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E. E. DALE SHAFFER— President of the Michigan Racing Association, which will conduct its inaugural meeting at the Detroit Fair Grounds starting today. Fourteen Fourteen in in Curtain Curtain Up Up at at Detroit; Detroit; Ponder Ponder Narrowly Narrowly Escapes Escapes Mishap Mishap Michigan Racing Association Inaugurates 80-Day Season Star Reward, Papa Red bird t And Piet Compete in Sprint Headliner at Fair Grounds FAIR GROUNDS, Detroit, Mich., May 12. — Thoroughbred racing returns to the Motor City tomorrow when the newly formed Michigan Racing Association inaugurates its 80-day meeting. The local sport will continue at the Fair Grounds through August 13, and during the forthcoming season no less than 30 stakes, totaling 60,000 added, are to be decided. Many rich overnight events also are listed for running and the minimum purse for those offerings is ,500, a neg high in this area. President E. E. Dale Shaffer and general manager M. Joseph Lynch of the MRA expressed the opinion today that Detroit turf followers will support the type of racing their organization intends to present, and that the summer session will be a long step toward their ultimate goal of bringing the best possible sport to this community. Racing Will Occupy Spotlight "We have arranged an excellent stakes program for the 1949 meeting and we expect to bring it to local patrons in correct and proper fashion," said Shaffer this morning. "There will be no extracuricu-lar activity, the racing will occupy the spotlight here from opening day until the close next August and the entire Fair Grounds staff will work to that objective." Lynch, who has been engaged in bringing the plant into good shape for the opening, stated that it is in complete readiness for the initial 1949 program. Considerable work was necessary to prepare the spacious Woodward Avenue course for the comfort of record crowds expected for the Friday and Saturday cards. Alterations in the stabling area also met with the approval of turfmen on hand for the meeting. Post time daily will be 2:30 p. m., Eastern Standard Time, and "Boots and Sad-dles" will be sounded promptly at 2:20 p. m. Daily Double pools are to close at 2:15 p. m., according to Riggs Mahony, supervisor of the totalisator department. Crack Field in Feature Headed by a brilliant group of stakes winners, tomorrows 0,000 Curtain Up Handicap, undoubtedly will prove one of the highlights of the Detroit meeting. Included in the list of 14 entries for the six-furlong sprint are such high class performers as Dixianas Star Reward, Peter A. Markeys Piet, Joseph A. Goodwins Papa Redbird, James C. Ellis Miss Neal, and S. M. Neumeyers Turbine. Star Reward, Piet and Papa Redbird drew equal top weight burdens of 120 pounds and each member of the trio comes to the Fair Grounds with an impressive record. Piet, victor in the Arlington Futurity, Richard Johnson Stakes and Spalding Lowe Jenkins Stakes during his two-year-old campaign, held to his top form last year and annexed the Ral Parr Stakes and Skokie Handicap. In his most recent major engagement, the Markey colt whipped Macbeth, Buzfuz, Vulcans Forge, Rippey and six other speedy racers in the 5,000 Jamaica Handicap on April 13. Star Reward, one of the mainstays of the locally owned Fisher establishment, turned back some speedy opposition in 1948 when he achieved major honors in the Continued on Page Three Curtain Up Heads First Detroit Card MRAs 80-Day Meet Opens at Fair Grounds; Star Reward, Papa Redbird and Piet Vie Continued from Page One Shreveport Handicap, rich New Orleans Handicap, historic Clark and the Sheridan Handicap. Star Reward is in splendid condition at present and worked five furlongs yesterday morning over the fast strip in l:00-*5 handily. Papa Redbird, one of the best sophomores in training last season, is scheduled to make his 1949 debut in the Curtain Up. Winner of the important 1948 renewals of the Dick Welles Stakes and Arlington Classic, the Goodwin homebred colt picked up earnings of 6,300. After Papa Red-bird blew out three furlongs this morning in :3435 trainer John Zoeller stated that the colt will be ridden in the inaugural day headliner by jockey Willie Cook. Miss Neal. Ellis homebred mare, surprised a big crowd at the Keeneland spring meeting when she drove to a game triumph in the eighty-seventh running of the Phoenix Handicap. Handicapper Charles McLennan pegged her at 108 pounds for the Curtain Up and the daughter of Sweeping Tide and Foreign Play is quite capable of handling that burden. In her Phoenix score, Miss Neal beat Calumet Farms Free America a nose, while P. L. Grissoms Al-menow finished third. Almenow, assigned 110 pounds for the Detroit opening stake, is to race coupled tomorrow with his sta-blemate. Master Bid, 114 pounds. Turbine Invader From Maryland Turbine, was brought back to the races in Maryland before his shipment to the Motor City and the seven-year-old son of Burning Star certainly merits consideration under his 111 pounds impost. Turbines stake accountings include the Havre de Grace Handicap and the Narragansett Spring Handicap. A steady-going sort when at his best, Turbine may prove a keen factor in the opening-day headliner. Mrs. E. E. Dale Shaffers Miss Mommy, winner of the Princess Doreen Stakes at Arlington Park last year, is one of the better rated four-year-old fillies at the races and she will go postward under 107 pounds. Brought along carefully this season by trainer H. H. Pete Battle, Miss Mommy made a fine physical appearance this morning as she breezed three-eighths mile in :37. Completing the probable Curtain Up starting band are Henry Forrests Traveler, 110 pounds, and Cotton Joe, 109, a recent winner at Churchill Downs; Raymond An-kenbauers quick Porters Broom, 110; Mrs. Ellsworth H. Augustus Seven League, 109; Theodore D. Buhls Air Sailor, 106, and Crack Reward, 108 pounds. Several of the lighter weighted Curtain Up entrants are familiar to Detroit racing patrons, having competed here before the Michigan Racing Association took over the plant.
