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Capot Capot Captures Captures Preakness; Preakness; Lincoln Lincoln Fields Fields Meet Meet Opens Opens Downs Palestinian By Head at Pimlico Greentree Colts Sets Track Mark of 1:56 in Gruelling Race Before 30,184 Patrons PIMLICO, Baltimore, Md., May 14. Capot added his name to the illustrious roster of Preakness winners by annexing the seventy-third running in a dramatic head finish over Palestinian before 30,184 fans who packed this historic enclosure here this afternoon. Capot won in a furious drive over the Bieber colt, with the speedy Noble Impulse third, three lengths removed from the embattled leaders. With Ted Atkinson in the saddle, Capot shattered the track record for the distance, turning the mile and three-sixteenths in 1:56. This snipped two-fifths of a second from the old mark, established by River-land, and was a full second faster than any previous Preakness raced at this distance. Alsabs 1:57 had been the race record until Capot shattered it this afternoon. Atkinson placed the son of Menow for-wardly throughout, rating him along in steady fashionwithin striking distance of Noble Impulse during the early stages, rallied him when straightened out in the stretch and, racing Noble Impulse into defeat, drew into a short lead from just inside the eighth pole. Atkinson was then forced to call upon the utmost of his skill and, riding doggedly through the last sixteenth, stalled off a determined and bold Palestinian at the wire. Ponder Runs Fifth The next three horses crossed the line in a blanket, Noble Impulse just lasting to get third from Sun Bahram and Ponder. The latter, impressive winner of the Kentucky Derby last Saturday, lacked early speed until reaching the far turn, luckily saved ground until the stretch turn appeared, but then he ran into some traffic diffi-cuties and, forced to take a weaving course for a brief spell, finally came to the extreme outside, to be veritably flying at the finish. Had the race been a mile and a quarter he undoubtedly would have been much closer. Capot, bearing the famed silks of the Greentree Stable, was second choice with the assembled fans, paying .00 straight, .60 to place and .60 to show. Ponder had gone to the post the choice at slightly better than 2 to 1. The Preakness was run in a drizzling rain, a rain, however, which perhaps helped, and by no means hindered, the lightning condition of the racing strip. This morning Continued on Page Three Lincoln Fields Opens Its Meet at Washington Park Delegate to Compete With Eight Top Sprinters in Crete Handicap Continued from Page One has encountered considerable difficulty in completing its programs. Delegate looms as a heavy favorite in the Crete. The five-year-old gelded son of Maeda — Brides Veil, by Polymelian, has been training steadily under the watchful eye of Johnny Nerud, and Eldon Nelson, contract rider for the Woolford unit, will be in the saddle irons. Delegate was put on the sidelines during the early part of February after downing some of the best sprinters at Hialeah Park in the Seminole Handicap. He started only four times in Florida and accounted for a trio of races. When the phenomenally fast Coaltown began to shatter track records, Nerud decided that a short rest would do his star a great deal more good than attempting to match strides with the Calumet cannonball. Most of his training has been over the Hawthorne track, where the stable was quartered during the Sportsmans Park meeting. But he shipped over here this week in time to get the feel of the track and has been proclaimed in the finest possible condition. •He is to shoulder topweight, 122, against 120 for With Pleasure, who is regarded as his foremost rival. The latter will be saddled by the veteran Benton, 111., trainer, Clyde Troutt, who assumed charge of the Breault horses this morning after the former conditioner, Leonard J. Wilson, was indefinitely suspended. With Pleasure, long a favorite in this area, has been idle since last September at Hawthorne. He was unable to generate his best speed consistently during the year and it was decided to give him a rest, along with the other Breault horses. Breault is the son of the late Oscar Breault, who raced under the nom de course of the Brolite Farm before his death this year. Young Breault obtained all of the thoroughbreds in the estate. At his best, With Pleasure has seen the day when he would virtually "run away and hide" from a sprinter like Delegate at even weights. His most notable claim to fame was his big season of 1947 when he succeeded in whipping the then great Armed three times in seven meetings. It was over this track last year that he forced Rippey to crack a new track record for seven furlongs before he accepted defeat by a length. With most interest being centered on this pair, those demanding a smattering of consideration are Enforcer, Bullish and Happy C. All three have run lately in Kentucky and, if it is possible that they will have any edge at all, it will be on condition.
