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Ak-Sar-Ben Offering Twilight Program Today Safe Arrival Goes in Feature; Opening-Day Records Topple By ART KENNEDY Staff Correspondent AK-SAR-BEN, Omaha, Nebr., May 20.— Post time for the curtain-raiser at Ak-Sar-Ben tomorrow will be at 3:30, as the civic race track presents its first program of twilight racing of the current 35-day session. These late afternoon presentations have proved popular with Omaha racegoers in the past and are being repeated this year as a regular feature one day in each week. Once again the accent is on speed tomorrow with the eight-race program made up for the most part of sprints. Only two events at the mile-and-over distance are carded. Pointing out the fact that there is a generous supply of racing stock on the grounds at Ak-Sar-Ben, every race but one drew its quota of "also eligibles." There are full fields assured for the first twilight card of the new season. In the feature spot, sixth on the program, a six-furlong event for three and upward and with claiming conditions has been aptly named "The Twilight." Of the dozen entered there are several whose past records make them worthy of note. SafeArrival, running in the interest of the A. and H. Stable of Des Moines, la., did well in handicaps on the Ohio racing front last season. The same distinction applies to Desert Raid, who will carry the silks of Miss Alice Likins of Oklahoma City, Okla. The latter established a track record at Waterford Park In West Virginia and was runner-up in stakes events, later at that oval. * First Bar, owned and trained by W. T. Rose, was in the money in six out of 15 starts and has been conditioned by three outings at Oaklawn this year. Long Green, from the formidable public stable trained by C. E. "Charlie" Brown, Jr., makes his Ak-Sar-Ben seasonal debut, fresh from winning exploits at Arizona Downs. Blend Rock, a three-year-old filly by Piping Rock and owned by the R. and W. Stable, raced in high-priced company last winter on the Florida racing front although failing to gain a place. Others in the field are training well and the feature promises to be a betting race. The opening of Nebraskas racing season on Tuesday proved successful from every standpoint. Previous records for opening days at Ak-Sar-Ben were topped in both mutuel handle and attendance. According ; to mutuel manager N. E. Lutz, the public s | acceptance of and response to the new American Totalisator installation sent business up to a gain of better than 6 per cent over the previous high. The Daily Double pool was one of the biggest ever recorded at Omaha. When turnstiles were checked at days I end, it was learned that upwards of 1,000 | paid admissions had been clocked over last seasons inaugural figure. Patrons were still | arriving late in the afternoon when half of i the eight-race card was already in the records. Parking fields were well filled, but not to capacity. Many of the late comers arrived coincident with clearing skies, which had previously threatened rain and the feature, which culminated in a popular victory for Auntie, was heavily played at the windows. t The official attendance for opening-day was 8,993 and the handle, 36,528.
