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On the Trot 1 By MORRIE XURLANSKY 1 Odd Story Behind Hickory Chuck Sis Wingay Training Very Nicely Roush Gets 20th Winner of Meet MAYWOOD PARK, Maywood, 111., June 17.— When Ralph Ayou piloted the five-year-old gelding Hickory Chuck to a two and one-half length victory the other night, few of the spectators knew there was quite a story behind this pacer. It was the first start for Hickory Chuck in almost two years, and from the way he won his race, nobody could surmise that this horse underwent one of the most unique operations any race horse ever had. As it happened, -Hickory Chuck stretched the long tendon that runs in front of the knee in his last race in 1951 and,ihad to be taken out of training. His owner, Dr. G. Farrell Webb, of Kansas City, Mo., at first was at a loss what to do with the horse, but being a plastic surgeon, he had many acquaintances among medical circles in his home town. He finally approached a friend of his a well-known surgeon in Kansas City, to perform the first operation of its kind on the horse. The experiment received nationwide attention and was covered not only by the foremost medical publications in this country, but by Life magazine and the newsreels as • well. The Kansas surgeon cut the afflicted tendon by two inches, thus bringing it | back to its normal size. When Hickory I Chuck, after a long rest, was taken up again, he was as good as new and Ayou says the horse had already worked much faster than his win time 2:12 in the successful come-back attempt. Erwin F. Dygert was an interested rail-bird the other morning: when he watched Chuck Rumley work the glib-gaited filly, Sis Wingay, by Alamode out of Alice Sis- j kiyou n. The trotting filly bred by Dygert is expected to make her debut in the near future, and the way she is taking to her training, she might not be a maiden for very long. Dygert,. incidentally, sold his stallion, Alamode, for an undisclosed sum to Japan. Col. Delikamp acted as the purchasing agent for the Japanese government. At present, Dygert is contemplating a request by German interests to export a well-bred trotting stallion with a record of 3:05. Germany . imported many American trotters for breeding purposes before the war. Roy Riegle, the Greenville, Ohio, teamster, checked in from- Hazel Park, Detroit, and bedded down 14 horses. . .Shorty De Ponti, the Minneapolis-owned trotter trained by Clarence Curtis, is entered for tomorrow nights feature race, the May-wood Park Trot Stake, and should have an easy time winning that race, since this early closing event was written for class 20 trotters at the beginning of the season. Shorty De Ponti started this years campaign as a 23-trotter and is now, after only eight starts, which include six wins, in class 18. His record was 2:10 at the outset of the season and is now 2:06%. Husband and wife, Jack and Joyce Hankins, each drove a winner on Monday nights program.* Joyce was behind the three-year-old trotter, Guy Gallon, to bring this Bill Gallon into the winners circle for the second time within a week. In four starts this year, Guy Gallon was never worse than second and he now sports a record of 2: 12 Mi. In the ninth race, a class BB pace, Jack showed a fine example of reinsmansbip, regaining the lead wrested from him momentarily by Clarence Curtis with Victory Scott to score a clear-cut victory with the six-year-old Cardinal Prince mare, Click, in the good time of 2:07%, which is a new mark for Click. Guy Gallon "and Click are owned by Paul S. Dougherty of LaGrange. What was feared by some observers for the past few weeks finally happened on Monday night. Peter Belle, the much improved but very unruly pacer, soon after the start of his race, a class A pace, eyed with the draw gate and bore out violently, broke stride and fell. Tom Wilburn, his driver, jumped from the seat in the last second and escaped injuries. Dee Stovers mount, Daisy Mc I Win, which was behind Peter Belle at the moment of the accident, thereby lost all chances. Winner of this feature event was Trusty Key at generous odds of 25 to 1, romping home in 2:07% to defeat Moore Volo and Lucy P., recent winners in yery acceptable times. Widow Florence gave Earl Roush his twentieth winner of the meeting. The Ohio teamster is likely to win the May-wood Park leading driver honors at the pace he is going with his public stable. . . Don Busse returned from the hospital and drove H. A. Meyers Plymouth, Wis., pacer, Maige Mc, on Monday night. . . Peter Belle fell on the very same spot as the two horses did on Friday night... With 440 races run here this year, the No. 1 post position is the best spot from where to start a horse since 80 winners had the rail position for a percentage of .182. . .A. mutuel cashier at a 0 win window had a nice experience the other day. A man came to him and cashed a winning ticket, got 2 for it and handed to the cashier and told him to bet it on a certain horse in the next race. The horse won at 8 to 1. The man came back and gave the cashier another and another tip. That horse won, too. i A very well-bred trotting filly will come out in tomorrow nights schooling race for two-year-olds. She is Lucerne Hanover, full sister to, among others, Ballard Hanover, 2:05%; Lloyd Hanover, 2:05%, and half-sister to Jeff Hanover, 2:05%. The Dean Hanover— Lady Laurel miss is owned ■ by H. R. Warren and Son of East Moline, and trained by Edgar Leonard.
