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Alerted Beats Bold by Neck Margin Wage Bitter Duel In Preakness Prep Hampton Stable Colt Gains In Stature for Week-Ends 5,000 Fixture at Pimlico By PALMER HEAGERTY Staff Correspondent PIMLICO, Baltimore, Md., May 14.— Hampton Stables Alerted, a grand-looking son of Bull Lea and Hastily Yours, who was purchased from Calumet Farm last fall for 0,000, injected himself more prominently into the Preakness picture when he scored a smashing neck victory over Brookmeade Stables highly -regarded Bold in this afternoons Preakness Prep Purse. King Ranchs Sonic, after stumbling from the barrier, trailed throughout and was beaten an additional 10 lengths. The no-betting affair was largely responsible for attracting • a good week-day crowd of 10,250 and the three-year-olds staged a stirring race, especially Alerted and Bold, with the winners time being a commendable 1:43%. Sam Boulmetis was the winning rider. The time was just one and three-fifths seconds slower than the track standard established in 1948 by the late Crispin Oglebays Noble Impurse, who came back to be third behind Capot and Palestinian in the Preakness that season. Alerted won only a single purse in four attempts as a juvenile, and if was not until the past winter in Florida that he showed even a semblance of class. Even then, he was unable to show to advantage against top company, his best performance coming at Gulf stream Park, where he beat Pur Sang at seven furlongs. Beaten Head in Cherry Blossom Following his Florida campaign Alerted progressed nicely and in his initial appearance in Maryland he was beaten but a head by Repetoire and General Staff in the Cherry Blossom Stakes, following that up with a triumph in the Laurel Stakes, another six-furlong sprint. Having shown that he possessed a bit of class, Alerted was stretched out by his trainer, former steeplechase rider Jimmy Penrod. In the mile and a sixteenth Chesapeake Stakes he was a bang-up second to Repetoire while apparently wearing down that one in the concluding strides. He was then sent to New York for the Wood and, according to his rider on that occasion, was badly crowded and had little or no chance to show his best speed. He was " Awkins Horse" today, however, for he showed a good turn of speed right from the start, sticking with Bold in the run to the clubhouse bend. It was not until heading into the backstretch that Bold attained a one-length advantage, then he was unable to remain clear for long, for Alerted again joined him from the inside. Bold again drew clear leaving the half-mile grounds and, rather than attempt to press his luck, jockey Boulmetis eased Alerted to the outside and re-engaged the Brookmeade colt from the outside with three-sixteenths of a mile to go. Both Boulmetis and Culmone urged their mounts to the utmost in the final test, and it was Alerted who "inched" to his rival with each stride and finally "put him away" within several strides of the wire. Sonic was always far off the top pair and. even though he was not punished, his effort was anything but encouraging. Frank Stout, of Maiden. Mass., owner of the Hampton Stable, seemed overjoyed when he greeted his charge in the winners circle and it was plain to see that he had visions of again visiting that sector of the plant following this coming Saturdays Diamond Jubilee running of the 5,000 added Preakness.
