Between Races: Wistful Looms Favorite for Pimlico Oaks; Unionville, Pa., Is Newest Equine Center; Recall Flag Is Ordered for Preakness; Solidarity, Pedigree Add to Mayer Prestige, Daily Racing Form, 1949-05-12

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1 — — 7ZS BETWEEN RACES . * «c« °™s PIMLICO, Baltimore. Md., May 11. — At this writing, the Calumet Farms Wistful would appear to be a confident favorite for Fridays running of the Pimlico Oaks. Wistfuls race in winning the Kentucky Oaks was little short of spectacular. She encountered trouble at the first turn which would have disheartened a thoroughbred of lesser stature, came on to win her race the "hard way" and going away from her field. Some observers at Chui chill that afternoon paid her a true compliment when they said that, in their opinion, and by the way, their opinions are always worth listening to, Wistful would not have disgraced herself had trainer Ben Jones elected to start her in the Derby against the colts. We understand that Tall Weeds will be given a chance to redeem herself in the Pimlico offering at a mile and one-sixteenth. Others in the field may come from such as Raise You, Undercurrent, Lady Dorimar, Lithe, Pella, Gaffery and Floating. The Pimlico Oaks is one of the most coveted races on the American roster of stakes insofar as breeders are concerned. The prestige of the race is enormous despite the fact that its 0,000 in added money is not deemed too important in this age of the commonplace 0,000 stake and frequently encountered 00,000 added prize. Milkmaid set the pattern for "quality winners" when she scored in the inaugural running in 1919. Other famous feminine names on the roster of winners includes such as Cleopatra, Nellie Morse, Sketch Book and. in more recent times, Vagrancy, Twilight Tear. Gallorette and But Why Not. AAA Charlie Shaw, Jr., trainer for John Bromleys Cedar Farm, hopes to put the blue grass and limestone region Wistful Looms Favorite for Pimlico Oaks Unionville, Pa., Is Newest Equine Center Recall Flag Is Ordered for Preakness Solidarity, Pedigree Add to Mayer Prestige of Unionville. Pa., before American turf people and the public, in rather acceptable light before the Delaware Park meeting is over. Shaw has six Pennsylvania -breds from the Cedar acreage in the Keystone State who will be unveiled during the Stanton season. These two-year-olds are the first full crop of the Cedar Farms stallion Warlock, a son of Equipoise from the clever Man o War mare Wand. Warlock has had an occasional horse get to the races to date, and all have won, but, so far, his representation has not been of sufficient numerical strength to establish a pattern as to his intrinsic worth. Shaw says the Unionville area has about as much natural advantage for the raising of fine thoroughbreds as most any other place that could be mentioned. The blue grass is not the typical Kentucky brand, but it is a blue grass, nevertheless. The limestone is to be found in abundance. It always has been known as wonderful pasturage country, but it has been only in comparatively recent times that the thoroughbred has been introduced in force. Unionville s greatest previous claim to fame was as fox hunting country. The King Ranph selected the area not too long ago as a site for a vast cattle operation. Perhaps the most promising of the Warlocks to be introduced this season by Shaw is a colt named Marengo from the one-time speedy race mare Miss Goshen. Incidentally, the Shaw rider. Pete McLean, is enjoying another good season here at Pimlico. In the last few years. McLean has developed into one of the steadiest and most dependable riders on the Atlantic seaboard. AAA Eddie Blind, the youthful starter, will be sending his second Preakness field away come Saturday afternoon to the strains of "Dixie," "Maryland, My Maryland," and the "Star Spangled Banner." As was the case last year and as also prevails in the Kentucky Derby, Blind will make use of the recall flag and declare a false start if. perchance, cne of the doors to the gate does not open or anything else in the way of a mechanical failure occurs. All Preakness riders will be instructed to look out for the recall flag before going into high gear down the straightaway. Blind, you might be interested to know, has had rather phenomenal success here with sending the steeplechase fields away "on the word" from the flat without benefit of either barrier or bell. Blind devised and perfected the system whereby the "leppers" circle for a spell in the infield to settle down, then parade each horse within "kicking distance" of the horse in front of him, directly across the grassy course, and turn on the word and get under way. "This method has practically eliminated the tendency to dwell at the start on the part of a former flat racer, who might have been converted into a steeplechase campaigner for just that, among other reasons," explains Blind. You also might be interested to know that Blind, who served a lengthy apprenticeship-for his present post as an assistant starter in the "old school," is of the opinion that the riding profession is gaining in dignity and in public respect. ,rrTie days of the smart alec are about over," he observes. "I think the Guild has been a beneficial influence by imposing some discipline within the ranks, coupled with Continued on Page Thirty-Five . I L I I l L j [ L L I I I I I I I I I I I I •* k " v BETWEEN RACES 4 4 By OSCAR OTIS Continued from Page Forty the good advice and example of the older and better-known riders upon the novices and apprentices." AAA Horses and People: Reserved seats at -Pimlico for Preakness Day have been sold C out since January. . . . Gordon Glisson, who -has been serving a five-day suspension for rough riding in Kentucky but who will be back in the saddle on Friday, has been walking Old Rockport of an early morning, spending his spare time soaking up the knowledge to be gained on nearby thoroughbred farms. . . . Congratulations to the American race tracks who are cutting their own "tote" facilities a trifle to make selling machines available to Hollywood Park, r which opens Tuesday for its 50-day regu- larly scheduled meeting at Santa Anita. I ... Victory of Solidarity in the 0,000 . Golden Gate Handicap, mile and a quarter, in 2:00 flat, but one-fifth of a second re-, moved from the American and world mark, ■ and Pedigree in the Golden Gate Derby, ■ has by no means diminished the desira-l bility of the last yearling crop of L. B. Mayer to go under the hammer at, as yet, i an unannounced date. " A A Leslie Combs H. has installed an inter- ; communication system at Spendthrift. All barns, offices and the residence are con-" nected on the circuit, and instant communication is available at all times. . . . : Calumet Farm, which had a second call [ on Gordon Glisson during much of the Churchill Downs meeting, plans to give the ; top apprentice as much opportunity as 1 possible both in New York and Chicago, or wherever else Calumet horses may be J . during the summer. . . . B. A. Bridge water, sports editor of the Tulsa World, advises that while legalized racing in Oklahoma I took a setback when the legislature in that t state tabled the turf measure it had under P consideration, the setback can be termed as 5 temporary. "There is a strong sentiment t growing in favor of legalized racing with i pari-mutuels," says Bridgewater, "and I I believe that racing is making progress. ,. There is a six-furlong track at Pawhuska i where informal racing is proving highly popular." . . . The new high-speed odds s forecaster unit of the American "tote" is s in use in California, New York, New Eng-" - land, Kentucky, Chicago, New Jersey and 3 Maryland. It will be available for smaller r tracks by« next year,


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