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■JP»V t; . ;.vi. JUDGES STAND bycharles hatton PIMLICO, Baltimore, Md., May 22. — Rarely has the Preakness developed a race quite so interesting as this one, thanks largely to the nip and tuck finish of the Derby, Native Dancers widespreading appeal and the caliber of his opposition. Oftener than not, at this season, one hears it said, "The three-year-olds are a bad lot." It is doubtful if the most ungenerous critic will deny that such as Dark Star, Royal Bay Gem and Correspondent have a degree of class. Any of them might be an acceptable champion in a generation of the average quality. And indeed one of them may still prove a champion this season, though the betting is that Native Dancer will gain that distinction. A title holder cannot be held responsible for the caliber of the rivals at whose expense he won the honors of course. As somebdy has well said, "Everything is only relative." But the colt who earns the three-year-old crown this season will not have won it cheaply. If "The Dancer" proves the best of them, we think it may be said he beat rivals at least as capable as Blue Swords, at whose expense Count Fleet became a "standout," or as competent as Wildair, John P. Grier and Upset, the sta-blemates who opposed Man o War. For that matter, Citation met a weaker lot of three-year-olds. This Preakness cannot be considered a championship race, only one of a series of features which designate the champion. But if Native Dancer wins tomorrow as emphatically as he did in the Withers, there will be a general inclination to regard him as the best of them. A * * The Preakness favorite appears to our eye to have "lightened up" a trifle since the Derby, and he now is a colt of somewhat more attenuated lines than the bull of a horse who paraded at Louisville. The shrinkage is only normal, however, for his race in the Derby was a bruiser, Preakness Today May Show 7953 Champion Dancer and Dark Star Contrasting Types Baltimore Classic Intrigues the Breeders Garden State Parks New Paddock Popular casually as he took matters leaving the gate. And he has since been a mile in the Withers in 1:36 Vs. We appreciate the facility with which he despatched that field, nevertheless miles in 1 :36 are not anything calculated to make horses fat. Alfred Vanderbilts gunmetal gray continues the same exhuberant, antic individual he always has been, which reflects his good spirits and well being. It is really sport managing him when he wants to play, though he has none of the ill temper of some of the descendants of his irascible ancestor, Fair Play. Native Dancer and his rival, Dark Star, present an interesting study in contrasting types. Native Dancer is a strapping, rangy animal of the sort, who, as unknown quantities, impress turfmen as being "any kind of horse." Dark Star is patently the accepted middle-distance type. Eddie Hayward estimates he is 15.2 hands, and if he errs it is on the side of conservation. He is a compact, short-backed colt of the kind one instinctively feels will wear well. Dark Star has a bright, eager manner without being presumptuous or un-tractable, and Hayward cannot say too much for his good horse sense. The progeny of Royal Gem n. are alike as peas in a pod in their general characteristics, and we should guess this Australian is going to send up other Dark Stars and Royal Bay Gems. Particularly since he now is in position of obtaining good mares. a a a The Preakness is not unlike the Derby and Belmont in that it looks well in prospective sires racing records. Maryland breeders have a certain rooting interest in "The Dancer" today. Far Vanderbilt long since announced he will serve at Sagamore, in the lovely Worthington Valley. near Pimlico, and it would be nice were he to add Marylands most famous three-year-old classic to the beadroll of his stakes conquests. In somewhat the same vein, the success of the Royal Gem II.s sons has by no means been lost on the Kentucky Thoroughbred Breeders Association, nor the press of his native Australia. A news service Down Under has assigned a special correspondent to cover this Praekness, interest in the achievements of the Royal Gem H.s is running so high. Again, the presence in the field of Bruce Campbells Ram o War affords the Virginia Breeders Association a rooting concern. This son of Ramilles finished boldly for third placing in "The Prep" and was bred by Melville "Judge" Church n. at his North Cliff Stud near Rixeyville. One cannot dismiss the fact Correspondent is in the Preakness field in safety, and this son of the English Khaled is a product of the reactivated California bloodstock breeding industry. If he can account for one of the classics here in the East, it will be the best thing that has happened to California breed-tog since the revival of the sport there. AAA Gene Mori and Walter Donovan of neighboring Garden State Park were recently at Pimlico, to attend the dinner which followed the Maryland Jockey Club Dinner Stakes, and they are highly gratified with response to the sport at Camden. Donovan observes: "The new paddock has been well received by the public. It focuses interest on the fundamental that the turf sport is a competition among individual thoroughbreds. It affords more of the public a view of the last-minute details in connection with sending them to the post. And the horses themselves seem-to like the new paddock." It is the essential difference Continued on Page Forty-Eight 1 JUDGES STAND By CHARLES HATTON Continued from Pago Fifty -Two between European and American turfgoers that the former have been better educated to regard racing first of all as a sport in which breeders and owners pit their horses against one another. When the patrons cannot see the horses for the "tote" board, their interest is likely to evaporate. After all one may wager on almost anything and it is our observation that the tracks which have the hardest core of "genuine racing interest are those in areas in which the public has a sincere admiration for thoroughbreds as such. We think Garden State Park, Hollywood Park and other progressive new clubs are to be commended for their approach to cultivating a lasting enthusiasm for racing, presenting it as the great sport* it is, rather than merely a gambling medium. They are so right in their thinking that when this is done, the volume of wagering takes care of itself. AAA Turf ana: J. D. Jackson observes it used to be theorized only mud runners were worth-while turf course prospects. Actually horses seem able to negotiate it with less "grab" on their plates than is necessary on skinned tracks. . . . The MJC has something like 50 new members. . . . Pimlicos ladies races were fun, and we learn they may be revived. . . . Eddie Blind is achieving his costomary quota of good, fast starts at this meet. . . . The Laurel International trophy now is on display in Rome, will be exhibited at Epsom for the Derby and Oaks. . . . Wilwyn is a Coronation Cup prospect. . . . Indications are a quorum of Washington officialdom will be present for the Preakness. . . . Miss Marj Lindheimer is a Pimlico visitor. . . . According to tradition, a bucket of champagne follows the Preakness winner to his stable. One year the help returned it, requesting beer instead. . . . The Dinner Stakes winner, Red Cardinal if reflecting credit on his youthful sire, Papa Redbird.
