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BETWEEN RACES By Oscar Oti HOLLYWOOD PARK, Inglewood, Calif., June 21. — Most of the more than 47,000 fans here Saturday came out to see Imbros • "do "do his his stuff* stun" in m the the "do "do his his stuff* stun" in m the the seven - furlong Lakes and Flowers Handicap, but when the race was over, in new track record time of l:2iys, it was the Irish-bred Curragh King that was led into the winners circle. Given an icy ride by the apprentice Roy Lumm, Curragh King wore down the highweighted highweighted 128 128 highweighted highweighted 128 128 pounds Imbros in the closing strides and won going away. Inasmuch as Curragh King had just got through winning the Argonaut Stakes at a mile and was regarded as being dangerous at longer distances, he received little public support in the Lakes and Flowers. But he proved himself quite versatile, although he had no early speed at all in the race. But his stretch drive was brilliant. It is true that he received 21 pounds from Imbros, but it is quite true also that Curragh King is a far better horse than heretofore rated and that he has quite a prospective future ahead of him. He "went wrong" at Keene-land not too far in advance of the Kentucky Derby and while he started in the Derby, he failed to show much. After an unfortunate incident in Chicago, he was thrown out of training until April of this year. His ailments have been pronounced cured. AAA Curragh Kings owners are Mr. and Mrs. Ed Goemans of Milwaukee, who are moving out to California and who only a couple of days ago took a lease, with option to buy, of a 90-acre farm near Canoga Park in the San Fernando Valley. The Goemans have decided to concentrate their turf interests in Southern California where they have been keeping a few mares and a sire, Calstone, at the Riverside show place farm of W. W. "Tiny" Naylor. Curragh King is a Nasrullah and a rugged one. As a sound horse at last, he may prove his three-year-1 old form was all a mistake. In case you were wondering about how By Zeus and Rejected, the Buddy Hirsch entry, fared in their summer debuts both have been idle since Santa Anita , we can say they both ran tremendously through the stretch, By Zeus getting up to be third, and while Rejected, under 125 pounds, was unplaced, he was not too far away at the wire. Both of Curragh King Nips Imbros in Upset Miz Clementine May Tackle Colts Rate Battle Dance Top Juvenile • these horses will be prominent in the stakes news, we imagine, during the immediate five weeks ahead. Rejected, in particular, would want a little longer distance. As for Imbros, -he must have a weight break point, probably at about 126 pounds and the chances are "that at 128 he wont win too many stakes. But even in defeat, it was a remarkably good effort. * AAA About the best two-year-old tov be uncovered was Battle Dance, a Bolero colt who happens to be at Hollywood Park because of some sound reasoning on the part of trainer Henry Forrest. Texas-owned Battle Dance was shipped to trainer J. T. Taylor by Forrest on the theory that inasmuch as Bolero raced splendidly in California, his offspring might do likewise. It was Tather tenuous reasoning perhaps but it was as good a reason as any. Prior to breaking his maiden, Battle Dance had been tried in the June Juvenile Stakes, but he was as good as left at the. post in that race, so the stakes effort may be discounted. His failure to break came about through a quirk in temperament. A. .A A Battle Dance doesnt like anybody around his head in the gate and if an assistant starter happens to be in the proximity, he bites. But left alone, he is a perfect gentleman, and so he acted in his winning race of Wednesday. Now, all kinds of horses win races and many do so in fast time without being actually impressive. Battle Dance, however, got a grade "A" score in our rating on both counts. He ran with a willingness that was pleasurable to witness. Indeed, he seemed to enjoy running, his manner best being described by the adjective "exuberant." Boleros have now gained headlines on both coasts, and while it may be a bit early to pass final judgment, on the basis of the early returns, wed say that Bolero has the prospect of being an extraordinarily fine sire. He seems to transmit all his speed, and from manner of going, Battle Dance has hinted that he is game as well. AAA Last weeks entire program of racing was sparkling, and the most important item to emerge from the competition was the conviction that Calumets best three-year-old | unquestionably is the filly, Miz ►Clementine. She won the mile and a sixteenth Cinema Handicap from the colts in race horse fashion, and in so doing followed in the footsteps of A Gleam, who beats colts in this same stake back in 1952. It is true that A Gleam carried 124 pounds in her winning spin as against a mere 113 for Miz Clementine, but the latter weight is deceptive for appraisal purposes. For "Miz" won with an air of authority. What the immediate future holds for Miz Clementine, we wouldnt venture a guess, but in our opinion, she will be brought along steadily and will perhaps be ready for greater things in Chicago and New York this fall. She might not be ready to tackle a colt like Determine in the Westerner, but perhaps her effort in the Hollywood Oaks will provide the answer. After all, there is ample precedent for her starting against colts in a tough race like the Westerner. Honeymoon won the Cinema, he Oaks and the Westerner in 1946, A Gleam repeated the feat two years ago, and it would not be an impossibility for Miz to bring off the same accomplishment. AAA The Southern California turf public was positively excited when news seeped out of I the office of the racing secretary that Determine had been nominated, and was asking for weights in the 5,000 Inglewood, mile and a sixteenth handicap of Saturday next. Determine has evoked more spontaneous applause whenever he appears on the track than any horse to race out this way since the days of the historic Cita-tion-Noor duels. Willie Molters explanation that he would rather race Determine than work him is a valid one and quite fits in with his highly successful methods of training. But at the same time, we are not violating any confidence when we say that Molter also would like to freshen Determine up at the close of this meeting, bring him back to the turf wars at Golden Gate Fields this fall.. However, owner Andy Crevolin has his heart set on sending Determine east for reasons of prestige only, and so speculation as to the rest of the year for Determine will remain just that until at least mid-July. But one thing is of interest, namely, that Determine is absolutely sound. He has remarkable recuperative ability. After his grueling race, second to Imbros in world record equaling time in the .Californian, he came back tired, just as he did in the Kentucky Derby, but was back in high spirits, apparently as fresh as the -proverbially daisy, the very next, morning.
