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Sickles Sickles Image Image Seeks Seeks Twilight Twilight Tear; Tear; Eleven Eleven in in Massachusetts Massachusetts Handicap Handicap Lights Up Favored In 5,000 Stake One Hitter and Oil Capitol His Main Rivals as Suffolk Offers Outstanding Program « By CHARLES HATTON SUFFOLK DOWNS, East Boston, Mass., June 12. — Suffolk Downs will have its day in the turf sun tomorrow, when racing enthusiasts gather from all parts of New England to see the sixteenth renewal of the famed Massachusetts Handicap; This 5,000 added run of a mile and a quarter has draw a stylish field of 11, headed by George D. Wideners accomplished Lights Up, who has the somewhat anxious honor of carrying top weight of 121 pounds, and looms up formidably as the probable choice with an expected crowd of some 20,000. The chestnut son of Eight Thirty, 1940 winner of "The Mass," will be opposed by Mrs. Harry Trotseks and Tom Grays Oil Capitol, an invader from the Midwest, and the Greentree Stables diminutive One Hitter. For the sake of realism none of these three has been a conspicuous success up to now in 1951, but they are distinctly the class of the race, and have trained satisfactorily for this important engagement. Yankee turfgoers will be more or less surprised if any of the local talent beats all three. Concedes Up to 23 Pounds Handicapper Eb Pons requires Lights Up to concede One Hitter eight pounds, Oil Capitol nine, and from there the weights range from 110 on Abstract to 98 on Out-land. The others are All At Once, Lambent, Brick, Tilenny, De Luxe and the three-year-old Pictus, who has 103 and on the scale is conceding his older rivals weight, with the single exception of Lights Up. No three-year-old has won, the Massachusetts since War Relic in 41. If all the 11 named this morning face starter Wingfield, this edition of the stake will net its winner 2,300. Suffolks president John Pappas has arranged an elaborate program of extra, Continued on Page Five j I xi sl_ JOHN C. PAPPAS — President of the Eastern Racing Association, will be host to a crowd of 20,000 as Suffolk Downs presents the outstanding program of its | meeting today featured by the Massa- I chusetts Handicap. Eleven to Compete In Massachusetts Lights Up Favored Over One Hitter, Oil Capitol In 5,000 Suffolk Test Continued from Page One added attractions in celebration of Massachusetts Day, when the gates open at 10 a. m. Every available box and reserved seat has been sold; which encourages Pap-pas to hope the crowd will exceed the attendance figures of 19,181 which were present for the occasion a year ago. New Englands unpredictable weather was behaving beautifully and the track was fast when entries closed. The program of extra cirricular events will be featured by a tour of the stable area, a" horse show, a match race between apprentice Borgemenke andurr, two jockeys foot races and a golfing exhibition by Babe Didrikson Zaharias. Pappas notes a tremendous interest among members of Downs East golf clubs in this last attraction. And of course, Bos-tonians have been absorbed for weeks in the nip and tuck contest between Borgemenke and Burr for the riding title at the long meet of 60 days. Moose Pone and My Ruthie will be the mounts in this betless match race, and the boys will flip a coin to determine who rides what horse, which makes it more sporting. They will go five furlongs between the second and third races. The supporting races, like the featured Massachusetts, is named for a New England state or city, and indeed one has the all inclusive title "The New England States." A representative of each will do the honors in the presentation ceremonies. Dagmar will present the Massachusetts Handicap trophy, with appropriate compliments and even more pulchritude. There is a special .event, exclusively for gray thoroughbreds, called the state of Vermont, and this six furlongs drew a field of 10 horses whose chief qualification is a lack of pigmentation. The distances of the nine races vary from five and a half furlongs on the main course to a mile and a half on the turf. Grass racing seems fully as popular here as it is in the Midwest and New Jersey. Abstract Draws Rail Not only has the Massachusetts Handicap brought three genuine big name horses to Boston in Lights Up, One Hitter and Oil Capitol, it has attracted a trio of prominent jockeys in their respective riders. George Hettinger, Ted Atkinson and Ken Church. The race starts out of the chute at the top of the homestretch and Abstract was fortunate enough to draw the inside rail. Oil Capitol is just outside him-how-ever, and Lights Up is in compartment, number 4, One Hitter breaking from number 6. De Luxe, who won the Gansett Special last season, and has displayed more temperament than speed this year, breaks from the outside post position. Lights Up, One Hitter and Oil Capitol all ran unplaced in the historic Suburban Handicap on Memorial Day in their latest public appearances. Lights Up won an allowance race at Jamaica in his 51 debut, then* was third in the Metroplitan, and got to the front straightening for home in the Suburban but tired suddenly and was a receding seventh. One Hitter has made . only two starts this season, racing indifferently in the Metropolitan and Suburban. 011 Capitol was third to a running mate in a sprint which marked his first venture of the season back at Churchill Downs, then moved east and was beaten off in the Metropolitan and Suburban after managing to reach the lead in both. Lights Up is dropping two pounds of the Suburban, Oil Capitol two and One Hitter five. Each has pleased his connections in his training since the Belmont Park fixture. The local entrants, Lambent, Outland, All At Once and Pictus all appeared on last weekends card. None was prominent at the finishes of their races but each is expected to appreciate the effort. Abstract ran for ,500 early in the season but recently won a mile and a sixteenth allowance race here when the track was slow, beating Lambent at a weight disadvantage of 14 pounds. All At Once ran well last fall and has dash enough to be a factor some part of the Massachusetts. Pictus people might wish the going were slow, as most of his best races have been on a wet surface. Brick is a Greentree castoff that has fared moderately well in competition with the better New England performers. But if any of the local campaigners wins this Massachusetts, it will be an upset.
