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Detroit Stakes to Lure Crack Fields Frontier and Alger ° Run on Week-End Johns Joy, Sequence to Seek Former; Shy Guy Assigned 130 For 5,000 Holiday Fixture FAIR GROUNDS, Detroit, Mich., May 25. — The Michigan Racing Association .has presented high class sport since its inaugural program on Friday, May 13, but the Saturday and Memorial Day cards undoubtedly will prove the best staged at the Woodward Avenue course in many years. The week-end bill is to feature the 5,000 Frontier Stakes, an allowance event for three-year»olds, while the Monday holiday attraction is the 5,000 Colonel F. M. Alger Memorial Handicap, at nine furlongs for three-year-olds and older. Several outstanding sophomores are eligible for Saturdays Frontier Stakes and the probable starting band is to be headed by John Kinards highly regarded Johns Joy. Johns Joy, a quick son of Bull Dog and My Auntie, was good enough during his two-year-old campaign to account for the Duncan F. Kenner Stakes, Hawthorne Juvenile Handicap, and the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes. This year, the Kinard star placed behind Plumper in an overnight handicap at Keeneland and then came back to finish second to Halt in the Blue Grass Stakes, beaten but a nose in each of his Lexington outings. Johns Joy was a starter in the Kentucky Derby but suffered interference in the Downs classic and never reached serious, contention. Fortunately, the Arkansas-owned star came out of his Derby engagement unscathed and his recent morning trials oyer the local strip indicate that he1 will be one of the stouter contenders for the Frontier major honors. While Johns Joy is the early choice for the Frontier, he may catch a tartar in Brownell Combs Sequence, finely-bred daughter of Count Fleet and the former great race mare, Miss Dogwood. Sequence accounted for the Princess Pat Stakes last season and she won three straight races before bowing to Ky. Colonel in an overnight sprint at Keeneland last autumn. Meeting an unusually good field of colts in the Breeders Futurity the Combs miss ran fourth to Olympia, Johns Joy and Fleeting Star. Yesterday morning at Detroit, Sequence worked six furlongs oyer the prevailing slow track in 1:14% handily. Other Frontier Probables Other useful sophomores expected to answer the bugle for the Frontier are Mrs. George C. White and E. W. Thomas Our Request, Louis Lee Haggin Us Stole, Addison Stables Arise, Henry Forrests Sum-mond, Joseph A. Goodwins homebred Canary Bird, and possibly Lexbrook Stables Lextown, who recently won at WasnmSton Park and started in the Kentucky Derby. Racing secretary Charles J. McLennan today released weights for the 19 nominees to the Alger Memorial, and Dixianas Shy Guy, Border City Handicap, Clark Handicap and Ben Ali Handicap victor, received the top burden of 130 pounds. Shy Guy tops a field that is rated far superior to any band that ever contested the Alger in previous years. Joseph A. Goodwins Papa Redbird, 1948 „ Arlington Classic and Curtain Up Handicap winner here on opening day, has retained peak form as demonstrated Monday when he turned back a fast field in the six-furlong dakwood Purse. He shouldered 124 pounds in his last engagement and is assigned 129 pounds for the Monday test. Walmac Farms Billings, perhaps one of the best four-year-old colts in training this year, compiled an outstanding record during his three-year-old campaign. Billings won the Peabody Memorial, Hawthorne Speed, Hawthorne Autumn, Hawthorne Gold Cup, and the Illinois Owners. Amassing earnings of 19,600 during 1948, Billings has. been assigned 129 pounds, and his stablemate, Volcanic, gets in the Alger under 122 pounds. Other thoroughbreds of class nominated for the Alger Memorial are I. J. Collins Vulcans Forge, King Ranchs Better Self, But Why Not and Flying Missel; Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilts Loser Weeper, Hal Price Headleys Pellicle, and Mrs. Ellsworth H. Augustus Seven League. The complete list of Colonel F. M. Alger Memorial Handicap nominees and their imposts follows: Horse. Wt. Horse. Wt. Shy Guy 130 Seven League 110 PapaRedbird 129 Turbine 110 Billings 129 Sir Sprite 109 Vulcans Forge 127 Air Sailor 108, Better Self 123 Frere Jacques 108 Volcanic 122 Touch Control 107 But Why Not 118 Syndicate * 105 Loser Weeper 113 Love Sonnet 105 Plying MisseL 112 Childeric 102 Pellicle 110 x , , „ „
