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Chicago Downs Opens Big Harness Meet Tonight Stake Pace Run in Two Divisions When Total of Fifteen Declare In SPORTSMANS PARK, Cicero, 111.— The greatest night harness meeting opening in the history of the Midwest is scheduled for Sportsmans Park Monday when Chicago Downs lifts the lid on its stake-glittered 54-night program. The first six nights will be under the sponsorship of Chicago Tribune Charities, Inc. A total of 15 declared in for the 15 Class Stake pace and race secretary Jerry Baier divided the first-class sidewheelers into two divisions. Guest Star, holder of the one and one-sixteenth miles track record of 2:12%, drew in along with Bay Prince, Adah Tass, True Neil, Widow Worthy, Atomic Might, Caroline Abbe and John Lee and goes in the sixth and ninth races. The other half of the pace stake, going postward as the fifth and eighth events on the card, brings together Chief Mite, Hand Book, Helens Chief, Red McKlyo, Vera Grattan, Mr. Richwood and Grattan Truax. Mr. Richwood, making his first start of the 1951 campaign, finished off his 50 calendar at Toledo with an easy triumph of 2:09%. However, the horse to catch for the ,175 purse will be Grattan Truax, for the 6-year-old Donald. Truax bay horse is at his peak right now. He entered the winners circle in his last four outings at Aurora Downs, the first of which was in the track-shattering time of 2:04%. Tommy Mills has piloted the classy pacer into the charmed, circle five times in eight official starts for earnings this season of ,950. Grattan Truax drew 7-6 for the two-trip feature and has his work cut out in both affairs since speedster Chief Mite grabbed 1-4 and Mr. Richwood 6-2. The horse likely to be the toughest in* Guest Stars division is Widow Worthy. The six-year-old The Widower mare closed out the 1950 book in a blaze of glory with a two-trip decision at Toledo last fall. He covered the 1-1/16 miles in 2:15% and the mile distance in 2:06%, winning both handily. Secretary Baier also found himself overloaded with horses for his 24 Class Stake Trot, a total of 28 dropping into the box, and wound up splitting the event into three single dash races. Gene Riegles Tommy Mite and Edgar Leonards Royal Vickie top the nine-horse first race of the trotting stake. Lucille Flemings Waywise, Billy Arthur and Gypsy Prince stand out in the second division, which drew 10 starters, while Merl Walters Boyne Hanover appears to be the trotter to whip in the third division which will see nine go postward. A grand total of 0,418 in purse monies is scheduled to be distributed to horsemen on opening night, the largest initial night purse calendar in Midwest racing history.
