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Delaware Oaks Lures Field of Eighth Kiss Me Kate Tops w 5,000 Fixture I Acorn Victress Vies With £ Sweet Talk, Jacodema and § Astro in Nine-Furlong Test g By PALMER HEAGERTY £ Staff Correspondent DELAWARE PARK, Stantond., June 15.— Walter M. Jeffords Kiss Me Kate en- gages seven other members of the three- g year-old filly division tomorrow afternoon as the Delaware Steeplechase and Race Association offers the thirteenth running of the mile and a furlong Delaware Oaks. Z Under the conditions of the Oaks, the gross *" purse will be 4,790, with the winner to receive 5,705 if the overnight field re- "L mains intact. j* Kiss Me Kate, a daughter of Count Fleet -* — Irish Nora, was second to How in the Coaching Club American Oaks in her most recent appearance, and behind her on that occasion were five members of tomorrows field. They are Apheim Stables Jacodema; Starmount Stables Signal; Alfred G. Van-derbilts Sweet Talk, Foxcatcher Farms Rose Fern and Llangollen Farms Wisteria. Others named to compete are Greentree Stables JEtuddy and Dixianas Astro. The CCAO marked the second stakes appearance for Kiss Me Kate, the Oscar White-trained filly having won a division of the Acorn Stakes by 12 lengths in her previous engagement. Her only other victory also was by a dozen lengths, with a field of maidens finishing behind her. As in the Acorn and CCAO, Kiss Me Kate will be ridden by Warren Mehrtens. Races Much Alike Jacodema, who last year won the Asta-nta and Jeanne dArc Stakes, was beaten a length by Kiss Me Kate while third in the CCAO. Their races were very much alike, for after the first mile of that 11-furlong jaunt, they were racing head and head for the lead in 1:39. Jacodema, who will be ridden by Bobby Permane, scored her lone victory this season in her debut, beating Ruddy. Signal, Sweet Talk, Rose Fern and Wisteria finished as named in the CCAO beaten off from 18y2 to 27 lengths. Of the quartet, Sweet Talk seems most likely to improve m» the local Oaks, for she has displayed an abundance of class on occasions. Her best effort was in California during .the past winter, where she finished in front in the Santa Susana, only to be disqualified. She boasts a pair of victories against allowance company, as does Signal. Wisteria was second in three successive races prior to the CCAO but lacks a victory this season, while Rose Fern has yet to finish in the money in a three-race sophomore campaign. Ruddy, a Devil Diver filly, accounted for the Prioress Stakes earlier in the season but failed to impress in three succeeding appearances. She has been on the grounds for some time, however, and is the only member of the field with that in her favor. Her training, too, has been satisfactory to trainer George Poole. She will be handled m the Oaks by Ronnie Nash. Another Count Fleet filly in the race is Atsro, who made the trip here from Chicago especially for this occasion. She is a maiden, but boasts a good second to How iri the Kentucky Oaks. Johnny Adams is due from the mid-west to handle Jack Hodgins charge. The Kiamensi Handicap, an open event for three-year-olds and upward which was designed to serve as the. supporting feature on Saturday programs, failed to fill for the second consecutive week-end. There has been but a single running in this series with Brookmeade Stables Blue Hills receiving 24 points through his victory.
