 and who last winter at Hialeah Park amazed the turf world by setting all the pace in the 0,000 The Widener, in which he went under by a mere profile to the obscure The Rhymer. Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, who converted Pimlico from a decadent plant into one of Americas most popular courses, will be represented in this Dixie by Impound, an interesting Virginian who is essaying a comeback. Impound recently won the Culpepper Handicap at Pimlico as his distance final, and carries 110. Rounding out the field are: Sir Alfred, Continued on Page Thirty-Nine Whirlaway Tops Crack Field of Eleven In Dixie Handicap Renewal at Pimlico Calumet Star Is Opposed i By Challedon, Mioland, Attention and Pictor Continued from Page One under 115: Filisteo, 108; Pictor, stablemate of Challedon, under 122, and Century Note, with 112, which impost included Eddie Arcaro, "the best horse in the Greentree barn." Century Note won at Louisville recently and has a fast rider in the Ken-tuckian. With all this singular array of talent in one race, Pimlico would seem assured one of its largest crowds of a successful spring meeting. In many quarters theres an inclination to think this Dixie may prove a more significant horse race than will the vastly richer Preakness. If all the 11 entered in this thirty-eighth Dixie face starter Jim Milton at the head of "Heartbreak Road" tomorrow, it will yield the winner a net purse of 0,775. Track Record in Danger Three track records have been broken at this meeting and another equalled. Indications today are that when this classy Dixie field hooks up, Seabiscuits mile and three-sixteenths track mark of 1:56% may be seriously endangered. Plain Ben Jones reports Whirlaway thoroughly fit for his monumental task in the Dixie, which is his first engagement of this season really testing his right to wear the handicap crown. Whirlaway came over from Louisville with the rapid Aonbarrs scalp added to his collection and was familiarized Monday night with the Hilltop paddock and racing surface, galloping once around. This morning he opened up impressively with a breezing half in :493/5. Wendell Eads, who believes hes finally learned to ride the Kentucky Derby record holder, probably will have the mount. "Old Pete has come up to the Dixie satisfactorily," trainer Eddie Christmas declared on making the entry today. "Those soft tracks hereabout earlier in the spring gave him renewed confidence. I believe he will give a very creditable account of himself if he can escape trouble." Pictor, named to accompany Challedon, hardly will fill his Dixie engagement. Money-rider George Woolf, as usual, will handle Challedon. "The best horse ever bred in Maryland" opened this morning ► with a snappy three furlongs in :36%, just breezing along with the breeze. Attentions presence adds interest to the Dixie because of his camps smug confidence he can repeat his defeat of Whirlaway in last summers classic. The Corning colt is rather a light-waisted sort, especially for an Equipoise, however, and not too sturdy of underpinning. At peak fettle, he could be troublesome. Possibly diminutive Don Meade, who has been in the stirrups this season, again will handle this Albany, N. Y.-reared four-year-old. Mioland wouldnt have to better his 1941 effort in the Dixie to prove a formidable factor in the result, although hes encountering stouter rivals. Last spring he essayed to spot Haltal a chunk of weight and was beaten the proverbial eyelash. Taciturn Tom Smith has Charley Howards "international horse" in as fine condition as he can possibly get him, which is very good indeed for this run of a mile and three-sixteenths. Mioland has performed only moderately well in his eastern invasion thus far, but still is one to conjure with. Buddy Haas has the mount and is thoroughly acquainted with the foibles of this son of the gargantuan Mio-Arezzo. If one of the light weights is to capture this Dixie, perhaps he is the Texas-owned Air Master. This Elmendorf-bred is particularly hard to catch when he can steal off several lengths early. And, with high imposts, none of the "big name" horses is going to essay winning this Dixie from flag-fall to finish. This virtually exhausts the Dixie eligi-bles who seem to count as the hour of the running approaches. A triumph for any of the others would come as an enormous surprise to a majority of the attendance. Harry Parr, Matt Daiger, Dave Woods and Norris Royden are planning quite a celebration in conjunction with the staging of this Dixie renewal, complete to bands, parades, etc. The Dixie is Maryland equivalent of the Suburban, and racing enthusiasts of the Old Line State, which is to say almost 100 per cent of the populace are manifesting an interest in this running of the stake which indicates a near-record mid-week throng.
