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ThistleDown By J. R. Batty Susan Stakes to Headline Saturdays Card Rite-Step, Spanish Queen Among 35 Nominees Canadian Stars to Campaign at ThistleDown THISTLEDOWN, North Randall, Ohio, June 8.— Saturdays feature here wilL be the third running of the Susan Stakes, a ,500-added dash of five furlongs for two-year-old fillies. The , Susan closed to entries last Saturday with 35 nominations. There is a strong possibility that the race will be run in two divisions because a survey of the registration list of horses reveals about two-thirds of the candidates are on the grounds and seriously prepping for this event. The Susan is named for general manager Lou Pondfields granddaughter. Amoncr the 35 nntninppc nnlv two entries are from the same barn. Prominent among the potential starters is William L. Huntleys Rite-Step, who has been no worse than third in only two starts of her career, which now embraces 11 races. A ,000 Bargain Claim at Gulfstream In her debut over the local strip recently she turned in an impressive victory, her third success of the season. Huntley, of Miami, Fla., acquired the daughter of Fighting Step— Pixie at Gulfstream Park this spring for a claiming price of ,000 and he appears to have snared a bargain. Another who figures to have a stout chance in this dash is Mrs. H. S. Mitchells Spanish Queen, who, before being shipped here recently, took down two purses racing on the Maryland circuit. Mrs. Mitchell is the mother of former jockey Bobby Mitchell, who was a sensation locally as an apprentice rider about a decade ago, when ThistleDown held its meetings at neighboring Randall. Ament, owned by P. A. B. Widener, m., won the Keeneland Dinner Party Purse this spring to recommend her chances of annexing this stakes. There are a number of Canadian-owned nominees to ThistleDowns stakes this season. In the three years this track has operated under the present management, numerous Canuck turf stars have been sent in for the richer races. This began with John OKeeffes tour of duty as the presiding steward for the thoroughbred meetings in the Province of Quebec a few seasons back. OKeeffe, public relations director here now and serving in the sanw capacity at Randall at the time he journeyed through Canada, induced E. P. Taylor to J send the then* two-year-old Canadiana to Randall where she chalked up her first stakes victory in this country. Jospeh M. Tomlinson is another Canadian who has nominated members of his string for some of the stakes on the agenda this year here. Tomlinsons colors were seen locally aboard Chain Reaction in the Ohio Derby in 1953. Randall Track Improvement Near Completion The reconditioning process which has closed the Randall Park oval to the 900 horses stabled there for the ThistleDown meeting continues and probably wont be completed until the end of this week. The entire cushion on the track is being screened and a new cushion added. The screening operation has disclosed the usual amount of debris among the stones and rocks. General manager Elmer F. Vickers, Jr., is remaining on the spot until the job has been completed. His plans now call for him leaving Cleveland for Miami on Friday. He will help move his wife and five children into their new Coral Gables home and expects to return to this area on Monday or Tuesday. . . . George Kenady, who served as a placing judge at the recent Ascot Park meeting, was a visitor yesterday. He .had returned home after the Ascot meeting, but came here with Mrs. Kenady to confer about a new position in racing. He is not at liberty to divulge the details concerning his future. He expects to leave this week for Florida and then Mexico to do some long-delayed fishing. Frances Stables racing hopeful, Black Melody, arrived by van Tuesday from Versailles, Ky., where she spent a month at High Hope Farm arid was bred to the promising young stallion, Roman Sandal. Black Melody, a four-year-old daughter of Jet Pilot, arrived vhigh in bone and light of flesh, but trainer Bob Wills, who has been assigned the conditioning duties, reported she should show semblance of a race horse within a few weeks. . . . Trainer H. G. Woods sent Red Ace and Sweet Josie over the sloppy track this morning in, workouts and then announced the pair would be shipped to Detroit for campaigning at MRA. . . . About 50 members of the Cleveland Tobacco Table were guests of ThistleDown on Wednesday. Tobacco Table president, Norman Brown, made, a presentation following the fifth race, which was named in this groups honor. . . . Five different apprentice riders guided the winners of the first five races on Tuesday, A. L. Farrell Galloping Horses Again FAIRMOUNT PARK, Collinsville, HI., June 8.— Almost, fully recovered from a fractured ankle received at Chicago some weeks ago, apprentice A. L. Farrell, who was topping the reinsmen at Fort Miami, Ohio, when he departed for the Chicago area, and doing well at Sportsmans Park up to the time of his mishap, has resumed galloping horses and, according to his physician, the injured member should be strong enough to warrant his accepting mounts the early part of next week. Farrell, under contract to Walter Craig, is a native of Maiden. Mass.
