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► : ■ — Ten or More Starters Likely For Peabody Memorial Stakes Royal Mustang, Ruhe, Sevent Other Hopefuls on Work Tab During Past Two Mornings WASHINGTON PARK, Homewood, HI., May 28. — Lincoln Fields* 5,000 Peabody Memorial Stakes at Washington Park Wednesday, which well may be an important factor in final determination of the three-year-old championship before the hectic campaigns of 1951 comes to an end, gave every indication of drawing a field of 10 or more starters when the bugle sounds for Chicagos traditional Memorial Day fixture. No fewer than nine of the 34 Peabody nominees engaged in preparatory training drills on Sunday and Monday. They tended to raise the number of prospects for the Wednesday holiday event because they did not include several others which are regarded as most probable starters, for instance Calumet Farms Fanfare, Mrs. J. P. Keezeks Abbe Sting, Brownell Combs Bernwood, Red Top Farms Stop Gap, Spring Brook Farms Pur Sang, and W. M. Peaveys Sir Bee Bum. Seen During Training Period Todays work tab included Mrs. Emli Denemarks Ruhe, Sam E. Wilsons Royal Mustang, John Marschs Brevite, Mrs. Fred Sharpes Kings Hope, and the more doubtful Andy B. W., owned by Aarons and Hokin, and Red Top Farms Nugget Gold, stable-mate of Stop Gap. Interest centered chiefly on the appearances of Ruhe and Royal Mustang, two of the most prominent if not the leading candidates for the one and one-eighth miles Peabody. Royal Mustang went three-quarters handily on the muddy track in 1:17%, while Ruhebreezed seven-eighths in 1:31%. Those moves seemed to be about what was asked for by their respective trainers, Willie Booth for Royal Mustang, Bob McGarvey for Ruhe. On a sloppy track on Sunday Reverie Knoll Farms Irish Flare went seven-eighths in 1:35, while Augustus and%Nahms Bourbon Blaze and Rousch and Reids Bloody Step also engaged in short works. It appeared that the Peabody field probably would include Ruhe, Royal Mustang, Fanfare, Bernwood, Abbe Sting, Brevite, Stop Gap, Sir Bee Bum, Pur Sang, Irish Flare, Kings Hope and perhaps Mrs. Nellie N. Mikels False. Pretender to Sophomore Crown Ruhe, winner of the Arkansas Derby and one division of the Blue Grass Stakes, to say nothing of his third to Count Turf and Royal Mustang in the Kentucky Derby, is already considered a pretender to the three-year-old throne, along with "Count Turf, Bold, Battlefield, and Repetoire, the most prominent claimants at the moment. Victory for Ruhe in the Peabody would greatly strengthen his claim, but at any rate the Peabody winner will be among the title contenders when the race is over. The same may be said of the winner of another race on Memorial Day, the Jersey Handicap at Garden State. The presence of trainer Ben Jones and Fanfare, of course, was a great stimulant to interest in the Peabody, as the half-brother to Coaltown and Wistful has made some rather pretentious claims himself , his four victories including the Derby Trial at Churchill Downs. Fanfare finished fifth in the Derby. Five of the probable Peabody starters — Royal Mustang, Ruhe, Fanfare, Pur Sang, and Sir Bee Bum — ran in the Derby.
