Judges Stand: Chicago Track Crowds Setting New Marks; Peabody Highlights Lincoln Fields Features; Real Delight in Arlingtons Matron Stakes; Uptrend Gratifying to Pimlico Heads, Daily Racing Form, 1952-05-21

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JOCKEY JOHN ADAMS — Booted home fiye more winners yesterday at Hawthorne to make it 12 tallies out of his last 13 mounts. JUDGES STAND 1 By Charles Hatton Chicago Track Crowds Setting New Marks Peabody Highlights Lincoln Fields Features Real Delight in Arlingtons Matron Stakes Uptrend Gratifying to Pimlico Heads HAWTHORNE, Cicero, 111., May 20. If the first seven days of the 30 comprising the Lincoln Fields meet are any criterion, it is going to be one of the most successful in the long and somewhat checkered history of the club. The associations records disclose that the play was up 25 per cent and the attendance 20 per cent. This is a contrast rather than a comparison, and general manager Peter J. ODonnell finds the public response most gratifying. Mondays card was routine as such programs are universally, but the races were very bettable and the 13,573 filing through the turnstiles was a week-day record at this* meet, exhausting the program supply though the order was increased 4,000 over that for the corresponding day last.sea-- son. Hawthorne is completely surrounded by wjr industry, uiuuouj, and aim a a, nuiuuci. number ui of the wits empiuyes employes wjr uiuuouj, aim a a, nuiuuci. number ui of the wits empiuyes employes working day ends in time to permit them to join the early arrivals for the final three or four races. The notion here is that the meeting will improve further as it progresses. For the arrival of more stake horses from Churchill Downs will lend additional appeal to the programs, and the vagrant lake weather should be less "unfear." Lincoln has been the guest of other Chicago tracks since 1943, but now is quite homeless as a consequence of the fire last January. We are a little vague concerning when, exactly, the Crete club can rebuild and resume on its own property. But it is understood track building restrictions are being relaxed, and the Lincoln club has been studying contemporary race track architecture. The Michigan Racing Associations Detroit plant is the most modern of the newer tracks in the Midwest and some of its salient features, all aimed at public comfort and efficient operation, may be incorporated in Lincoln plans. Five stakes remain to be decided by the Lincoln Fields club, beginning with Saturdays 0,000 Edward J. Fleming Memorial of six and a half furlongs for" three-year-olds and upward. This affair will be followed on the Decoration Day week-end by the 5,000 Peabody Memorial on Friday and the new 810,000 Narcissus Handicap on Saturday. On the final two Saturdays there are the Miss America and the Lincoln Handicap of 0,000 each. While the local crowd will be preoccupied Saturday with picking the Fleming winner, they will be interested to learn the result of the 0,000 Coaching Club Oaks over at Belmont Park. For Mrs. Warren Wrights Real Delight is an intended starter, and this strapping filly, who is currently making a strong bid for 1952 honors in her division, is to appear during the fabulous Arlington and Washington summer season, which begins June 16 and extends through Labor Day. With the injury to Hill Gail, the filly becomes "The Big Horse" of the Calumets. Even before the Derby winner developed osselets, there was a disposition in some quarters to think Real Delight might be the better performer. Dropped from the Preakness nominations, she was not made eligible for either the Classic or American Derby. She is in the Arlington Matron, however. And if further racing develops more interest in the question of whether the colts can beat her, it would not surprise us were Ben Lindheimer to arrange a race providing the answer. Maryland racing, resumes at Bel Air today, after a most gratifying run at old Pimlico, and on May 29th, Delaware Park opens its annual summer meet of 33 days. The late Col. Matt Winn once told us that it had been his experience, "Dates are the biggest single factor in the success or failure of a track." He had seen conflict with Chicago cause the demise of Latonia, once the scene of some of the most important racing and largest mutuel handles in America. There was quite a row about dates in Maryland this year, and it is feared in some circles that it will be renewed. Pimlico operated in conflict with Garden State this spring, nevertheless showed a marked uptrend in patronage. Its meets are built around the Preakness in the spring and the Special and Futurity in the fall," as General Reckord has pointed out, and the Maryland Jockey Club sport has for 100 years been , the hub of racing in the state. It will surprise us if a the Preakness is "sold," b the track will become non-profit, though there is much sentiment in favor of it, and c if it is sold to other interests and abandoned. Response to the spring meet is most encouraging to the directors of the "Old Hilltop" and we look f.or an uptrend also in the quality of the programs at the fall meet, which begins October 25 and runs through November 15. Turfana: Sub Fleet is a candidate for both the Peabody Memorial and the Belmont Stakes. The Dixiana colt has not depreciated Balladier fillies asv producers. . . • Horsemen tell us the Hawthorne strip is in excellent condition this spring. It is subjected to somewhat more use than most Illinois tracks. . . . Swingalick, who ran in the 51 Black-Eyed Susan, was "distanced" running for ,000 recently at Pimlico. . . . Nick Shuk, who gained a considerable following in Maryland this spring, will ride during Delaware Park. . . . Bubbley is a fc prospect for Arlingtons Lassie. . . . Ben Lindheimer, who suffered a heart attack here recently, is reported much improved in health. . . . E. Barry Ryan plans attending the Keeneland summer sales. . . . Karl Horvath, who trains Handsome Teddy, used to ride Mata Hari. Son Karl, Jr., is a plater. . . . Centennial Parks Millsap tells us the racing surface there is vastly improved. . . . More filly and mare races are indicated on the Maryland circuit. . -. . Belmont is the latest plant to consider extensive remodelling.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1950s/drf1952052101/drf1952052101_36_1
Local Identifier: drf1952052101_36_1
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800