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I REFLECTIONS *- By Nelson Dunstan Blue Man Impressive in Winning Preakness Son of Blue Swords Real Yearling Bargain Preakness Winner of American Bloodlines Baltimorians Hope Pimlico Will Be Saved NEW YORK, N. Y., May 19. Hill Gail was definitely the best horse in the Kentucky Derby, but the same can be said for Blue Man in the Preakness. Immediately following the race, there was a revival of the discus sion of whether this years sophomore division is good, bad or- indifferent. Early in the season, this writer reserved decision, although we were of the opinion then that the present crop was to be better than average. There is still a long way to go, but we now doubt if, at the end of the season, the three-year-olds; as a group, will have proved to be higher in quality than the same division in recent years. A week from Saturday, we have the Jersey Stakes at Garden State Park, and the Peter Pan Handicap at Belmont Park. Hill Gail will probably be on the sidelines for some weeks, and the Bel- mont is not likely to bring about a meeting between Tom Fool and Blue Man, a colt who has now demonstrated that he is to be ranked with the top three-year-olds. Although it was expected that Sub Fleet would go to the post the Preakness favorite, the Maryland throng solidly supported. Blue Man. On Saturday night, Steve Brooks, who rode Sub Fleet, said his mount did not like the track and he was stating a fact rather than advancing an alibi. Other owners and trainers said the track was too hard for their colts. But, it was made to order for the son of Blue Swords. It remains for a race later in the season to settle the issue among Hill Gail, Blue Man and Tom Fool. What price the New York ice cream manufacturer, A. W. Abbott, paid breeder A. T. Simmons for Blue Man has never been. officially disclosed, although it is said to have been about 5,000. Regardless of that, Blue Man is one of the yearling bargains of the decade, for he has earned 78,785. The Preakness winner started his career at Jamaica in July a year ago, and on that occasion he could have been claimed for 2,500. He was outrun from start to finish, but, after a rest until October, he gave some inkling of what was to come later when he won a one-mile allowance race by four lengths from such a good pair of Put Out and Cold Command. In January this year, dockers at Hialeah were high on this colt and he justified all they said about his speed when, of February 15, he won over Jampol at one and one-sixteenth miles, and two weeks later, scored even more impressively over the same horse in the important Flamingo Stakes. A victory in the Experimental at Jamaica enhanced his standing. Although off slowly in the Kentucky Derby, he was coming fast under a typical Conn McCreary ride to finish third. The Pimlico throng took his Derby effort into consideration in making him the favorite and indications are he is a horse who will make a stout bid for three-year-olds honors. In his breeding,. Blue Man is about as "American" as any horse racing today. He is a bay by Blue Swords, out of Poppycock, a daughter of Identify. Blue Swords was unfortunate in that he came in a year with such a great horse as Count Fleet and he followed the latter to the finish in the Wood Memorial, Kentucky Derby and Preaknesss. He was by Blue Larkspur, out of Flaming Swords, by Man o War, and her dam, in turn, was Exalted, by High Time. There you have a combination of the Domino and Fair Play lines, two of the foremost in this country. Poppycock is a half-sister to the three speedy misses, Boojiana, who won the Schuylerville, Matron and Top Flight Handicaps; Ghost Run, who won the 1947 Demoiselle and Boojie, who ran third in the Schuylerville Stakes of 1945. Besides a tribute to the Fair Play and Domino lines, the pedigree of Blue Man shows a doubling up of the Man o War blood. Blue Swords get have displayed more speed than stamina, but here again is one of those oddities of breeding in that the Preakness winner has demonstrated that he can carry his speed over any distance of ground that is asked of three-year-olds. In the Derby and the Preakness he impressed us as a colt who will have a liking for the one and one-half miles of the Belmont. Much of the credit for Blue Mans victory must go to his capable trainer, W. C. "Woody" Stephens, and his little rider, McCreary. who, with one exception, has been on the White Oak Stables colt in all his outings during the past year. Horses run for McCreary and he seems "made to order" for this particular colt. Very short, with powerful arms and shoulders, he can rate a horse in front, but his forte is. staging -one of those blood-pumping finishes that has the crowd on its feet. In the Flamingo, this lad who hitch-hiked from his native St. Louis, to become a race rider, took Blue Man to the front in the early stages of the race and was never headed. In the Derby, he came from far behind to finish third. In the Preakness he rated his mount beautifully, being fifth at the mile post, and in front at the head of the stretch. Last years Derby was considered in the nature of a comeback for the little rider, but in this years Preakness he rode with all the confidence that he had atop Pensive in the Baltimore classic of 1944. There are many jockeys whose careers have been highlighted by their success on one partular horse and it will always be "Blue Man and McCreary" when the historians hark back to this year of 1952. " Conn is a modest chap and he usually claims his victories came as a result of his being on the best horse in the race. Blue Man was the best horse Saturday, but McCreary gave him that "million dollar ride." On Preakness day, we talked with dozens of Marylanders who love racing at the old Pimlico course, where some of the greatest sport in this country has been staged through the years. Wherever we went, we heard the question, "What is going to happen to Pimlico?" The directors and stockholders face a serious problem for the track acreage, as it is today, is not sufficient to permit rebuilding the course and have enough parking space for cars. Whether the track will be sold to the Laurel and Bowie interests and the dates shared between them, or whether a new Pimlico, on another site, will be constructed, is problematical. The meeting that closed Saturday was so encouraging in attendance and mutuel play that the racing people of Baltimore are hoping to a man that the track will be saved and rebulit, or a Continued on Page Thirty-Three I REFLECTIONS I By NELSON DUN STAN Continued from Page Thirty-Six new site found close to the city. Few tracks in this country have the tradition that Pimlico boasts and it would seem good business to us if the stockholders worked out their problem with the people of Baltimore in mind and save such events as the Preakness and Pimlico Special. Other tracks could purchase the racing dates, but tradition— such as Pimlico has — cannot be transferred.
