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Nelson Dunstan REFLECTIONS Bv Nelson Dunstan Nobody Wants Preakness 2000 Just Why Is Count a Freak Horse Girl Jockeys Ride This Morning Askmenow vs Fleet in Withers BALTIMORE Md May 6 6Now Now that trainer Wilhelm has decided against sending W E Boeings Slide Rule down from Belmont Park to Baltimore for the Preakness it appears as if the fourth money of 2000 will go begging even though it costs but 500 to start a horse in the race As a matter of cold business it would seem that someone with an eligible would go after it for where can you lay down 500 and a few minutes later pick up 2000 Yet if only Count Fleet Blue Swords and Vincentive go to the Host a huge throng will be on hand nevertheless Horses like Count Fleet come few and far between At the moment his case is similar to that of the illfated Phar Lap who excited the curiosity of a nation after winning the Agua Caliente Handicap School boys glibly spoke his name and oldsters who seldom went to races wanted to see this wink of the sky from the land down under They called him a mystery horse and the red terror just as they are calling Count Fleet a high headed freak But such names arouse curiosity and make the turnstile click a merry tune Count Fleet is a boon to racing He has injected new interest in the new sport of racing and it is our guess that 40000 people will turn out for the Preakness Saturday Just what is an equine freak We have many horses called freaks but most those so called were outstanding race horses Exterminator was called Old Bones and Slim and was something of a shock to admirers of beauty in the thoroughbred In England they called The Tetrarch a freak when he first appeared on the race course This was due to the peculiar gray spots which appeared in his coat It was not long however before they started calling him the spotted wonder for he proved to be one of the fastest horses of all time Some 20 years ago we had a horse in this country named Johren If memory serves us right the late Harry Payne Whitney named him after a tramp He was an ugly sorrylooking Jiorse but once he started to run you forgot all about his looks True Count Fleet is not a commanding horse in appearance As Hirsch Jacobs said Put him in a paddock with 25 others and you would not point him out as the champion of the group Once the Count starts to run he looks like the real champion who goes out to make his own pace Like Man o War he promptly goes to the front with that stay with me if you can attitude We fail to see anything that stamps him a freak although among horses we are not sure what constitutes freakishness freakishnessThere There will be a bit of extracurricular racing here tomorrow forenoon when the Maryland Jockey Club will revive its annual ladies race Post time will be 1130 a m which under the present conditions will assure a good number of spectators since the 12 noon starting time has the stands well filled an hour earlier The distance of the event has been fixed at four and a half furlongs and the ladies will ride at catch weights At the present writing there is a possibility of nine riders anyway The ladies who have promised to appear in silks riding silks on Friday morning are Sarah Bosley of Baltimore Mrs J H C Forbes of Baltimore Mrs Scott Riles of Baltimore Miss Peggy Squiers of Baltimore Miss Ann Harrison of Philadelphia Mrs Peter Hagen of Philadelphia Mrs Sidney Hirst of Philadelphia Miss Judy Johnson of New York and Mrs Rachael Groff of Baltimore The ladies will ride regular runners and there will be a trophy to the winner The posts of stewards judges and other officials will be filled by the professional jockeys It is such events as this ladies race that have always added a little extra color and interest to the Preakness week festivities here at Old Pimlico From a competitive viewpoint the Grey Lag Handicap closing stake at Jamaica looms as a whale of a race if both Riverland and Attention start Max Hirsch who saddled Too Timely for the Pimlico Oaks had not decided about Attention on Wednesday I dont want to work him too much so early in the year We have a long way to go Ill decide on Friday Hirsch had nothing to say about Attentions defeat by Riverland in the Dixie in fact he seldom comments when one of his horses meets defeat But the RiverlandAttention controversy goes on at Pimlico and another meeting will pack Jamaica to the rafters We look for Marriage Devil Diver Apache Mioland and others to start making the event worthy of its value and a fitting climax to the successful Jamaica meeting Riverland has become a great public favorite earning his popularity the hard way of winning from the horses they could send against him In the Dixie he carried 123 pounds but is asked to tote 127 in Saturdays race Attention is in with 126 three pounds more than he carried in the Dixie Both are as fit as hands can make them This is ihe race raceAskmenow Askmenow scored impressively in the Pimlico Oaks and gives promise of being a topnotch filly throughout the season The surprise of the rich event however was the good showing of Too Timely who ran second and the disappointing race of Good Morning who figured to give the Headley filly a fight for major honors La Reigh was also supported but finished behind Good Morning in seventh place These fillies will now move on to Belmont Park where they will battle for the 10000 Acorn and the 10000 Coaching Club American Oaks Too Timely is also eligible for both these events but is also named for the Withers and the Top Flight Handicap Our Page who was regarded by some as the juvenile champion of her sex last season is also named for the Acorn Coaching Club American Oaks and Top Flight so unlike the threeyearold colts with Count Fleet the fillies give promise of stern battle before acknowledging Askmenow as champion of her sex and age Askmenow is a Withers eligible so there is a possibility she will face Count Fleet in that event at Belmont Park Last year she ran second to Occupation with Count Fleet third in the Futurity at Belmont The story is that The Fleet was too much of a gentleman to pass her Wonder if he is still a gentleman for such a race as the Withers
