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Dark Peter Takes Down Oceanport Cap Honors Whips I Geegee Before Record Inaugural Throng at Monmouth By JOE HIRSCH MONMOUTH PARK, Oceanport, N. J., June 11. — Clearwather Stables Dark Peter closed quickly down the middle of the strip to get up in the final stages of the 8,550 Oceanport Handicap and score by half a length in front of Brookfield Farms I Geegee as Monmouth Park opened a 50-day meeting. A light dirzzle fell throughout the afternoon but a banner turnout of 24,697 set a new opening day attendance mark. The previous record for attendance was 23,476. Dark Peter, a seven-year-old Piping Rock gelding with more than a touch of class, was registering his first victory of the season in two attempts. In his only previous outing, a graded handicap at Belmont on May 30, he finished third to Hartsville and Mr. Turf. Todays winning slice of 3,505 increased his 1955 earnings to 3,650. Bobby . Brocato, the Paumonok victor, was the 5-2 choice of the crowd, but Dark Peter, taken off the pace by Sammy Boul-metis, moved resolutely through the stretch under urging and beat the speedy I Geegee-to the wire. The winner was clocked in 1:10. a second off the local standard estab- Continued on Page Six Oceanport Handicap to Dark Peter I Geegee Runner-up j In Monmouth Stake Favored Bobby Brocato Takes Down Show Honors Before Crowd of 24,697 Continued from Page One lished by Master Ace, when that one beat White Skies in last years Oceanport. In the winners circle Mayor Edward C. Wilson of Oceanport presented a trophy to trainer Al Pupino and Frank Leather-bury, who .with E. A. Roberts owns the Clearwater Stable. Dark Peter won four races, earned 6,500 in 1954 while racing in good sprint company with such as Pet Bully, Laffango and Joe Jones. He has usually displayed a good deal of early foot, but today Boul-metis was under instructions to take back off the pace and he followed his- orders to the letter. Master Ace, Blessbull and Black Metal were quickest to begin the Oceanport, with Master Ace showing the way down the far side. It was not until the head of the turn that Boulmetis moved into a contending position with Dark Peter. Due de Fer Takes Over • Curving for home, Due de Fer went to the front as I Geegee dropped into second position a head farther back. Entering the stretch, Dark Peter was now in third place. I Geegee moved in front of Due de Fer, passed the eighth pole and was racing to the wire "with the latter in close pursuit when Dark Peter and Bobby Brocato" moved to I Geegee down the middle of the track. It was Dark Peter that was successful with his closing flourish. Following the fifth race Rear Adm. Ros-coe Hillenkoetter, commandant of the third naval district, and Maj. Gen. J. W. Harmony, commanding general of Ft. Dix, were among treasury and local officials presenting a scroll to Monmouths President Amory Haskell for his outstanding work in aiding the U.S. savings bond program. Brookfields Impromptu bore out badly in the final sixteenth during the running of the fifth race but the incomparable Willie Hartack was able to bring him across the wire three parts of a length to the good of Eugene Coristantin, Jr.s Our Prince with Sam Serpicos Blue Vet eight distant lengths farther hack for the minor award. It was the second win of the after-noon for Hartack, who had previously scored with Carolyn K Stables Hi-Sag in the third event. j 1 i „ x -, ,-,w-.. y,- DARK PETER — Ran the six furlongs in 1:10 over the Monmouth good track to win the Oceanport Handicap on Saturdays opening-day program.
