Track Lightning Fast for Feature, Daily Racing Form, 1955-06-14

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Track Lightning Fast for Feature The track returned to lightning fast Saturday, and the new world record was not too surprising. But the ease with which Swaps accomplished the 1:40% was absolutely astounding. The early fractions were: quarter in :23I/5. half in .46, six furlongs in l:i0, and mile in 1:34. The Californian victory made Swaps claims to potential Horse of the Year honors at this point far stronger than they had been before the rate, for while Nashua was beating sophomores in the Belmont on Long Island, Swaps was tackling, and humbling decisively, some of the toughest older horses in the nation. * Swaps came back to an ovation at the winners circle which proclaimed him the greatest thing in shoes the Coast has ever seen. The usual rash of statements followed the running of the race and were distributed around the press box, but they all added up to more or less the same thing — Swaps is the closest thing to a wonder horse the West has seen in a long time. But, of course, this item was quite apparent to the 51,000 plus fans who saw the Californian. They needed no "briefing" from the experts , on this statement. We thought that Swaps had substantial in reserve at the end and while it was a fast race, and somewhat harder than many of his three-year-old engagements, we doubt if meeting older took much, if anything, out of the horse. Mind you, he did not feel the sting of the whip at any stage. This sensational Californian win is bound to make a public demand of tidal wave proportions for a return meeting with Nashua, and whether this comes about or not remains to be seen. We can say that Hollywood Park officials did everything they could in a genteel way to bring Nashua to Hollywood, but William Woodward, Jr., has declined for Nashua. Both horses will be in Chicago in August, and Washington Park might be a natural meeting ground.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1950s/drf1955061401/drf1955061401_4_8
Local Identifier: drf1955061401_4_8
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800