view raw text
. . jBBMk Ml On the Trot L By MORRIS KUBLANSKY Honors Truax Win Price Amazing Fans Show Loyalty to Gay Order Darn Safe Justifies High Esteem MAYWOOD PARK, Maywobd, 111., May 31. — May wood Park fans, an exceedingly faithful lot, carried their loyalty to one of . . their their favorites, favorites, Gay Gay their their favorites, favorites, Gay Gay Order, just a little bit too far last Saturday, with the result that Honors Truax, one of the nations top side-wheelers, returned the amazing win price of 1.20 in his wire to wire triumph in the featured handicap pace. What makes the Indiana Indiana speedsters speedsters as- jBBMk Ml Indiana Indiana speedsters speedsters as- astonishingly long odds even harder to understand was the fact that in racing secretarys Pete Langleys ! opinion, Honors Truax was the best horse in the race, thus assigning him the outside post position while Gay Order was ranked below even Quiet Guy and Victory Scott in fourth position. The publics reasoning in installing Gay Order a short-priced favorite while letting Honors Truax go off at almost 20 to 1 probably went along the lines that follow. Honors Truax, well known for his tremendous early speed, would set a rapid early pace, but would tire from this effort in the last quarter and set the stage for Gay Orders powerful stretch charge. Maybe the fans took into consideration, too, that Gay Order had an edge, insofar as he was to be driven by sulky wizard Howard Beissinger, who the night before had steered three winners, while Honors Truax had his relatively inexperienced as a driver, Glenn Riffe, as a pilot. Pre-race calculations worked out fine when Honors Truax left the gate like a bullet and immediately engaged in a speed duel with the fleet Newtown Girl for the lead. It took the His Honor stallion, however, not more than an eighth to be in undisputed command and, when the time of :29% seconds for the first quarter flashed on the infield board, Gay Orders numerous backers must have felt good as their favorite was in third position on the rail although a good five lengths off the pacesetter. Riffe gave Honors Truax a slight breather in the second quarter, getting the half mile 1:01%, while Newtown Girl, with Gay Order right behind, closed the gap between them and the leader. On the back-stretch, Honors Truax began to draw away again and passed the final quarter pole two lengths in front of Newtown Girl, with Gay Order another one and a half lengths behind. Around the paddock turn, Honors Truax increased his lead and turned for home three and a half lengths ahead, and showing no signs pf weakening. If Gay Order was to win this race, he „ had to race the last eighth in something like 14 seconds, and the pacer to do this isnt born yet. While overtaking Newtown Girl in the stretch drive, Gay Order finished two and a half lengths behind Honors Truax, this one timed in 2:03.34, which is four fifths of a second faster than Gay Orders best time. Honors Truax victory, as genuine as can be, was a surprise only as far as his odds were concerned. Several seasons ago, when in charge of Dee Stover, Honors Truax was undefeated in six consecutive early-closing events.-In the fall of 1953, Honors Truax joined the select two -minute circle with a mile in 1:58% at Lexington, Ky. . In the co-featured trot handicap, the penalized horse, Hayes Fair Acres Darn Safe, justified the high esteem in which he was held and ended Express Colbys winning streak with a determined rush the last sixteenth of the mile to win safely by one length in 2:04*4, just missing Marcia D.s track record. It was strictly a two-horse race, with Express Colby making all the pace until midstretch when Darn Safe challenged and easily passed the Marengo trotter. Victor Morris, Elby Hanover, Doctor Athlone and Deckwin not only indulged in breaks, but were actually outclassed by Darn Safe and Express Colby. Half an hour before Darn Safes victory, Benny Schue guided another promising colorbearer of the famous DuQuoin stable to a splendid triumph in the second division of a 20-class pace stake. The winner, a three-year-old colt, Darn Good Piak, as his name implies is also by the Scotland stallion, Darnley, most of whose progeny, however, are trotters. Darn Good Pick, with a mighty burst of speed in the stretch, defeated the fleet Jimmy Creed filly, Dell Creed, while Jerry Baicrs Selkas King and the Kentucky speedster, Bombers Delight, finished in a dead heat for third. Howard Beissingers classy three-year-old pacer, Blue Goose, with his 2:05 mile the fastest three-year-old on the grounds, defeated a good field of aged pacers in 2:05% to sustain the impression already gained early in this meeting that this is • the best crop of sophomores ever to race in Chicago.