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. On the trot l By MORRIE KURLANSKY 1 Countess Vivian Thrills Rail birds Champion Pacing Filly Races Friday Greyhound to Be Honored Tonight MAYWOOD PARK, Maywood, 111., May 26. — Work watchers and rail birds were thrilled the other morning by the grace . and and effortless effortless stride stride and and effortless effortless stride stride with which an extremely well-made brown filly went through her morning exercise, and by the time the fleet pacer came out for the third mile workout, there were five times as many onlookers, many with stopwatches in their hands. The horse that aroused aroused so so much much in- aroused aroused so so much much in- in-; terest among horsemen is the world pion pacing filly, Countess Vivian 3, 1:59. ; When trainer Mel Harmening, in whose care Countess Vivian was entrusted by ! owner Christy S. Hayes of Columbus, Ohio, ■ dismounted from his training cart, he had 1 nothing but praise for the filly. Countess Vivian had. paced the distance in 2:09 without taking a deep breath and, according to Mel, he could have used a pair of shoestrings instead of the r.eins the way the Countess moved along. For all her aristocratic background and superior accomplishments, Countess Vivian by no means has the temper of a prima donna and the boys around the barn affectionately call her "Mother," which describes her sweet disposition and gentle manners. Countess Vivian, slated to make her seasonal bow here Friday, was one of the outstanding campaigners of the 1953 harness racing season, setting a new world record for three-year-old pacing fillies when she ran the first heat of the Breeders Filly Stake at the DuQuoin Grand Circuit meeting in 1:59. With this excellent effort, Countess Vivian displaced the old mark of 2:00%, set in 1950 by Tassel Hanover, who, in turn, had tumbled the 26-year-old standard of 2:00M made in 1914 by Anna Bradford at Columbus, Ohio. Countess Vivian, however, already was a world record holder when she came to DuQuoin, for .on August 11 last year the filly annexed the Breeders Filly Stake at Goshen during Hambletonian week, pacing the two heats in 2:00% and 2:00%, respectively; The aggregate of 4: 00 is a world record for three-year-old fillies in a two- • heat race. The racing career of Countess Vivian was distinguished from the outset. She made her official race track debut on June 20, 1952, in a time trial at Lexington, Ky., and, with Alex Winger at the reins, acquired a record of 2:07. During her two-year-old tenure Countess Vivian started 21 times, won three races, was second three times and third thrice for total earnings of 0,420. Her outstanding triumph as a juvenile was the Breeders Filly Stake at the Delaware, Ohio, Grand Circuit meet-, ing and, at the conclusion of her initial campaign, she lowered her record to 2:03 at Lexington. Last year Countess Vivian started 29 times and won 13 races, was second four times and third three times for "earnings of 8,717. Her victories "were achieved at Hilliards, Ohio; Roosevelt Raceway, Goshen, DuQuoin, Sedalia, Mo., and Indianapolis. Racing virtually every time against the. best of like age, sex and gait, her connections* did not hesitate to send her to Delaware, Ohio, to participate in the pacing classic, The Little Brown Jug, and, although she did not defeat such outstanding colts as Key-stoner and Hillsota, she finished third in the first and third heats of the rich events, each time beaten but » neck by Newport Chief and Hillsota and Key-stoner and Hillsota, respectively. When Keystoner paced his phenomenal mile in 1:58%, Countess Vivian was third, but three and one-quarter -lengths behind the winner and Hillsota. That Countess Vivian turned out to be a very good race horse is no surprise, for she is by Kings Counsel 1:58 out of the good race mare, Filly Direct 2:06%, by the world champion, Billy Direct 1:55, and her second and third dams. Calumet Edna 2:08Vh, by Peter the Brewer, and Broncho Queen 2:09JAh, by Empire Direct, have been better than average performers. The Countess, with her wonderfully clean stride and marvelous disposition, also is impartial to track conditions and equally at home over the two-lappers as the regulation ovals. Raced exclusively by Winger as a two-year-old, Countess Vivian last year was driven to victory by four different drivers — C. I. Shilling, R. E. Wilcox, Jimmy Cruise and Del Miller. The legendary Greyhound 1:55M» now 22 years old and lving as a royal pensioner at Doc Flanerys farm near his owners, Col. E. J. Baker, home town of St. Charles, will be honored Thursday with a stakes event named for him, the greatest trotter that ever raced any-; where. The Greyhound Trot, endowed with a ,000 purse, is fashioned for 14-class trotters and will be contested in two dashes at the ciistomary mile. The event attracted seven of the best diag-onally-gaited performers on the grounds, which drew post positions for the first _ heat in the following order: Tru Astra Virgil Altizer, Flaxeys Colby Hollis Regur, Daisy Astra Billy Shuter, Steve Tell Glenn Hawkins, Nancy Lee Day Gene Riegle, Waldorf Walt Dis-pannett and Taylor Ridge Jim Kealey .
