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Washington Notebook By J. J. MURPHY Prairie State Good Juvenile Stake Broadcast 1926 American Derby Cresson Stable to Las Vegas Soon WASHINGTON PARK, Homewood, 111., Aug. 21. Of course the big news at this track Saturday will be the appearance of Native Dancer in the , American Derby, and inasmuch as reams have been written of the Vanderbilt gray and the race, it seems appropriate that a line or two should be given another race for which a 0,000 added purse is being posted. That is. the Prairie State Stakes, an annual event for two-year-olds that . will serve as the secondary feature. Both fillies and colts are eligible and on the list of entrants are the names of some clever youngsters. Last season the Prairie State Stakes was won by Ace Destroyer, who will be one of those to try Native Dancer in the Derby. Jockey Adams was the winning rider and Mr. Paradise, who went on to take the Washington Park Futurity, was second, with Invigorator, who later took a couple of stakes in New York, finishing third. The stake, which honors the State of Illinois, was inaugurated in 1935, and some of racings top fillies and colts have competed. Alsab, Durazna, Errard, and With Pleasure were among the winners, while Miss Dogwood, Occupy, and Ruhe finished second, and Seven Hearts, Johns Joy, and Mighty Story were third. Education, ridden by Adams, won the richest Prairie State Stakes, while Curtice made the fastest time when he beat Wisconsin Boy and Roman Bath in 1949. As to the American Derby, it was first run in 1884 and the winning jockey in four of the first five runnings was a rider named Murphy, first name Isaac, and he was a colored boy. It was continued until 1904 and was not run again until 1916 when another Murphy, this one named Frank, won it with Dodge. The next running and the first in what we refer to as modern racing, was in 1926 when Tom Bourke, who built Washington Park and who is still active in Chicago, put up the first of the 00,000 purses and the race went to Boot to Boot, owned by E. R. Bradley and ridden by Albert Johnson, who is now a racing official in the West. Display finished second. We were present that day. In fact, we broadcast the race in a crude manner with the late Joe Foley, Chicago . turf writer, holding a "mike" in front of us as we combined the broadcast with our chart-calling chore. Tom Bourke built Washington Park on a shoestring and there was much talk of Continued on Page Fifty-One Washington Notebook By J. J. MURPHY Continued from Page Frre a "rubber check" for the winners end, but we know that Colonel Bradley was paid. We know because we married Bourkes secretary. And as many race track folk are acquainted with our daughter, we will add that she celebrated her 25th birthday yesterday. One of the greatest upsets in the Derby came when Willie Fronk, aboard the bad post actor Reveille Boy, defeated Gallant Fox. First jockey still active in the saddle to ride a winner was Johnny Adams, who steered Mioland in 1940. Woolf won it three times in succession, and Arcaro has" triumphed a like number of times in alternate seasons. It is highly probable he will make it four Saturday. He will ride Native Dancer. Trainer Norman McMaster, of the Cresson Stable, will soon ship the following horses, the property of that racing establishment, to Las Vegas Monday: Diane B., Tinker Neff, Pharamar, You All, Lord Lamar, Oui .Oui, Mad Answer, On trie Make, Royal Torch, and Country Mile. The latter was winner of the Duncan Kenner Stakes at the Fair Grounds last year and has heen turned out for some time. He recently arrived at this track Jockey E. J. Knapp arrived and will ride free lance for the remainder of the meeting. . .Jimmy Jones shipped the Calumet three-year-old filly Jana to Del Mar in the same car with Berseem and Spy Defense. .Brezno and Star Patch, owned by Mrs. Joan Martin, have been sent to Oakbrook Polo Club, near Chicago, to be turned out... Frank Nugent has sent Break Thru to Tinley Park for the same purpose John Heckmann will ride one of the Hal Price Headley two-year-olds in the Princess Pat Stakes. Mr. and Mrs. Ray Winer, owners of Hill n Dale Farm, near Lexington, were arrivals from Baltimore. . .John D. Jackson, general manager of Pimlico, has been visiting for the past few days and will remain over for the Derby... Pat Farrell is distributing the Pimlico books and stake blanks... Trainer Dan Howell sent Martin Whelan, Colin Did, and Rowdy Robert to Fair-mount Park. . .Trainer Morton Weil will ship Ken and Centenaire to New York and the remainder of the horses of Mrs. E. Kendall Weil to Atlantic City following this meeting. . .Jockey Frank Smothers accepted his first mount here the other day . . .Larry Bogenschutz was an arrival from Cincinnati and announced he would open the racing secretarys office at Hawthorne August 31. The new Hawthorne books now being distributed by Bill Reagan show that the genial racing secrtary is carding optional claiming races for the first time. 0 Trainer Noble Threewitt, who formerly had charge of the John Hertz horses, is here in quest of racing stock for his West Coast patrons. . .Owner A. F. Wall, two of whose runners registered surprise successes here Thursday, got in from Detroit. George South, who rode Fighting Step to victory in the American Derby of 1945, is the latest miracle man among j the trainers. He saddled two Wall winners Thursday. One had not started in four months, and the other had not been to thepost in over two years Tom Brown, the veteran starter, is visiting in the interests of Beulah Park, which opens September 11, and is seeking nominations for the Governors Handicap, fea- ! ture race of the meeting. . Apprentice John Tracey, who has only ridden about eight races and nary a winner, has a chance to make good in the saddle. . .Mrs. Leslie Combs appears to have-a good filly in Palta, a daughter of Mr. Busher, whose dam Busher was one of the best fillies, of recent years. . .Famous Corner, recently claimed from W. H. Bishop by Frank Jayne, established a new track record for one and three-quarters miles: on the turf and came within one-fifth second to the mark set by Prince Hampton at Sheepshead Bay in 1907 when he ran the distance in 2:59 here Thursday. Famous Corner carried 114. Prince Hampton, then a three-year-old, had 99 pounds up.
