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E. E. DALE SHAFFER— President of the Michigan Racing Association, which raises the curtain on the sport in the Motor City area with the inaugural of a 56-day meeting at its Detroit Race * Track this afternoon. Sun Sun David David Lasts Lasts to to Nose Nose Out Out Ruhe; Ruhe; Detroit Detroit Racing Racing Season Season Opens Opens Today Today Fast Field of Nine In MRA Inaugural Sickles Image Returning to Action in Sprint; Bully Boy, Bated Breath Dangerous Foes By DON FAIR Staff Correspondent DETROIT, Mich, May 22.— The Michigan Racing Association will throw open its gates tomorrow afternoon for a 56-day meeting, the inintial half of the 1952 Wolverine. State thoroughbred racing season. Sickles Image, crack four-year-old stakes-winning filly from the locally-owned Clarence Hart-wick stable, will head a field of ninee Heet racers scheduled to clash in the Inaugural Purse, six furlongs opening day headliner. The sprint drew a brillant band and excellent sport is in store for patrons of this correctly-appointed and spacious course, which is located at Middlebelt and Schoolcraft roads not too far distant from the heart of this bustling Motor City. With such a splendid list of entrants for the Inaugural Purse, it is quite likely that a crowd of some 20,000 racing enthusiasts will journey to this ultra modern plant for the Friday card. President E. E. Dale Shaffer, executive vice-president George Haggarty, and general manager Robert Leavitt, of the Michigan Racing Association, are agreed that the Detroit track un-dobutedly will have the best meet in its short history. Stabling Space for Oyer 1,100 Horses With the addition of the barns, acquired from the old Fair Grounds, the MRA now has stabling space for over 1,100 horses and these accommodations are presently filled to capacity. The class of thoroughbreds on hand is such that racing secretary-handi-capper Charles J. McLennan and his staff should experience little difficulty in filling the better programmed races. In short, plenty of racing stock is available at Detroit for the season. Getting back to the Inaugural Purse, Sickles Image, a homebred daughter of Sickletoy and Ariel Image, will make her first appearance in this area since she beat a good field last year in Hael Parks Continued on Page Three Detroit Racing Season Gets Under Way Today Sickles Image Returns to Action In Inaugural Purse at MRA Track Continued from Page One Champions Purse. The Hartwick miss gets in with 115 pounds, a burden she can handle nicely but she will clash with several seasoned rivals and it will be necessary for her to turn in a top effort to achieve major honors in the dash. In the field named to oppose Sickles Image are the G and G Stables Dear Tint, 108; Sobare Stables Air Plight, 111; Starboard Stables Bated Breath, 114; Theodore D. Buhls Detroit-owned Bee Lee Tee, 116; and Mrs. George C. Whites Dixie Flyer, 111 pounds, and an old favorite with Motor City racing followers. Ralph Lowes Will You Dance, 103; Mrs. E. E. Dale Shaffers hird-hitting Bully Boy, 115, and J. C. Montanas Ala Mowlee, 108 pounds, completes the probable Inaugural Purse starting band. Trainer C. P. Sowers, who was quite successful in Michigan last year with his charges, will saddle Air Flight and Bated Breath, the Sobare Stable and Starboard Stable hopes for the Inaugural. No rider was named today for Sickles Image, but Jimmy Breckons is engaged for Dear Tint while Dick Lawless will handle Air Flight and the veteran reinsman, Willie Garner, is to guide Bully Boy. Willie Zakoor rides Ala Mowlee, Tommy Barrow, popular with Detroit racegoers, is to pilot Dixie Flyer, Joe Valenti drew the mount on Will You Dance, and Joe Marrero will handle the saddle chore astride Bated Breath. Sickles Image, victress in the Los Cerri-tos handicap at Santa Anita in February, was given a respite after shipment from California but her recent works have been entirely satisfactory to owner-trainer Hartwick. During her 1951 campaign, she won the Ashland Stakes at Keeneland, also scored in Arlington Parks Cleopatra Stakes, Modesty Handicap, and the Arlington Matron Handicap, picking up earnings of 19,775. Her keenest opposition tomorrow in the Inaugural probably will come from Dixie Flyer, Bully Boy and Dear Tint although several others in the field could make it rough should any one of them come up with a "big race." While the Inaugural Purse is attracting the most attention today about the shed rows and around the Detroit plant, secretary McLennan carded some top supporting offerings. One of the best of these is the three-quarters mile sixth race, which will match such useful sprinters as Henry Forrests Foray Vina, John Kinards Cajac. the G and G Stable and James Paddock entry, Almenow and Royal Tulip, Shangrila Stables Alsiral, and P. L. Hallums Dust-light, among others. Foray.Vina, a stakes-winner, and Cajac, will race coupled. Four middle distance events are listed for decision; the mile and one-sixteenth for four-year-olds and older, and the mile and 70 yards fifth for horses from similar age divisions. Fillies and mares, four-years old and up, are to go to the post in the one and one-eighth mile while the ninth at the same distance will match a capacity field of three-year-olds and older.
