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, Hot and High Goes In Al Morgan Purse Mikel Speedster Meets Up With Play Again, Bubbling Easy at Sportsmans Park SPORTSMANS PARK. Cicero, 111., May 9.— Norman Elrods Hot and High, a five-year-old who is gifted with more than the average amount of sharp early speed, makes his initial start of the 1948 Illinois racing season here tomorrow. The son of Hygoby — Day Dawn, by Distraction, faces a fleet field at five furlongs in the Al Morgan Purse, and in spite of the fact that he has been sidelined since Gulf-stream Park, it is likely that he will parade postward as favorite in the field. Those listed for competition in the sprint are M. H. VanBergs Play Again, W. Swezeys Rare Bid, M. J. Sulas Non Ferro, D. C. Wilhelms Bubbling Easy. F. Scotts Penniless, Mrs. K. Mayers Whose, Eldorado Farms Pad Lock, Mrs. J. L. Chesneys Play Hands, W. H. Bishops Richavoo and Hilltop Stock Farms Subscriber. Because of Hot and Highs unusual background, he has possibly contributed something to the "improvement of the breed" in Illinois. He was the first thoroughbred ever sired by the stallion, Hygoby, who until Hot and High began to show speed under Elrods silks, was destined for a career as a sire of cold-blooded horses on Elrods Texas farm. The stallion had been used primarily with quarter-horse mares. In Demand as Sire Last year J. D. Mikel, who trains Hot and High, convinced owned Elrod that Hygoby would be in demand as a stallion in the Prairie State and he was shipped to Carlock, 111., where he serviced several thoroughbred mares last year. During the current breeding season, Hygoby has been kept quite active. Hot and High failed to win a race this year in Florida, but usually ran against the better grade of sprinters and his keen early foot invariably made him a strong factor that commanded much respect from the betting public. Last year over the Illinois track she competed against ranking sprinters of the nation, including Tre Vit, Air Rate, Stud Poker, Fighting Frank and others. He gets in the Al Morgan with only 108 pounds and has drawn a favorable No. 4 post position. Bubbling Easy, a mare who is particularly fond of this track, showed impressive form in her most recent start when he dashed to the front after the break and then held on stubbornly through the stretch to repulse Knights Gift by a nose. In back of her that afternoon was Richavoo, Penniless, He Could, Keep Moving, Technicolor, Subscriber, One Blue and Non Ferro. She picks up eight pounds over that race, but the distance is the same. Rare Bid was one of the easiest winners of the entire meeting in a recent start. The three-year-old filly scored against a band of ,000 platers at five furlongs by no less than seven lengths, and she is being placed against much better competition as the result of that performance. Another that could be a powerful factor is Play Again, from the potent VanBerg stable. The mare came through with one of the fastest five-eighths races of the meeting in her last start, when she sped to the front shortly after the start and then sustained bristling speed to beat such as Riot, Fertile Lands, Donaris, Blue Agent, Frank Munns and Lady Lureen. Pad Lock, problem child in the Eldorado Farm stable, could jump up and beat them all. He was purchased by Edwin C. Roth, a prominent Chicago sportsman and coal man, last year from the Calumet Farm, and since then has been erratic, to say the least, although frequently showing signs of the speed that made Ben Jones of the Calumet Farm believe he has one of the most promising two-year-olds he has ever seen. Pad Lock still holds the five and one-half furlongs track record at Washington Park.
