view raw text
On the Trot I By MOKMI KURLANSKY 1 Seikos King impressive in Victory Determine Yates, Harmening Win Milburns Annex Successive Races SPORTSMANS PARK, Cicero, HI., June 16. Jerry Baiers promising three-year-old pacer, Selkas King, a son of Col. E. J. Bakers former champion, Kings Counsel, now premier at Gainesway Farm, Lexington, Ky., and Selka Adam, who raced "so-successfully for the Elgin sportsman and seems on the way to gain- even greater prominence as a producer, squandered a not undistinguished group of contemporaries in a special three-year-old event Tuesday. Somewhat favored by having drawn the inside post position, Selkas King out-sprinted his eight opponents for the lead and, with Clarence Curtis at the reins this capable trainer-driver taking care of Baiers stable during the latters tenure as director of racing here, set a brisk pace that simply was too much for all of his rivals but Dynamite Direct. As early as the first quarter pole it was apparent that Selkas King, incidentally once more a Z to 5 favorite, barring- an accident would add another hollow victory to his fine record of consistency. Leading his field at all markers, only Dynamite Direct managed to keep within a reasonable though respectful distance of the bay colt, while none of the rest came within 10 lengths of the leading pair, The genuine qualities of Selkas King, however, cannot be measured by his beating a comparatively weak field, -but by his 2:07 clocking, fastest of the night and second fastest of the meeting. Robert B. Byrnes Ozark Gal, winner of the 6,000 Illinois State Fair Colt Stake for two-year-old pacers for which Selkas King was not eligible fresh from a victory at Louisville, showed very little in her Chicago debut and finished fifth, many lengths behind Selkas King and Dynamite Direct. The latter, victorious in 10 out of 18 races last year and a three-time conqueror of Selkas King as a juvenile, had the services of Howard Beissinger in what was his second start of the season and is likely to improve. The team of Determine Yates and Mel Harmening captured the two-year-old trot with a fine stretch charge, the Peter Van-gundy trainer this time content to follow the pace set by Frosty Queen and Abbe Jane Girl until well into the homestretch. With his earnings gleaned in four starts already over the ,000 mark, the Wayeard colt might well prove a bargain for owner Harmening. An unusual feat was accomplished by the father and son combination, Phil Milburn, Sr., and Jr., when they won successive races Tuesday to make it three in a row with a trio of sophomores from their West DePere, Wis., stable. While the Castleton Farm-bred Ensign Hanover colt, Clipper Ship, with student Phil, Jr., at the reins, won a 24-class pace Monday by 15 lengths in 2:10 over a slow track, the older Milburn guided the Jimmy Creed colt, Redwood Boy, to a 2:10 score by six on Tuesday. Junior then came right back with Phil Bingen to annex the third race in 2:1216, outdistancing most of his rivals. Another accident happened in this race when Stormy Sally, in the lead at the three-quarter pole, made a break and involved Kays Dominion, Harold Warner up, and Agelic Chief, Ty Brook up, in the spill. Phil Bingen was in the middle of the track just making his bid for the lead and would have undoubtedly won even without the unfortunate incident. Anent the Milburns three young pacers, with the exception of Clipper Ship, who was bought from Castleton Farms, the other two are homebreds." Redwood Boy is from the dam of Phil Bob, who in turn, is the sire of Phil Bingen. The trio of Clipper Ship, Redwood Boy and Phil Bingen got their first racing education exclusively on the Wisconsin and Illinois fair circuits last year. The stables policy of developing the youngsters at the country tracks before entering competition on the night ovals is a very sound one and is to be recommended to many owners and trainers. Phil Bob, for instance, in his three-year-old form was something of a matinee sensation, but did not start in Chicago until thoroughly seasoned.
