view raw text
: i River Downs Inaugurates Meet With Seven in Welcome Purse Photo by Paul Anderson. WALTER R1TTER River Downs official expects meeting opening this afternoon to be one of best in tracks history. Consistent Luciete Likely Choice Over Jr. Ireland and Grand Cella in Sprint Event By W. A. CRUSE Staff Correspondent RIVER DOWNS, California, Ohio, June 3. River Downs of Ohio, Inc., with Henry Green as director of operations, will throw open its doors Friday afternoon in anticipation of one of the most successful meetings in the history of this course. The track will operate 44 days. To say that there has been everything done to this plant for the horsemen, the fans and the working personnel is an understatement. Some years ago this place could have been classified as one of the "white elephants" of racing courses. No longer is this true and at present it possesses one of the most picturesque settings of the race tracks in the eastern sector of the country. The Ohio River parallels .the backstretch and the Kentucky hills are in full view across the river for the panoramic view. The plant itself, too, has been beautified at the expense of many thousands. of dollars, with a large infield lake, planned landscaping in the infield and a more compact odds board. Seventeen Features Listed 1 In anticipation of a banner meeting there are 17 attractions to be decided which include a total value of 9,400. Four of the most prominent of these events are the ,000 Cincinnati Special, to be run on Saturday, July 3; the ,000 Cincinnati Classic, on July 10; the 0,000 Marathon on July 17 and the climactic event and the highlight of the 44-day session, the 0,-000 River Downs Championship on closing day, July 24. The Welcome Purse is the feature attraction for opening day. An allowance event for three-year-olds and older horses, it hasa six furlongs staging and there are seven, including a coupling, to vie for a part of the ,000 purse. Six betting interests for the event include Charles Dean Jr.s Jr. Ireland, Spencer and Clarks Grand Spice, C. B. Hudsons Deep Situation, the H. H. Price and Creel Brown, Jr., entry of Brownie Lady and Sonny Brown; William Wells Grand Continued on Page Forty-Three River Downs Opens Meeting With Seven in Main Feature" Continued from Page One Cella and J. T. Simmons and W. F. Finns Luciete. It is difficult to separate this latter group but both Jr. Ireland and Luciete are recent victors, having scored impressively at the meeting at Beulah Park, which concluded last Monday. Luciete will be piloted by jockey Anthony Licata who rode Blacktype to victory in the ,000 Ascot Victory Plate at that Akron course last week. Luciete, a four-year-old Grandpal filly, had little trouble in turning back her opponents in her most recent victory and will undoubtedly be trying to equal her score over this course last year. At that time she turned in two consecutive victories and among them was a three-quarters of a length verdict over Mels Best, an extremely speedy sort here at that session. The event was the Cincinnati Kennel Club Purse for sophomores exclusively and she was sent the six furlongs in 1:12 over the fast track. From all indications the strip will be off for opening day but she reportedly handles any track condition effectively. In a previous event and for the first of her skein of victories she went six panels in 1:11 to be a half a length the best of Mad John. Licata, while replacing Billy Sackett as her rider, will undoubtedly prove an excellent handler and the pair should be dangerous.
