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11 ; [reflections "— ly Nelson Duns to* Preakness Highlights Fine Pimlico Card Hoop Jr., Pavot Favorites for Rich Race Devil Diver Also Striving for a Triple Unusual Maiden Jockey Event at Belmont BALTIMORE, Md., June 15. One of the most pretentious cards in American racing annals will be staged at the historic Pimlico course tomorrow, with five of the eight events being stakes of importance. The highlight of the day will be the running of the 0,000 Preakness, second leg of the Triple Crown" and a race that brings together Hoop Jr., winner of the Kentucky Derby, and Pavot, the undefeated two-year-old champion, who ran second to Polynesian in his first and only outing this year, in the Withers. Hoop Jr. is no newcomer to Maryland fans, for he ran on three occasions here last season, finishing second in all three. Pavot has never started in Maryland, yet has a strong following in the Old Line State, and will not be without support to defeat the Derby winner today. Both of these horses have much at stake, Hoop Jr. endeavoring to win the second leg of the "Triple Crown," and Pavot striving to establish himself as the champion of the three -year-old division, as he was of the juveniles last year. Experts narrow the event down to one of these horses, but if there should be an upset it might be in favor of Polynesian, who ran a splendid race to defeat Pavot in the Withers. This could be a year of unusual accomplishments. Last Saturday Devil Diver became the first horse in history to win three consecutive runnings of the Metropolitan Handicap. On the same day, his regular jockey, Eddie Arcaro, became the third jockey in Kentucky Derby annals to win three renewals of that race. Tomorrow they will be jointly trying to win the second leg of one of the most difficult trio of races for any one horse to capture in one season, namely, the Metropolitan, Suburban and Brooklyn Handicaps. It was back in 1913 that Whisk Broom II. won these three races, and was ridden in all three by one jockey, Joe Notter. Since then several horses have won two of these events, but failed to take honors in the third one. In 1943 Devil Diver won the Brooklyn and the Metropolitan, but could do no better than fifth in the Suburban. With the Metropolitan already his prize, he seems to have a splendid chance of winning tomorrows Spburban and, should he win it, his chances of duplicating the feat of Whisk Broom II. 32 years ago seem especially bright. The Brooklyn will be run at the Aqueduct meeting on July 4. Whisk Broom II. is not only famous for having won the Metropolitan, Suburban and Brooklyn, but also for the fact that he is the only horse ever credited with running a mile and a quarter in 2:00 flat in this country. This was supposedly accomplished in the Suburban of 1913, and it stands on the books today as the American record for that distance. Probably no time record has been so disputed, for many veterans claim that the timer made a mistake and that the horse ran the distance in anywhere from 2 : 02 to 2:04. Since that time many of the best horses in America have won the Suburban, but none have been able to equal Whisk Broom II. s record. At that, the Suburban has been one of the most swiftly run mile and a quarter events for the past eight years, every one of the winners being timed under 2:03 and six of those eight being timed in less than 2:02. Last year Aletern ran it in 2:01 Vs. a figure very close to the 2:004/s made by Sara-zen in the International Special No. 3 at Latonia in 1924. Sara-zens race probably was the fastest one and one-quarter miles ever run in this country. When Gallorette won the Acorn Stakes from the Whitney pair, Monsoon and Recce, it was the start of three-year-old filly competition that will highlight the next week. Prominent on the big card at Pimlico is the 0,000 Pimlico Oaks, a race that promises to bring together Gallorette and Recce. Next Wednesday the feature event at Belmont Park will be the 0,000 Coaching Club American Oaks, and in this event Long Island fans are likely to see Calumet Farms crack filly Good Blood in competition with Monsoon, Recce, Expression, Ace Card, Price Level and other top fillies of that division. From that event the three-year-old fillies will move over to Wilmington for the 0,000 Delaware Oaks, a searching test at a mile and a furlong, and in this race practically every good member of the sex and division will meet in what now shapes up as a championship contest. It will be run on Thursday, June 28, and then the group will move back to Aqueduct for the running of the 0,000 Gazelle, to be featured on July 7. Good Blood, Gallorette and Monsoon appear to be the trio that will be fighting it out at the head end in these events. Many rich and important races will be staged at various tracks next week, but while next Thursdays second race at Belmont Park has a purse of a mere ,500, the event will be something of an innovation in the Metropolitan area, as the conditions call for "at six furlongs, for four-year-olds and upward, to be ridden by maiden jockeys." Not during the past decade has there been a race on the New York cards for jockeys who have yet to sense the thrill of entering the winners circle. In recent years there has been considerable concern over the dearth of good jockeys. In fact, each year the ranks have been growing thinner and, while ways and means of developing more boys have been discussed, there has been very little of a concrete nature done to develop new riders. It may be that this race will be the first of a series designed to give the less prominent jockeys an opportunity for development. The main fault with the system of today is that boys are rushed into the saddle with bur*a fraction of the preliminary training which was necessary a quarter of a century ago before a lad was entrusted with a horse in actual competition.
