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► I Eight Fleet Sophomores Vie In Seventy-Fifth Preakness Big Stretch and Hall of Fame Entry May Start as Choice Bold, Alerted and Repetoire Contenders for Lions Share Of Pimlicos 5,000 Stake By OSCAR OTIS PIMLICO, Baltimore, Md., May 18.— The Preakness, one of the three bright gems of American racing which, together with the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes, makes up the fabled "Triple Crown," will center the interests of millions of Americans upon the ancient and tradition-steeped Pimlico race course here tomorrow afternoon. Eight of the finest three-year-olds in training will go postward in the mile and three-sixteenths, 5,000 added sweepstakes, the seventy-fifth or diamond jubilee running of the stakes, first run back in 1873 as an outgrowth of a dinner party by some leading sportsmen of that era. Crowd of 25,000 Expected A crowd of between 25,000 and 30,000 is expected to jam the Pimlico course for the jubilee renewal, but millions of others will see the race via television or hear a description of the historic affair over the radio. No Preakness in recent years has had the wide open aspect of tomorrows running. Fans have been having a hard time selecting a favorite, and the air of uncertainty which has marked events all this week have continued right up to the present. The weather has been a contributing factor to the uncertainty. This morning dawned cool and overcast, with the Baltimore weather forecaster predicting that there might be scattered showers in this part of Maryland. It was anybodys guess whether or not said showers would hit, or perhaps miss, the Pimlico strip. The forecast for the morrow is clear and continued cool. Weather to Play Decisive Role The weather easily could play a decisive role in the determination of the Preakness winner. The lukewarm choice, Big Stretch, who goes coupled with Hall of Fame as the Greentree entry, does not fancy the mud. On the other hand, C. V. Whitneys Counterpoint, whom many rate as the "dark horse" of the race, would dearly love an "off" track. Timely Reward would prefer a fast track, while Al Jensen, trainer of Repetoire, isnt too concerned either way, but, if he had his choice, he thinks that "Reppy," as the horse has become known around the barn, would have his chances slightly enhanced with slop or mud. Three of the "big horses" in the Preakness field took advantage of the fast track JOHN M. GAVER— Saddles the favored Greentree Stable entry of Big Stretch and Hall of Fame in todays Preakness. prevailing this morning to get in their final training licks. Hall of Fame and Big Stretch were blown out smartly yesterday morning by trainer John Gaver, and their chores have been completed. Gaver pronounced his tandem in the peak of condition following that trial. Brookmeade Stables Bold was the first of the "biggies" on the track. The son of By Jimminy— Little Rebel, was asked for speed at a half mile and the colt responded nicely by delivering a :47%, and was up five furlongs in 1:01%. "Im satisfied with his condition and his training," said trainer Preston Burch while the horse was cooling out. "Hes done everything we have asked, is as fit as he can be, and he will have no excuses if beaten." Bold will have the services of Eddie Arcaro in the Preakness. "Heady Eddie" has a chance to set a Preakness record tomorrow, for Bold would make his fourth victory in the stakes. The riding Continued from Page Forty-One Seventy-Fifth Preakness Draws Eight Sophomores Big Stretch, Hall of Fame Entry May Start as Choice at Pimlico Continued from Page One mark of three is held jointly by Arcaro, George Barbee ahd L. Hughes. Arcaro, incidentally, will be riding in his twelfth Preakness, and, oddly enough, he has never ridden Bold. Repetoire, with Pete McLean, in the saddle, was on the course shortly before 9:00 oclock. McLean logged him a bit, then /broke off at the half mile pole and was tabbed by Daily Racing Form dockers in :47%, up the five furlongs in 1:01%. It was a most satisfactory trial. The Preakness is perhaps the most important in Repetoires entire career inasmuch, as we reported earlier in -the week, the race is "make or break" as being of classic distance calibre. His future literally hangs in the balance. He could prove himself of championship material, or he may fade from classic prominence into the ranks of sprinters, or at best middle distance handi-cappers. Alerted was on the track shortly before 10:00 oclock. Trainer Jimmy Penrod, the former steeplechase pilot who turned conditioner only a couple of years ago, was in the stirrups. After a long gallop, Alerted broke at the half mile, and, with much weight up and under steadying restraint, stepped that distance in :52, flat. His early fractions were :13%, quarter in :26%, and three-eighths in :39%. With a news lull thus settling over the Preakness starters, some public interest was diverted to the arrangements, or setting, of the race, a background that is Pimlicos own. Maj. Gen. Milton A. Reckord has mapped out a schedule which will be followed closely. Gates will open at 10 oclock in the morning, and the first race will go postwar d at 2:00 oclock. Radio and telecasts will begin at 5 : 00 oclock, and will continue through 5:30. Post time for the diamond jubilee Preakness has been established at 5:17. All times given are Eastern Daylight Saving. - The record crowd for a Preakness is the 42,370 who saw the race in 1946. The record handle for a single race was the 94,312 on the 1947 running, and the largest single days handle at Pimlico was the ,219,120, which went through the tote in 1946. One oddity of Preakness Day is that several hundred fans will be able to see the race without leaving their homes or apartments. A number of vantage points are available to home owners which give a clear view of the entire course. The proximity of these homes is one reason 1 *, t that the six-furlong chute elbows onto the j main track. Were it to be constructed in a | straightaway off the backstretch, it would stick right out into the middle of a busy [street. Speaking of the tote, Maryland officials say they have made a check and discovered there is a greater percentage of wagering straight .than prevails in any other state. I Hence the emphasis placed on the Preak-! ness winner is more pronounced insofar as the rank and file of fans are concerned. . While the Preakness is a wide open race, the race has an element of a "dark horse" surprise that has all the fans in Baltimore talking. Many are of the opinion that if the horses, who are all pretty much alike as contenders are upset, that upset will be accomplished by Counterpoint. To reach that conclusion, the Counterpoint backers insist to make the horse a logical contender one needs only throw out- one race, the Derby. They recall that Counterpoint ran and sparkling race -in one division of the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, a race in which he showed boldness to come on again near the wire after encountering trouble that would have dispirited any but a really good horse. In addition, Counterpoint has a good race to his credit against older horses. He finished second to the hard-hitting Wistful in the Ben Ali Handicap at Keeneland, and, on thc-basis of these two races, gained a good deal of public support in the Derby. Add in the items that Counterpoint turned in a sparkling mile trial at Belmont just before shipping to Pimlico, and that Syl Veitch is one of the best trainers in America, and no stranger to Preakness competition, and it is pretty obvious that Counterpoint could indeed, spring a "surprise." Because of the fact that only eight have been named overnight in the Preakness, the post positions are expected to have little effect on the outcome. Alerted, winner of the Preakness Prep over Bold, drew the outside. Bold, who set the pace in the Prep last Monday, drew number 6 and Counterpoint, 7. Knowitall is on the rail, then come Hall of Fame and Big Stretch, with Timely Reward and Repetoire in the middle. Riding assignments in the Preakness have been complete for some 48 hours. All the Preakness reinsmen, if not actually masters, are brilliant and dependable saddlesmiths. Of course, the presence of Arcaro in the stirrups with Bold, and Ted Atkinson with Big Stretch, seems certain to assure these horses a firm degree of backing. Raymond Adair, who will ride Counterpoint, is making a comeback, and a victory for this horse would make better "story book" material even than Conn McCrearys victory with Count Turf in the Kentucky Derby. It was only a year ago that Adair, recuperating from an injury, was driving a big ten-ton diesel truck.
