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♦ ♦ H ::■ ,. ■■• ■ ; ■■■!!■■- .J- _. ■ ■■■ ■ ._ 1 ♦ p— Laurel Attendance, Wagering Drop ,. _. ._ OOl ♦ ♦ ; f£. A.. H ::■ ■■• ■ ■■■!!■■- .J- ■ ■■■ ■ 1 ♦ OOl f£. A.. 91,026Average Play for 19 Days Hartack Rides 38 Per Cent Winners; His Six Tallies on April 25 Best Feat of Year The daily average attendance and pari-mutuel handle at Laurels 18-day spring meeting which concluded last Saturday, were below the figures for last years corresponding session of 19 days. The crowds averaged 11,650 daily this spring to 14.800 in 1954. The mutuel pool per diem this year was 91,026 against ,197,160 last spring. Willie Hartack of Johnstown, Pa., and Mrs. Marion DuPont Scotts Saratoga were the respective man and horse stars of the sprfng meeting which concluded last Saturday. Hartack "s riding was slightly more than sensational. On opening day. April 18, the Pennsylvania youth thrilled 11,095 devotees by winning the first five races before finishing second in the sixth race, then losing by a neck aboard I Appeal to First Served in the 1,760 Capitol Handicap, feature race of the day, for a near-record performance. If Hartack had swept the seven races. he would have equalled the world record set by Albert Whittaker of New Zealand in 1910. Numerous riders have won six races in one day. On April 25, the 21-year-old Hartack turned in another memorable saddle feat when he won with six of his seven mounts. It marked the best winning day enjoyed by a jockey this year and equalled the most outstanding feat of 1954, turned in by Avelino Gomez at Mexico City. In 1953. Charlie Burr, 1951 national champion, and Colin Knisley each won six out of six races. Included among Hartacks winners were both ends of a 9.40 Daily Double. He missed a perfect seven -for -seven record when he wound up third with Haviland in the sixth event. Sorotoga Chesapeake Victor Naturally. Hartack won Laurels jockey title. His total was 23 victors in 61 races for a percentage of .38. The Virginia-raised, handsome black Saratoga galloped to a two-length triumph in the 4,775 Chesapeake Stakes. April 23. This son of Blenheim II. almost equalled the mile and one-sixteenth track record, carrying 119 pounds over a fast track in 1 :43 15, only two-fifths of a second off the mark set by Golden Bull five years ago. Ridden by Nick Shuk, the crowd of 22.104 made Saratoga the favorite. His connections later decided to reserve him for the Preakness and skip the Kentucky Derby. The colt finished second to Nashua in the Flamingo at Hialeah and last to Nashua in the Florida Derby in, sloppy going. Saratogas score in the Chesapeake, his sole outing of the meeting, gave him money-earning laurels among the thoroughbreds with 7,450. However. Montpelier, nom de course of Mrs. Scotts extensive establishment, bowed to Walter M. Jeffords among the money-winning owners. Jeffords colorbearers won five races, were second thrice and third twice for 8,650 in purses. B. P. Bond and O. White deadlocked for training honors with seven successes apiece. In addition to the Chesapeake and Capitol handicap, two other big races were contested. Tahiti annexed the Maryland Sprint Handicap while the Laurel Handicap fell to Subahdar. Complete Laurel statistics: -Apr/7 18 to May 7—18 Days Gross distribution 72,505 Net distribution 62,000 Daily average net distribution 5,666.67 Attendance 209,707 Daily average attendance 11,650 Mutuel handle 7,838,471 Doily average mutuel handle 91,026 Leading Money-Winning Owners Owner. 1st. 2nd. 3rd. Won. Jeffords, W. M. 5 3 2 8,650 Montpelier 1 0 0 17,450 Jeffords. Mrs. W. M. 2 0 0 15.150 Rice, Ada L. 6 2 3 13.900 Gottlieb, S. D. 2 0 2 11,990 Duntreath Farm 5 2 1 11.125 Bryson, E. K. 3 2 3 9.700 Brookfield Farm 2 2 0 8.225 Cedar Farm 4 10 7.650 Barclay Stable 3 10 6,875 . Leading Money-Winning Horses Horse. 1st. 2nd. 3rd. Won. Saratoga 10 0 7,450 Subahdar 2 0 0 14,800 Tahiti 1 0 1 8.450 First Served 1 0 0 8,140 Zuyder Zee 2 0 1 5,600 Grand Tempo 2 2 0 5,100 Blazing Count 2 0 0 4.550 Jiggle 2 0 © * -4-,225 Driving 2 •" IP • U H *F*5 Chuck Thompson 0 1 0 4 000 CHESAPEAKE STAKES PRESENTATION has Speaker of the House, Sam Rayburn right, presenting the trophy to Mrs. Marion duPont Scott after her Saratoga won Laurels three-year-old stake. Trainer Frank A. Bonsai left and jockey Nick Shuk participate in the ceremony. Leading " Winning Jockeys Jockey. Mts. 1st. 2nd. 3rd. Unp. PC. Hartack, W. 61 23 10 12 16 .38 DeSpirito, A. 77 20 11 13 33 .26 Nelson, E. 91 14 16 13 48 .15 | Martin. R. J. 83 13 7 5 58 .16 Shuk, N. 55 .9 8 7 31 .16 : Boulmetis, S. 43 7 9 6 21 .16 ■ Culmone. J. 24 6 1 3 14 .25 Errico, C. 67 5 9 5 48 .07 Servis, J. 61 5 3 6 47 .08 Clark, CM. 49 5 7 2 35 .10 Grimm. P. I. 40 5 4 2 29 .12 Leoding Winning Trainers Trainer. Wins. Trainer. Wins. Bond. B. P. 7 Forbes, J. H. C. 4 White, O. 7 Yowell, E. 4 Bonsai, F. A. 6 Arthur, J. 3 East, A. F. 5 Dickman, R. R. 3 Emery, D. 5 Hacker, B. P. 3 Susini, W. J. 5 Wright, F. 3 Following is the list of stakes that were . decided : Stake. Date. Winner Value. ; Capitol Handicap, April 18: First Served $ 8,140 .Chesapeake Stakes, April 23; Saratoga 17,450 Maryland Sprint Handicap, April 30; Tahiti 8,000 Laurel Handicap, May 7; Subahdar 11,875 The percentage of winning favorites was below normal, as shown in the subjoined tabulation: Number of races 144 Winning favorites 47 Winning second choices 27 Winning outsiders 70 Winners at odds-on 6 Defeated at odds-on 5 Percentage of winning favorrtes • I . *3B Dead heats, for win 0 was third in that race, while Beylerbey. Renoir, and Billtown were unplaced. Just Judy has scored twice at the c,pr-rent session. In each instance the distance was one and one-sixteenth miles. She defeated Pussy Cat last Saturday, and her" prior triumph was on April 30. Chara, following her success, was unplaced in the Sportsmans Park Handicap last week end. Ralph Borgemenke will ride either Chara or Just Judy. Some of the best sprinters on the grounds will try for the honors in the secondary feature, the Ted Kusman Post Purse, that will be run as the sixth event on a nine -race bill and will have a purse value of ,000. Mrs. Elizabeth Mucklers Heutel, winner of last years Sportsmans Park Handicap but unplaced in his lone start this meeting, is in the field, as are Sub Factor, Air Plight, Alsab Ace. Judge Browdee. Cosentina, Bill Pac, Black Bantam, and Passing Hour.
