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m Hf fl HP HARRY A. PARR III.— Maryland Jockey Club president, was host to the largest luncheon party on Preakness Day at Pimlico. Preakness Day at Pimlico Lures Persons From All Walks of Life Owners of All Contestants i In Big Race Present; Official Washington Represented PIMLICO, Baltimore, Md., May 10. — Sparkling, crisp weather, just what had been predicted, greeted the vanguard of the some 40,000 racing enthusiasts who packed this historic thoroughbred battleground in the North Baltimore suburbs for todays fifty-seventh Preakness running. Although the gates were not officially opened until 9 a. m. daylight time, small queues of fans had formed before the various entrances prior to that hour and the first two to gain admittance to the track were an enthusiastic young couple from Pennsylvania who said they had set out from their home for Pimlico at 6 a. m. this morning. When they arrived at the track, the gates were still closed, but John Heil, assistant secretary of the Maryland Jockey Club, arriving early in anticipation of a busy afternoon, passed the couple through and permitted them to take seats in the stand, until the regular badge "clean-up" was made. Heil spent practically the whole morning on the telephone informing callers that all boxes and reserved seats for todays program had long since been exhausted, said he already has received at least 1,000 requests for reserved seats for next years Preakness. As usual, the early birds got the worm, so to speak, and all of the unreserved seats in the long shallow grandstand were filled long before noon. The lush green center -field was open to the public and hundreds who planned to witness the race from this particular sector, whiled away the hours before the Preakness lolling in the warm sun. Many of those centerfield enthusiasts brought along lunches, but there were several refreshment booths in operation to cater to the appetites of others. Preakness Selling Starts Early A mutuel handle of close to 00,000 was expected to be wagered on the Preakness race alone, chiefly because the Maryland Jockey Club had reverted to a former policy of selling mutuel tickets on the Preakness well in advance of the post time for the race. Additional booths for making wagers on the Preakness had been installed at various points and the sale of mutuel tickets on the various Preakness starters began at 11 a. m. and continued until the fourth race. Once again Marylands premier thoroughbred race attracted enthusiasts from all sections of the country, a fact that was easily discerned by the number of out-of-state licenses on the thousands of cars that entered the various parking areas. Many of these out-of-town visitors arrived in Baltimore yesterday to witness the historic Dixie and to remain over for the Preakness. "Sell-outs" have been reported from most of the leading hotels and practically every restaurant in the central city reported that business had jumped nearly 100 per cent. There was probably no busier person on the premises than affable, young Joe Stevens, of the famous catering firm, whose job it was to see that thousands of Preak- ness fans were well supplied with food and beverages. With hundreds of Preakness luncheons planned, Stevens had installed many extra tables on the clubhouse lawns where various parties wined and dined Al Fresco under the canopy of colorful beach umbrellas, although it was still a bit too chilly for perfect comfort. Headed by Mrs. Elizabeth Graham, gracious owner of Jet Pilot, who carried her Maine Chance Farm silks to victory in last weeks Derby, the owners of all the Preakness starters were on hand for the big race. The largest luncheon party of the day was that held by Harry A. Parr, m., president of the Maryland Jockey Club. Parrs guests included W. A. Julian, of Cincinnati, treasurer of the United States; Mr. and Mrs. C. V. Whitney; Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Lanahan; Mr. and Mrs. John C. Clark; Mr. and Mrs. Robert Kleberg; Mr. and Mrs. Warren Wright; Mrs. I. Dodge Sloane; Governor and Mrs. Preston W. Lane of Maryland; Philip B. Perlman, solicitor general of the United States; Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt; Mr. and Mrs. Tom C. Clark, attorney general of the United States, and many others, prominent in the thoroughbred, business and governmental worlds. Riddle on Hand Guests at other luncheon parties included Samuel D. Riddle, famed owner of Man o War and many other notable thoroughbreds; William Woodward, Grant Thorn, Mr. and Mrs. Walter P. Chrysler; Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bromley; Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lunger; Mrs. Marion duPont Scott; Mrs. Sterling Patterson; Steve Early, the French ambassador and Mrs. Henri Bonnet; John W. Snider, secretary of the Treasury; Mr. and Mrs. Humphrey Finney, Senator Herbert OConnor and Mrs. Spalding Lowe Jenkins. Although this was strictly the Maryland Jockey Clubs show, officials and representatives of the countrys leading racing associations were included in the Preakness Day throng. General Manager Edward Brennan and secretary and treasurer Phil Iselin of the Monmouth Park Jockey Club were on hand as were Bob Kelley and John Day of the New York Racing Association; Bryan Field, executive general manager of the Delaware Steeplechase and Racing Association ; John C. Clark, president of Hialeah Park; Henry L. Straus, president of Tropical Park and the American Totalisator Company; president Eugene Mori and general manager Walter Donovan of Garden State Park; president Goss L. Stryker and general manager George Martin of Laurel and James Butler of Empire City. J. Edgar Hoover, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who has long been an ardent racing enthusiast, and his chief assistant, Clyde Tolson, also were in the throng. Shortly after the second race, the famous Preakness band, preceded by a group of mounted police, marched on the track at the head of the stretch and paraded down to the crowded stand. Their rendition of "Dixie" brought a tumultous cheer from the thousands.
