view raw text
On tfie Trot By MORRIE KURLANSKY ! Stellar Nine-Race Program Tonight Open Trot and Pace Major Features Sophomores in Another Mile Event MAYWOOD PARK, Maywood, 111., June 4. An outstanding nine-race program, the like of which Chicago fans havent been offered in vears. will be presented Saturday night with an open trot and pace the major attractions. In the event for the diagonally-gaited performers, with the exception of Mar-cia D., all trotters that have distinguished themselves during the current meeting will vie for the highest purse offered this season for a single dash event and Saunders Mills excellent trotting mare, Nancy Song, also will shoot for the ,000 prize. In order of post positions, the following seven trotters will make up the field of the open trot: Taylor Ridge Jim Kealey, a winner of four races here this season; Francis Mc Clarence Curtis , fresh from a double victory earlier this week, plus two more victories since April 30; Daisy Astra Billy Shuter , winner of her last three races, one of them in the meetings record time of 2:05M, and an additional score on April 23; Nancy Lee Day Gene Riegle , a triple winner at this meeting; Clever Tee Earl Roush, leading money-winner here with five victories; Steve Tell Gleen Hawkins, a winner here on May 15 and in the money in his other four starts, and Nancy Song Don Hall , a member of the charmed two-minute circle with 1:59 at Hollywood Park last fall. A field of similar high class will contest the ,000 open pace and, as in the trot, the local campaigners will be opposed by an invader of the first order; this one, too, a member of the famous Saunders Mills Stable the outstanding pacer, Mr. Dean well remembered for his victory in the 1953 Chicago Pacing Derby at this track. In order of post positions, the pacing event will be contested by Battle Prince Dee Stover , winner of two races here, the last one in meeting record time of 2:05; Easter Bunny Billy Rouse, double victor here with a best mark of 2:05; Trigg County Roy Riegle , twice in the winners circle this spring; RedMcKlyo Howard Beissinger, rejuvenated pacer with four winning trips since opening night; Billy Wasson Jim Kealey , pro tern pacing leader here with five triumphs in seven starts; Frisky Hal Lou Rapone, double victor in the early part of the meeting; Mr. Dean Don Hall , making his seasonal bow and recognized as one of the countrys best pacers with a mile in 1:58 at Hollywood Park last fall, and Rimrock Bob Parkinson, winner at Hazel Park in 2:0545. In addition to these two extraordinary races, the best three-year-old pacers on the grounds, like Maestro Pick, Ross Abbe and Assured, will be tested by some seasoned sidewheelers in another mile event that would be a feature any other night. A unique feat, probably without a counterpart in the history of night harness racing, was accomplished Wednesday by members of the well-known family of horsemen, the Riegles from Greenville, Ohio. Not only did the two accomplished trainers, father Roy and son Gene, both rated among the nations leading reinsmen, each drive a winner, but the youngest member of the family, Dick, in his first public appearance, guided his mount to victory. But where all the men in the family were successful, Ma Riegle couldnt be shut out, and it was she who supplied the winning mount for Dick. Incidentally, all three horses that won for the Riegle clan broke their maidens. The first to enter the winners circle was 26-year-old Gene, who for the past few seasons was always among the top ten drivers at virtually every meeting where he raced his public stable, and some of his victories with the two-minute pacer, Red Sails, will live long in the memories of trotting fans in Chicago, New York and Detroit. Genes steed was the four-year-old All Spencer gelding, Ab Kelley, owned by W. L. Miller of Marengo, 111. Perpetua Hanover, three-year-old trotting filly owned by Mrs. Delila E. Riegle, provided 23-year-old Dick with the opportunity to crash the winners circle the first time out, and the youthful team did it in front-going style, leading their field from wire to wire. The daughter of Nibble Hanover, if breeding means anything, is destined for a distinguished racing" career, for her daddy, with his record of 1:58, was one of the fastest trotters ever to race and her dam, Patricia Hanover, not only was a very good race mare two decades ago, but has an even better record in the stud, being the dam of Rufus Hanover 2:04JAh, Archie Hanover 2:08y2h, Hester Hanover 2:01 and other good trotters and pacers. A six-year-old sidewheeler, Mothers Sonny Boy, broke his maiden in a C- class pace in his first start without hopples. Roy Riegle, after several weeks of experimenting, found out that this gelding did not like the leatherstraps around his legs and, after working him out free-legged, asked the permission of the judges to race him that way Wednesday. The result was amazing, for the gelding, in prior starts, always pulled and jerked. This time, very smoothly. Ellsworth Abare, well-known Californian owner-trainer, arrived with his stable from a successful campaign at Santa Anita and Bay Meadows. Harry Burright received the good pacer, Thomas Hat, for further preparation and racing here. The seven-year-old son of Chief Abbedale last year raced with considerable success on the Toronto circuit. During his three-and-four-year-old form, Thomas Hat was one of the best pacers in the country, winning a heat in the Little Brown Jug and getting a mile track record of 2:01.
