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JUDGES STAND By Charles Hatton Cranwood Revives Ohio Derby Today New Track Record Is a Possibility HBPA Lists P.C. of Play in Purses Trend Is Away From Annie Oakleys CRANWOOD PARK, Warrensville, Ohio, May 30. "Derby Day" seems to hold some special, magic for sports followers universally. Here in the Cleveland area one finds pretty much the same infectuous enthusiasm over the week-ends re- vival running of the Ohio Derby that prevails in Louisville each May. And it appears just a question of how many patrons can be accommodated on the grounds and in the "tote" facilities at this miniature course. A special new parking lot has been opened for the occasion, with room for 1,000 more cars. Lou Pondfield f eels sure that next season the Ohio Derby will be staged at a new, streamlined version of neighboring Thistle Down. The field for this ,000 event numbers 11, assembled from Maryland, Kentucky and Illinois, and while nobody pretends it will develop a rival for Blue Man, there are some fairly shifty three-year-olds in the group. Probably the favorite will be Scrub, who races for A. W. Messersmith, ran in allowances company at Laurel, and earned his racing diploma here. A "home town boy" is Easy Ray, who carries the colors of. Clevelands Mrs. R. H. Schwartz, and is trained by former jockey Paul Keiper. He is by Gushing Oils sire, Easy Mon, and came here from Oaklawn by way of Sportsmans, having campaigned more or less successfully at both points. Three fillies, Carters Pride, Kidshall and Cold Sky, will attempt to defeat the colts. Carters Pride, who is by the versatile Lovely Night, won four races at two last season, finishing third in her only start to date of 52, Tjack at the Keeneland spring meeting. She proved of allowance class at Randall. Cranwoods overnight fields are limited to eight, to avoid traffic jams on the tight turns and short stretches, but the Derby is a stakes event and it did not quite draw enough entrants to warrant splitting. The "Run for the Scarlet Carnations" will be staged in traditional Derby style, complete to a 20-piece band, a trophy to be presented the winning owner by racing commissioner O. C. Belt, and silver cigarette boxes for the winning owner .and jockey. Ohioans are excusably proud of their Derby, and have for it the same affection as devotees of the standard-bred sport in the Buckeye State have for "The Little Brown Jugr." As we have noted, the Derby here began in 24 and this is the first running since 1935. Better horses doubtless have won Derbys, but none any stouter than was Black Gold, winner of the first Ohio version. The smallish, black son of Black Toney equalled Claudes feat of winning four Derbys. The Ohio inaugural was run at Maple Heights, a Cleveland suburb now given oyer to industry by the way. It is one of the tragedies of the stud in America that Black Gold proved impotent, was returned to racing and finally broke down so badly at New Orleans he was destroyed. Fillies are not supposed to win Derbys, but two of the nine past Ohio Derby winners were of that sex, Thistle Fyrn in 29 and Paradisical in 35, the latter beating two fast horses in Clang and Whopper. It ought to be noted, in this era of "pre-shrurik" classic for three-year-olds, that the Ohio Derby always has been at a mile and a furlong, and it is this week-end, though it will be decided on a halfer. We think that Lou Pondfield and his associates are to be commended not only for reviving the stake, but for maintaining it at a respectable distance. It has been run at Bainbridge and Thistle Down, as "well as at Maple Heights, so the fact that Millwick holds the race record of 1:504and does not signify very much. The nine furlongs record here at Cranwood is Miss Gee Dus 1:55, established last season. She runs for 3,000, so it is not too much to expect that the record will be bettered this week-end, with the track in reasonably fast condition. The Horsemens Benevolent and Protective Association has statistics for 1951 which show the percentage of purse distribution to track take. Most tracks offer horsemen from 36 to 47 or 48 per cent of their share in the commission from the "tote," but a number of meets last season exceeded 50 per cent. These begin with non-profit Keeneland, which hung out 116.69 per cent, and range through Belmont, 63.04; Ascot Park, 56.65; Beulah Park, 58.; Centennial, 53.67; Delaware, 54.31; Empire City, 55.; New Orleans Fair Grounds, 59.76; Laurel, 60.40; Naragan-sett, 51.; Pimlico, 61.; Saratoga, 79.27; Scarborough, 66.70; Sunshine Park, 76.23, and Waterford, 67.16. We only mention this because there is a trend now to base distribution on a percentage of the play. The tracks offering the largest share of their receipts do not necessarily handle the most money, of course, and some of the newer tracks have contracts which make it nearly impossible for them to offer such large percentages. Keeneland, which has an almost 100 per cent paid gate, exceeds its "tote" commission in its purses and stakes. Most tracks now are dispensing with the "Annie Oakleys," and the general increase in national attendance is in spite of a passless policy or at least a greatly reduced distribution of "paper." Turf ana: I. J. Collins this week introduced a homebred juvenile filly by Triplicate, out of his Ohio Derby winner, Paradisical, at Detroit. Calls her Disical Miss. ... A sister to Biddy Jane willlbe offered at Keenelands yearling sales. . . . Cranwood, which closes this week-end, reopens for a fall run of 19 days on September 20. . . . Princequillo and p- his sons, Prince Simon and. Hill Prince, all had full, books this season, though they all stand at A. B. Hancocks Claiborne in Kentucky. . . . Tommy Barrow, a Detroit favorite, is making a strong bid for MRA riding honors. . . . Turf Bull, who won recently at Belmont Park racing for ,500, is a half-brother-of the Derby winner, Count Turf. ... A number of horses here will be active at neighboring Randall, which opens July 25. . . . "Jimmy" Collins Silver Jet was a Keeneland fall sales bargain. . . . Willie Pool is the dean of Ohio jockeys. . . . Detroit daily frankly states there is more interest in racing than in baseball in the Motor City- area. . . . Jockey J. Breckons, one of the ranking TJ. S. riders up to now in 52, is active at the Detroit course. . . . Cranwoods Jack OKeeffe debuts soon as a steward in Canada. . . . The Jockeys Guild may consider a proposal for an old riders home at Hot Springs. . . . The MRA programs recently editorialized as follows: "Detroits industries set the pace for the rest of the world by producing better products at lower costs while paying skilled Continued on Page Forty-Three I JUDGES STAND By CHARLES HATTON Continued from Page Forty-Eight workers the highest wage in the country. Higher standards of living for all America is the result.". . .The Virginia hunter and broodmare, Ginger, a winner at Laurel, Pimlico and Charles Town this season, may entertain next at Bel Air....E. E. Dale Shaffer is sharpening his golf. . . . Horace Wade"plans renewing the distance race series at Hazel" Park.
