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Suffolk Downs Has Successful Meet [Attendance Shows 1.5 Pet. Increase Handle Off Only 4 Per Day; Helioscope, Maharajah, Commonwealth Win Stakes Greentree Stables gray Maharajahs track record-breaking performance in the 5,000-added John R. Macomber Memorial Handicap last Saturday provided a fitting climax to Suffolk Downs 41-day spring session. Maharajah sped the mile and one-half of the Macomber over the turf course in 2:31% in turning back eight rivals to earn 9,300, third richest purse of the meeting, for his owners, John Hay Whitney and Mrs. Charles Shipman Payson. . Suffolk, attendance this season showed a gain of 1.5 per cent over the corresponding session of 37 days last year. This years daily average patronage read 14,529 to the 14,315 attained in 1954, a gain of exactly 214 persons per day. In pari-mutuel handle, this seasons average per diem was only 4 less than the 1954 figure; 91,907 as compared with last years 91,941. Second richest stake of the Suffolk term was the inaugural "Suffolk 21" Invitation, which was worth an even 1,000 to James Cox Bradys Commonwealth, who provided an upset in the May 25 feature. The biggest purse offered came in the long established fixture, the 4,100 Massachusetts Handicap, which was presented on Thursday, May 19. Helioscope, a consistent , campaigner from the New Jersey stable of William Helis, Jr., set a track record of 2:01 in the mile and one-quarter of the Massachusetts to earn 6,000. Helioscope, ridden by veteran Sammy Boulmetis, led from the start in the twenty-first running of the event and finished half a length in front of Alfred G. Vanderbilts Social Outcast. Helioscopes time eclipsed the old mark of 2:01%, set by To Market, June 11, 1952. Four Stakes in Massachusetts Only four horses went postward in the Massachusetts, with betting limited to win and place. Sam Tufanos Wise Margin, who won the event last year, finished third, three lengths back of Social Outcast and two and one-quarter lengths in advance of Ogden Phipps Bassahio. The Massachusetts victory boosted HeliOr scopes 1955 earnings to a tidy 6,500; It also gave him money-earning laurels among the thoroughbreds competing at Suffolk and also vaulted his owner to the top of the money-winning owners list. The other individual leaders were jockey Norman Mercier and trainers S.. Bernstein, R. T. Shepp and S. Greene, Jr., the latter trio tying for conditioning honors with 11 successes apiece, one more than I. Prickett compiled. Mercier had 36 winners in 209 mounts to runner-up A. Coys 33 victors in 226 acceptances. V Bobby TJssery, who finished fifth among the reinsmen, scored a triple all at fair to big prices, to thrill the long-shot fans on the second day of the meeting. Usserys winners paid , 3.20 and 0.80, in succession. A crowd of 25,882 got Suffolks 21st year of operation off to a flying start April 19. Horseflesh had to share the limelight with television at the opening. The track set up a 10 -screen, closed circuit TV system so fans could watch every race from various vantage points around the course. Complete Suffolk Downs statistics: April 79 fo June 4—41 Days Gross distribution ,138,650 Net distribution ,130,100 Daily average net distribution . .7,563.41 Attendance 595,669 I Daily average attendance 14,529 Mutuel handle 6,568,182 Daily average mutuel handle 91,907 Leading Money-Winning Owners Owner. 1st. 2nd. 3rd. Won. Helis, W. G., Jr. 10 0 6,000 River Divide Farm 10 7 3 26,800 Prickett, M. and I. 10 12 6 24,600 Brady, J. C. 1 0 0 21,000 Bernstein, S. 10 4 3 19,525 Greentree Stable 1 0 0 19,300 Colella, G. S. 5 4 6 16,825 Beattie, W. J. 6 8 1 .15,365 Millen and Haymaker 7 5 4 15,360 White, I. J. 6 8 7 15,040 Leading Money-Winning Horses Horse. 1st. 2nd. 3rd. • V/on. Helioscope 10 0 6,000 Commonwealth 1 0 0 21,000 Maharajah 1 0 0 19,300 Wise Margin 111 12,500 My, Banker 2 0 2 11,950 Decathlon 3 0 0 ..10,600 Social Outcast 0 10 10,000 Chris Cross 2 3 1 9,750 Parnassus 1 2 0 8,350 Jovial 2 0 0 7,900 Sonic " 2 0 0 7,900 Amyn Bey 2 0 0 7,900 Lepding Winning Jockeys Jockey. Mts. 1st. 2nd. 3rd. Unp. PC. Mercier, N. 209 36 28 27 118 .17 Coy, A. 226 33 28 29 136 .15 Solimena, F. 184 30 30 26 98 .16 Madden, D. 177 26 23 18 110 .15 TJssery, R. 127 23 17 22 65 .18 Smith, J. E., Jr. 99 20 8 10 61 .20 Hettinger, G. 123 20 13 6 84 .16 Wilder, M. 96 16 5 7 68 .17 Wajda, H. 134 14 25 16 79 .10 Parker, G. 162 14 15 11 122 .09 Leading Winning Trainers Trainer. Wins. Trainer. Wins. Bernstein, S. 11 Savoy, J. 9 Greene, S., Jr. 11 Sedlacek, W. 9 Shepp, R. T. 11 Handy, G. R. 8 Prickett, I. 10 Melanson, J. W. 8 Freeman, W. C. 9 Resseguet, W. 8 The following is the list of stakes and feature races that were decided: Stake. Date. Winner. Value. Plymouth Rock Handicap, April 23; Wise Margin $ 5,500 Faneuil Hall Handicap, April 30; Jovial 5,500 Governors Handicap, May 7; Parnassus 5,500 Paul Revere Handicap, May 14; My Banker 5,500 Massachusetts Handicap, May 19; Helioscope 36,000 Commonwealth Handicap first division May 21; Amyn Bey 5,500 Commonwealth Handicap second division May 21; Dudley Darbury 5,500 Suffolk 21 Invitation, May 25; Commonwealth 21,000 Bay State Kindergarten Stakes, May 28; Decathlon 7,000 Tomasello Memorial Handicap, May 30; Sonic 5,500 Constitution Handicap, June 1; Chris Cross 5,500 John R. Macomber Memorial Handicap, June 4; Maharajah 19,300 The percentage of winning favorites was below normal, as shown in the subjoined tabulation: Number of races 369 Winning favorites 118 Winning second choices 70 Winning outsiders 181 Winners at odds-on n Defeated at odds-on 8 Percentage of winning favorites .32 Dead heats None for win
