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Keeneland Totals Show Slight Drop Wager 97,008 Average fori! Days 8,464 Per Diem Attendance; Racing Fool Tops Performers And Cain How Leads Owners Keeneland got the 1955 Kentucky thoroughbred racing season off to a flying start with its traditional spring meeting April 14-28. However, the 11-day session didnt quite measure up to the daily average at-dendance and pari-mutuel totals attained during the corresponding 1954 term. A total of 93,101 fans filed through the Lexington, Ky., tracks gates this spring. This represented an average of 8,464, as compared with 8,932 last spring. The total handle was~,367,087 this year, a per diem average of 97,008. Last years daily average pool came to 25,904. Five stakes and handicaps were featured at the picturesque Lexington course. The piece de resistance was the Blue Grass Stakes, final days feature last Thursday, in which Cain Hoy Stables Racing Fool emerged the winner over the California invader Jeans Joe. The Blue Grass annually serves as one of the preliminary "warm-ups" for the Kentucky Derby. Sea O Erin Double Handicap Winner Hasty House Farms Sea O Erin captured two handicaps — the Phoenix, one of Americas oldest fixtures and the Ben Ali. The other two features, the Ashland Stake for three-year-old fillies, and Lafayette Stakes, for juvenile colts, went to Insouciant, in an upset, and First Lap, respectively. Racing Fools Blue Grass triumph was worth 2,112. This supposedly "second stringer" to stablemate Flying Fury in the three-year-old fixtures to come, also won two overnight races for the thoroughbred money-winning crown of the meeting with 8,612." Racing Fools three triumphs, plus a victory by Flying Fury in a seven-furlong event and two thirds by other representa-■s tives of the stable gave the Harry F. Guggenheim establishment top money-earning honors. Its leading total was 2,037. Runner-up among the money horses and owners were Sea O Erin 5,967 and Hasty House 9,317, respectively. Veteran Steve Brooks, always a tartar at Keeneland, and in Kentucky for that matter, won the jockey championship with 17 victories in 51 tries. Another vet, Johnny Adams, was his closest comptitor. Adams got home -first 13 times in 58 acceptances. J. Zoeller topped the training brigade with-five victors. This was one more success than that enjoyed by both Lloyd Gentry and K. Noe. Complete Keeneland statistics: - April 14 to April 28—1 7 Days Gross distribution 22,100 Net distribution . . . .. 88,500 Daily average net distribution . .6,227.27 Attendance . . .93,101 Daily average attendance 8,464 Mutuel handle ~ .... ,367,087 Daily average mutuel handle 97,008 1 The percentage of winning favorites was ■ above normal, as shown in the subjoined tabulation: Number of races * 82 ] Winning favorites 30 1 ] Winning second choices 16 « Winning outsiders 36 Winners at odds-on 5 Defeated at odds-on 6 , Percentage of winning favorites .37 £ Dead heats, to win . 0 ! Leading Money-Winning Owners 1 Owner. 1st. 2nd. 3rd. Won. Cain Hoy Stable 4 0 2 2,037 Hasty House Farm 2 2 3 19,317 t Wilson, Sam E., Jr. 5 11 14,115 t Asbury, E. 11 0 14,010 t Lewis, R. A. 1 0 1 13,750 £ Claiborne Farm 3 2 1 12,105 1 Reverie Knoll Farm 2 2 2 9,260 -Jones, W. L., Jr. 3 3 1 7,485* Murcain Stable Oil 7,400 Morriss, C. F. 1 1 2 6,900 Leading Money-Winning Horses Horse. 1st 2nd. 3r.d. Won. Racing Fool 3 0 0 8,612 Sea O Erin 2 0 0 15,967 Insouciant 11 0 14,010 First Lap 10 1 13,750 Jeans Joe 0 1 1 v 7,400 Courtesy 0 2 0 5,280 Fair Pilot 110 4,815 Tiger Wander 0 10 4V,450 Make Ready 0 0 1 4,025 Munchausen 0 0 2- 4,025 Leading Winning Jockeys c Jockey. Mts. 1st. 2nd. 3rd. Unp. PC. Brooks, S. 51 17 10 4 20 .33 I Adams, J. 58 13 7 7 31 .22 Moreno, H. 50 9 9 7 25 .18 / Hansman, L. 43 6 7 5 25 .14 Erb, D. 47 5 4 5 33 .11 I Carstens, W. 52 4 6 4 38 .08 Heckmann, J. 61 4 8 10 39 .07 I Adams, J. R. 42 3 5 7 27 .07 Armstrong. S. 35 .3 2 5 25 .09 I t Kaelin,vF. ~* "3 4l5* .12: i * U c I / I I I i * U Leading Winning Trainers Trainer. Wins. Trainer. Wins. Zoeller, J. 5 Nugent, F. 2 Gentry, L. . 4 Preston, M. 2 Noe, K. 4 Proctor, W. L. 2 Bowles, C.F. 3 Resseguet.M. 2 Fischer, L.- 3 Rieser.S. 2 Jolley.M. . 3 Ryan.E.B. 2 Creech, B. 2 Sanders, F. ■ 2 Davis, D., Jr. 2 Stevens, H.K. 2 Forrest, H. 2 Thompson, L. H. 2 Colglazier, E. T. 2 Trotsek.H. 2 Griffin, S. 2 Wingf ield, R. E. 2 Kramer, J. A: 2 Following is the list of stakes that were decided: Stake. Date. Winner. Value. Phoenix Handicap, April 16; Sea O Erin .. $ 7,955 Ashland Stakes, April 21; Insouciant : 13,360 Ben Ali Handicap, April 23; Sea O Erin ". . 8,012 Lafayette Stakes, April 27; First Lap 13,425 Blue* Grass Stakes, April 2and; Rac- , . _« , ling Fool . . 22,112 * iwmfiM tCf«vr"HJiH fit foirt # *8 0 ph »t/»
