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-t -■"- tm-m JUDGES STAND by charles hatton PIMLICO, Baltimore, Md., May 19. — Native Dancer came home to Maryland today, and his first appearance since he left these parts as a verdant yearling occasioned quite a stir on the Hilltop. It is clear from the talk of the town that A. G. Vanderbilts striking gray is going to be an extensively backed backed favorite favorite to to emulate emulate his his sire. sire, tm-m backed backed favorite favorite to to emulate emulate his his sire. sire, Polynesian, in Saturdays seventy-seventh Preakness. The renewal of "the Prep," last of the events leading up to the Pimlico classic, was a good enough show in itself. But its result was scarcely anything to start the Sagamorean stall walking nervously. Nor did it deliver any bridge jumpers from their perplexions. If you liked Dark Star or Royal Bay Gem, or even Ram o War and Correspondent for the Preakness before the Prep, you are pretty sure to like them still. For they all ran satisfactorily, like colts who are going a good mile and three -sixteenths for 00,000 Saturday. If we may say so without appearing to detract anything from Royal Bay Gem, who is a stout little horse of much integrity, the breaks were with him in the Prep. The racing surface was very much like that for the Chesapeake, the pace was slow enough he could follow it closely, and Dark Star was attempting to concede him four pounds. Also he had raced, and won the Jersey Stakes since the Derby, and Dark Star and Correspondent were making their first appearances since that event. Ram o War gave perhaps his best performance, uncorking a belated drive that earned third place, and he is said to have determined Bruce Campbell to give him a chance Saturday. Dark Star, incidentally, was the medium of something of a plunge for the show in the Prep. Any of the Royal Gem n. syndicate present hardly can have helped enjoying the spectacle of seeing his sons, Royal Bay Gem and Dark Star, leaving the others in their wake. The Australian sire has become quite fashionable, and Prep Beneficial to Sagamoreans Rivals New Preakness Purse Division Commended Dancer Not Extended When Stride Measured Arcaro May Break Own Preakness Record as we have previously observed, trainers like his progeny. Eddie Hayward was saying at dinner only last evening, "They are sensible animals and seem to take their training well." AAA The division of purse monies has been debated endlessly in racing circles, but we still have 00,000 events in which the winner receives about 0,000, the second to finish "peanuts." It seems to us the Pimlico club has arrived at a commendably fair, equable policy of purse division in its Preakness conditions. All eligibility, entrance and starting fees accrue to the winner, with 00,000 added, of which 5,000 is awarded the second to finish, 5,000 the third and ,500 the fourth. Were the Preakness to have 10 starters from its 135 original nominees, the winner would receive a net purse of 5,300, or about 56 per cent of the gross. This split of the prize awards represents an alteration of the conditions which obtained in 1952, when Blue Mans share was 6,135. There was 5,000 second money, ,500 third and ,750 fourth. Under the revised conditions there is more incentive to challenge whoever chances to be the leaders of the three -year-olds at Preakness time, for the second award is nearly equivalent to first money in a 0,000 stake. In this way the new policy tends to aid the club as well as contributing to the stability of racings economics. The trend at tracks over the country now is to offer winners about 65 per cent of the gross. In any case that is what it comes to, though some associations are reluctant to state purse division, or purse distribution generally in percentage terms. In this era of fantastic purses and stakes, it is vitally important to adjust the distribution to better enable more horsemen to meet the rising costs of stable operation. In England last fall we were told the policy of awarding the winners nearly all the spoils was precipitating a depression in racing there. H. P. Headley is in no imminence of "starving in the midst of plenty," of course, but last season his horses were placed in about a score of stakes before finally winning a minor one at Tropical Park. Much of the 86,049 his string earned was in the increased secondary awards. Somewhat similarly 0,000 in seconds and thirds at Arlington-Washington last summer meant the difference in profit and loss to a Calif ornian who never won a race during the season. AAA Life Magazines study of Native Dancers stride is very interesting, except for the minor detail the deduction it measures 29 feet is inaccurate. The Sagamorean was far from extended when it was measured. Native Dancer was fully extended, however, the last sixteenth of the Derby. This seems worth mentioning for the reason it was one of the few times he ever has been. It would be nice to know what photography and calibrated boards would have made of his stride then, and perhaps Life will pursue its study in later racing, if his rivals are capable of again extending him. It is a question how much importance to attach to the length of Native Dancers stride, though we suspect with trainer Winfrey its fluency is a factor in his capacity to stay. Actually a horse may stride too long. Volcanic could never run in mud because of this characteristic. AAA According to the Pimlico publicists press pamphlet of "specific fact, names, dates and recorded history" on the Preakness, jockey Eddie Arcaro may be compared only Continued on Page Forty I JUDGES STAND By CHARLES HATTON Continued from Page Forty-Four with himself among Preakness jockeys. The famed Cincinnatian now has ridden four winners of the race. This is the record, though he has fared a bit better in the Derby and Belmont, having ridden five winners of each of those. Arcaro is to lend his considerable talents to Jamie K. in this Preakness. A circumstance that is not expected to enhance the Spring Hill colts "tote" odds so much as his chances of sharing in the purse. Jamie K. is said to be devoid of any real dash out of the gate, but Arcaro fancies there is going to be a lively lot of pace in Saturdays classic, and that this will be in his mounts favor. It also should benefit Royal Bay Gem. Correspondent and Dark Star are essentially speed horses, and Native Dancers speed has been sharpened since Derby Day. But then the futility of attempting to guess how one of these spring classics is likely to be run was clearly illustrated as recently as in the Derby. According to the script, Correspondent was to blaze the trail early, prompted by the favorite, and, of course, nothing of the sort occurred. As Alex Gordon has observed: "Jockeys, horses, everybody is under a tension in those big races, and usually what happens is the unexpected." Arcaro has personally attended to that in past Preaknesses. For instance, he put the stretch runner, Hill Gail, in the lead going into the clubhouse turn, when he didnt think the pace suitable, and "improved his position from there." AAA Turf ana: Docteur, who has won three consecutively for Mrs. C. T. Holloway, is the only registered foal of either his sire, Gendarme, or his dam, Silver Flayer, who has subsequently produced to foals by pony stallions. Mrs. Holloway, who contracted polio last year, was present for the colts success in the Adroit Purse here. . . . The Woodlawn Vase, r,s the Preakness trophy is known, is 93 years old, was presented by Thomas Clyde to the MJC as a permanent trophy in 1917. Winning owners receive replicas, scaled down to house size. . . . Willie Hartack, who is forcing the pace in the race for Pimlico riding honors, rode his first winner at Waterford Park last October, was leading rider at Charles Town this spring. . . . Pimlico has been complimented by all hands around on the improvement in its grandstand "tote" line this spring.
