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On the Trot I Br MORRHC KURLANSKT Chicago Downs Off to Flying Start Jochoyolo, Francis Eton Deadlock Plebe Would Add Interest Locally SPORTSMANS PARK, Cicero, 111., June 8. — The Chicago Downs meeting here, in spite of heavy rainfall all day until shortly hpf nr » nnsf. t.imp trnr, off to an auspicious start with 5,679 fans on hand to watch the inaugural program, while the wagering fell just short of the 40,000 mark. The extremely muddy track, which had been specially resurfaced for the sulky sport,, prevented the use of the mobile start ing gate and the fields were sent away by the time-honored method of scoring. For once, post positions were of no importance whatsoever and the times registered in the nine dashes |were on the slow side. Instead of speed, stamina was the. watchword of the night, but nevertheless in several instances the judges had to refer to the photo finish. A 14. -class trot stake in two heats at a mile, named in honor of Chicago Downs secretary-treasurer and manager of the mutuel department, Bob Hart, resulted in a tie between Herman Grahams Jochovolo, driven by trainer Harold Warner, and Clarence Curtis own Francis Eton. The first dash went to Jochovolo, who closed rapidly on the outside to nip Francis Eton and Express Colby by a nose and a head, respectively. In the return encounter, Francis Eton, -whose owner, like Jochovolos, happens to- reside in Salem, HI., proved his superior mud-racing qualities, or his utter disregard for track conditions, to win easily from Jochovolo. The five-year-old Eton gelding has now won five of his eight starts this season to be quite a bargain for Curtis, whose public stable last week was augmented by Jerry Baiers horses, among them the good three-year-old pacer, Selkas King. In addition to his victory behind Jochovolo, Harold Warner guided last years winner of the 6,000 Illinois State Fair Colt Stake for three-year-old trotters, Bishops First, to his initial 55 score in a B-class trot. A look at the latest table of candidates for championship honors shows horses that campaigned during the Fox Valley Trotting Club meeting at Maywood Park are well represented. With his 2:01 mile, B Haven is the nations fastest aged five years and older pacing gelding, while Peter Vangundy 2:02% holds the same distinction among four-year-old laterajly-gaited geldings. Annette Tass, with her recent 2:036 effort, currently leads the nations pacing mares. Daisy Astra and Lord Steward, two well-known members of the free-for-all trotting brigade, are the countrys fastest trotters over half-mile tracks with miles in 2: 03£ and 2:03%, both at Roosevelt Raceway. One of the best Illinois-owned pacers, Plebe, last year the leading dash-winning three-year-old pacer in the country, made an auspicious 1955 debut at Louisville in garnering the second heat of the Inaugural Pace in 2:05%. It would be nice to see the Ensign Hanover colt competing here against the fine group of three-and-four-year-olds that helped make the Fox Valley meeting such a sporting success — Peter Vangundy, Jake Rodney, Swan Bay, Blue Goose, Darn Good Pick, Plutocrat, Selkas King, Easy Adios and Roxburgh Carmen. Anent the fast times registered at Maywood Park this spring, the national harness magazine, Horseman and Fair World, says: "An agonizing "reappraisal of racing stock is undoubtedly going on in Chicago as a result of the racing of the past few weeks. It is brutally apparent that many of the so-so horses that have raced with success during the past several seasons are going to find the going very salty if the speed brackets are maintained." The sport of harness racing now has nine events with purses in excess of 0,000, headed by the Hambletonian which is expected to pay off in the neighborhood of 00,000. Others are the Yonkers Twins, with purses around 5,000 for both trotters and pacers. The Little Brown Jug is expected to gross about 0,000 this year, and then there are the four 0,000-plus divisions of the Illinois State Fair Colt Stake at Springfield. An auction will be held Sunday at Maywood Park. Consignments include horses owned by Paul S. Dougherty, Jr., W. J. Paisley, these two patrons dispersing their entire holdings; Tom Keating and Bud Hcnson.
