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JUDGES STAND By CHARLES HATTON PIMLICO Md May 8 Turfmen here in Pimlico were remarking to ¬ day that per capita wagering was off about 10 on the first of the 18 cards when they were not making slightly moonstruck comments anent Native Dancer or wondering what decision Hasty House will reach re ¬ garding Hasty Road and the Preak ness If we may express our 35 cents worth in these topi ¬ cal matters we would say that so far as concerns the tote action Friday has ever been notorious as the day on which Pimlicos patrons are the least responsive And it did not at all depress the management that 9434 turned out in disagreeable weather and wagered 691919 on a program which was not remarkable for any con ¬ tribution to improvementofthebreed On the contrary there is optimism the meeting will prove successful in the end particularly if the club is fortunate enough to enjoy favorable weather for its Saturday programs You will doubtless read elsewhere and at length of Native Dancer Ralph Kercheval who wintered the slashing son of Poly ¬ nesian at nearby Sagamore was in the opening crowd at Pimlico eager for news of the outcome of his first venture as a fouryearold The glad tidings occasioned cheers when there was not a horse in sight And we are confident that he will uphold the prestige of the American thor ¬ oughbred on Ascot Heath if all goes well with him and he fills his King George VI and Queen Elizabeth engage ¬ ments As for Hasty Roads Preakness status trainer Harry Trotsek could not be definite when we discussed it with him just before his return flight to Louisville A decision may be forthcoming momentarily We are only guessing but have a notion he will come along with the BlackEyed Susan candidate Queen Hopeful Even Optimism Pimlico Play Will Gain Volume Staffordshire Beaten in Best Performance Blinkers May Be Helpful or a Handicap Marylands Take Proving Advantageous Advantageousthough though Trotsek finds the Pimlico surface very like that at Keeneland where the Derby second was beaten ignominiously This observer thought it exposed him as something less than a good whip horse rather than one having a marked distaste for the going Indications are that the colt will be versus Determine in those lavish Arlington and Washington Stakes during the summer and this may be a consideration in arriving at a decision con ¬ cerning the Preakness Of Queen Hopeful Trotsek said She came out of the Kentucky Oaks in good condition I breezed her a little yesterday moxrning and she left the track snorting and playing apparently looking for an ¬ other race raceA A A A AIt It is really a delicate matter to judge the performance of a horse in a way that is just and responsible There are so often extenuating circumstances unknown to the observer when he sees one beaten inexcusably to all ap ¬ pearances There is Mrs Harry Parrs Staffordshire who enjoys a limited fame here in Maryland as the winner of three races in authoritative fashion this season includ ¬ ing one of six furlongs in the lively time of 111 at Bowie The more loyal provincial Free Staters like to think he will emulate their Challedon and win the Preak ¬ ness But it is probable that actually Staffordshire was beaten in the best performance he has given up to now Last season he finished within a couple of lengths of Porterhouse in a race in which he bucked shins and popped a splint Perhaps he was not going to beat Porter ¬ house in any case It seems unlikely Nevertheless in the light of his misfortunes it was a good deal better race than anyone guessed Somewhat similarly we are not sure the Derby was not in a sense the best race Hasty Road has run though he rewrote the track record and defeated Determine in the Trial For comparatively few people fancied a Roman could be among the first three at the finish and that Hasty Road could sprint we already knew He reeled under Determined relentless attack after going a mile and one still wants convincing he is a gen ¬ uine mile and a quarter performer But he continued on steadily enough to be second and satisfied Ms trainer that he is capable of beating many more horses that beat him at our classic distance There is a theory that could he have seen Determine coming he might have been more resistant It may be that Hasty Roads people will experiment with running him in another type of blinkers One of the finest races Native Dancer has run was in the 1953 Derby the only one he lost ironically Though in this instance the thousands who watched the magnificent grays course saw him impeded then just miss in a breathtaking finish understood and forgave him freely freelyA A A A ABowies Bowies meet was successful if a trifle less so than last seasons It is hoped eventually to have a road to the Washington Highway which would make the park more easily accessible to motorists and a club dining room from which patrons may watch the races somewhat like that at Laurel There has been a rumor Bowie is for sale but this has been denied Unless some fantastic sum is offered We could not agree more with the clubs Donald Lillis that Marylands 10 per cent take is proving ad ¬ vantageous what with the higher tariffs in some neigh neighContinued Continued on Page FortySix JUDGES STAND STANDBy By CHARLES HATTON Continued from Page FiftyTwo FiftyTwoboring boring states And finally one may hope the operators of the three major courses will agree on some dates schedule that has I permanence This would enable the man ¬ agements to develop their program and Maryland racing as a circuit All of the tracks now have been improved Pimlico is prepared to reconstruct a section of the stand and erect a new threelevel club ¬ house immediately following this spring season The new club will have elevators escalators tasteful restaurants and consid able depth to provide ample walk around room with an easy flow of traffic in the tote lines Perhaps it will do for Pimlico what a new clubhouse did for Hialeah Park where the play in this section increased extraordinarily extraordinarilyA A A A ATurf Turf ana The result assuming there is one of the mating of Source Sucree and Nasrullah will be a threeparts brother or sister to the remarkable and remarkably unlucky colt Turnto Pimlicos yellow and white motif has been extended to the poles on the turf course Alibhai Blen ¬ heim II Goya n Shut Out and Requested each are represented by four eligibles for the Preakness Correlation was the first Derby starter to reach here for training on the scene of the classics 77th renewal Hasseyampa would seem a likely prospect for Lincolns Peabody Washington of ¬ ficialdom will be well represented in the Preakness Day Crowd Joe Kramer fresh ¬ ened Louie Lee Haggins string between Keeneland and Pimlico wants to produce Smart Devil at the top of her form for the fabulous Arlington and Washington stakes J Fred Colwill the racing secretary and handicapper at this point has included some optional claiming races in his first condition book With three supplement ¬ ary candidates and as many as 10 starters the Preakness will gross about 140000 attaining its largest total value in history
