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Monmouth Meet Begins With 14 in Oceanport I Appeal, 1 Geegee Duo Favored Over Bobby Brocato, Blessbul! By WILLIAM C. PHILLIPS Staff Correspondent MONMOUTH PARK, Oceanport, N. J., June 10. — The second phase of the racing season in New Jersey will be unfolded here on Saturday as the Monmouth Park Jockey Club enters into its 10th year of racing by the sea. The 8,950 Oceanport Handicap features an excellent inaugural program of eight races and it brings together a field of 14 crack sprinters at a distance of six furlongs. Heading the group for the eighth renewal of this fixture, worth a net of 3,450 with a full field, is Joe W. Browns Bobby Brocato who has an assignment of 122 pounds. He is followed by Morris Sims Blessbull, 120, Clearwater Stables Dark Peter, 118, and Brookfield Farms record smashing I Appeal, 117, who is coupled as an en;try with I Geegee, 112. Post time for the opening program and throughout the 50-day meeting will be 2:3# Continued on Page Seven Oceanport Opens Monmouth Meet J Appeal, I Geegee * Form Favored Duo » Bobby Brocato, Blessbull, , Dark Peter in Fast Field Of 14 atNlew Jersey OyoI Continued from Page One oclock. The track received a thorough soaking from yesterdays minor hurricane, but the racing strip has never been in more excellent condition and it probably will be .no worse than "good" for Saturdays racing. Monmouth president Amory L. Haskell and general manager Edward J. Brennan have confidently predicted that this will be the most eventful and prosperous meeting in the tracks history, and it appears rthat their guess is a very good one. There are more than 1,000 thoroughbreds already registered with racing secretary John Turner, Jr., and many of the countrys top performers will be competing over the flat and the hurdles for a total of 52,500 in stakes purses. The inaugural records for this track are tin attendance of 23,476 and a handle of _ tf»l cao ooo ml — ; — r xi y~« 3 5 i,duo,o. j.ne opening 01 uie jaraen £tate Parkway is expected to be the tracks biggest boon and the management anticipates the superhighway bringing in new records on the, first day. I Appeal, who will be ridden by Willie Hartack, is expected to rule with I Geegee as the publics favorite in the Oceanport. The four-year-old I Appeal smothered his rivals with speed at Garden State Park where he first established a six-furlong track record of 1:09%, and came back the following week to lower his own mark to a sensational 1:08%. In the latter performance he defeated Bobby Brocato by two and one-half lengths, although he will be picking up five pounds from that race when he meets the same rival tomorrow. I Geegee is the lesser half of the team, but his efforts have been good and he is capable of giving his mate strong support. iD.LL.. D L 1 _ J. ll_ /■» I puuuy Drucuru muue up varounu Bobby Brocato had no excuse when ieaten by I Appeal, but he made up a tre-nendous amount of ground from a slow beginning and was making inroads on the Brookfield sprinters margin at the finish. He holds victories this year in the Pontalba and Paumonok Handicaps. His rider will oe Ray Broussard. i Blessbull was a star sprinter last winter in Florida where he won the Hialeah [naugural and Palm Beach Handicaps. lYainer H. E. Lewis is hoping he will like the Monmouth Park strip better than he apparently did the Belmont course, and he sent him down from New York for Jack Skelly to ride. Dark Peter, who is the old man of the field at seven years of age, has been a successful invader into New Jersey for the past several seasons. The veteran sprinter started only once at Belmont Park this pear, but it was a sharp effort and he will be well regarded with Sam Boulmetis as tis rider. Mrs. Robert L. Gerrys Master Ace will jraw close scrutiny. He captured the 1954 running of the Oceanport over the champion, White Skies, and set a Monmouth track record of 1:09. Master Ace, who was jeaten a nose in his recent and only out-,ng of the season, carried 106 pounds last fear, and tomorrow will shoulder Pete Anderson and 115 pounds. Also appearing dangerous are J. W. Hodgers Due de Fer, 115, Abe Levinsons fidewater, 113; Sylvester Richs Landsea-Or, 113; S. D. Gottliebs Do Report, 111, md Eugene Constantin, Jrs. Bushers 3eam, 109. Several of the candidates were loosened ip over a muddy training strip this morn-ng. They all breezed three furlongs in ilow times, with ,the exception of Jayron farms Influence who handily went in 35%. Three of the horses are being hipped in overnight from New York and ire due to arrive this evening. They are [idewater, Do Report and Master Ace.
