view raw text
K JUDGES STAND by charles hatton ARLINGTON PAIK, Arlington Heights, 111., June 29. — Saturday cards having two stakes events are becoming something of a rarity as racing expands, the "Name Horses" are spread rather thin, and purse minimums are increased. But Arlington offers its patrons three stakes features features this this week-end, week-end, with with the the features features this this week-end, week-end, with with the the 5,000 Hyde Park for two-year-olds run in two divisions, and 21 of the original 29 nominees entered for the 0,000 Modesty Handicap for fillies and mares. The Hyde Park has two lively fields of beginners, among them the stakes winners Errards Guide, Red Curtice and Oh Leo, and it may produce the one-to-beat for the rich Arlington Futurity. The Modesty also promises a good show, for it has an all-star cast. There was a preview of this six furlongs last Monday, and it gave Chicagoans a higher opinion of J. Graham Browns Miss Highbrow. This chocolate-colored Heliopolis filly spotted Wondring, Countess In and the others weight, following the flying Asphalt like a shadow to the turn, then pounced on her like a cat going for a mouse. It was an impressive performance and may make her the Modesty favorite, though she again concedes some weight. If it interests hunch players, she won by seven from Heres Hoping the second Saturday of the meet a year ago. Brown picked her up for a trifle of ,800 as a yearling, and she is bred a good deal like the 1950 two-year-old filly champion, Aunt Jinny, who is among her Modesty rivals. With two such features as the Modesty and the Hyde Park on the same bill, and any luck in the weather, Arlington may easily beat the 21,510 that wagered ,233,845 on the second Saturday last summer. AAA Arlington is celebrating its 25th anniversary this season, a circumstance that has led to considerable research and reminiscence on the origin and history of the magnificent North Side park. Among other things we leai - that on opening day, Oct. 13, 1927, more than 500 box holders paid 00 each for their seat, and that all proceeds went to the Illinois Childrens Home and Aid Society. That on Jan. 3, 1929, when the builder, "Curly" Chicagoans See 3 Features This Week-End Anniversary Recalls Arlington Park History More Calumets Expected From West Coast Remodelled Arlington Boasts More Boxes Brown, and his associates sold the track, 20 prominent Chicagoans raised ,400,000 in 20 minutes at the Black-stone Hotel to make the purchase. The following day they borrowed ,000,000 more to make further improvements. Among the buyers were Albert Lasker, John R. Thompson, Jr., Leonard Florsheim, Otto Lehmann, Vincent Bendix, Lawrence Stern, Laurance Armour, Weymouth Kirkland, Charley McCulloch and the late Warren Wright. Eleven years later they sold to a group headed by Ben Lindheimer and John D. Allen, chief of Brinks, Inc. Lindheimer, incidentally, designed Arlingtons fire-fighting equipment. All the track wiring is encased in fireproof conduits, fire hydrants were placed at strategic points, and the two and a half inch hose operating under 85 pounds pressure is the same as Chicagos own. AAA The Calumets here at Arlington Park may be joined before long by Coal town, Bewitch and some others Jimmy Jones now has on the West Coast. The two just mentioned are in the 00,000 Arlington Handicap. Citation can become a supplemental candidate on July 7, if it seems worthwhile at the time, and theres some, indication Moonrush may be among those present. The chief of the Calumets has a chance at some more wampum in the Hollywood Gold Cup, which has a net guaranteed value of 00,000 to the winner, and is to be decided on July 14. This appears to be his principal objective at the moment. The three-year-old filly, Jennie Lee, is faring best of the division of Mrs. Wrights string which Ben Jones has in training at this point. The Calumets arent now the favorites in the race for 1951 money-winning honors, but they havent done too badly on the whole. Since 1932, when the stable amassed earnings of ,150, it has compiled ,971,151 through June 22 of this year. And Citation now is within 7,290 of becoming the first genuine "million-dollar horse." The Arlington club has made a few changes in its facilities for the present season, remodelling the clubhouse dining room and the press box, repairing the barns, and making some changes in the box seat section. Twenty new boxes were added about the "wells" or ramps to the mezzanines, down near the finish line, and the partitions about ome of those at the far end of the stand .were removed and they were thrown open to the general admission patrons. Arlington now has more than 800 boxes, which must be a record of some sort. Assistant general manager Pete Brandsness, who handles the box sale, finds that even this total is inadequate. Miss Marj Lindheimer, who is assistant executive director, tells us that other changes in the property will be effected this fall. Its a little like gilding the lily, and most of the work is maintenance. Arlington is about 26 miles from the Loop as the Chicago and Northwestern flies, and an early post time for the last race is a consideration of importance. Miss Lindheimer says that by a lot of teamwork in the various departments, the last post has been whittled down to about 5:14, barring some delay which cannot be anticipated. This enables the patrons to keep dinner ett-v gagements in Downtown restaurants. And the race trains have some new air conditioned equipment. AAA Turf ana: Arlington has some large fields, particularly in its stakes, and is experimenting with the idea of having three outriders instead of the customary two on Wednesdays and Saturdays. We should think the horsemen will like it, and it minimizes the chances of runaways. . .The Negro apprentice, Hosea L. Richardson, here with Tommy Root, is said to be an infallible judge of pace, never varying more than three-fifths with the stopwatch. . .Arlington has an auxiliary paddock judge, to help get large fields on the track punctually . . . Arlingtons first president, the late Maj. Frederic McLaughlin, original owner of the Chicago Blackhawk Hockey Team and husband of Irene Castle, hired Joe Farrell, the Blackhawks perennial tub thumper, as the tracks first publicist. Farrell lasted seven days. "I was healthier than some of the horses in the fifth race," he said, "and they actually wanted me to run. I quit." . . . Nick Wall is commuting from the East to ride Aunt Jinny.