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- . , MBML ilk m On the Trot I J By MORRIE KURLANSKY Miss Sue Ellen Displays Class Fractional Times Major Factor Schooling Race Accurate Proof SPORTSMANS PARK, Cicero, 111., June 22. Jay Wellers 11-year-old trotting stalwart Miss Sue Ellen, a winner only last - . , Friday Pnday night night over over Cas- Friday Pnday night night over over Cas- Cas-fcleton Farms two-minute performer Earls Song and Saunders Mills Elby Hanover, gave Monday nights sizable crowd a practical demonstration of what the experts call "class" in a horse. At the same f time she proved once again again that that while while the the MBML ilk m again again that that while while the the - time element in harness racing is a relative factor, in so many cases its not "the total time elapsed from flag-fall to finish that counts, but rather the fractional times for the four quarters that really tell the story of a given race. Sheer speed alone never wins races in good class company and here we have to refer only to last Saturdays feature event in which Jake Rodney, who sports a record of 2:03, was outdistanced in Mr. Deans " 2:03 mile. Or for instance, there was another example on Monday night, although most spectators probably werent aware of it as it happened in a schooling race before the regular betting card. Billy Shuter, the schooling race champion anyway as he scored with Little Ralph last year in such an event in 2:05, drove the Windsor Stables Wilma Cash to a 2:06 victory, j We doubt if this mediocre mare would have been in the money in the nights CC class races, which were won by Cokey and Sandy Byrd in 2:07 and 2:08, respectively. To return to Miss Sue Ellens race, the mare admittedly was two classes above the company she was required to meet in Mondays early closing event for eight-year-olds and up that started Jour or more times in 1954 and were , non-winners of 2,500 in 1954. This t mare, incidentally, earned 10,765 last season. Astute observers thought that her closing price of 3xto 5 she actually paid even a little bit more, namely .40 was a gross overlay and the Ohio-bred mare sustained this opinion with the easiest victory at this meeting. Owner-trainer Weller let Mercey Abbey set all the early pace with Zl seconds flashing up for the first quarter and an incredible slow 1:07 for the first half. Nearing the final quarter pole Weller had enough of the loafing and within a few strides was in command by one length. Passing the three-quarter mile mark in 1:39 Miss Sue Ellen really began to pick up speed and covering the final panel in free-for-all time of 29 seconds came home in 2:08. This was almost three seconds slower than her win time of 2:06 last Friday, when her four rivals, if you would call them that, finished up the track. An hour later Flaxeys Colby won a B class trot in 2:08, but nobody should be misled by his two-fifths better time, that the Iowa trotter could beat Miss Sue Ellen for he is not in the same league with the Clever Hanover daughter. That immeasurable quality in a horse called class may assert itself at any time during a race. Once more referring to last Saturdays free-for-all race, the crucial quarter of the mile was the third, in which Peter Vangundy, hard pressed by Mr. Dean and BHaven, sped that panel in 29 seconds. But while Mr. Dean had the stamina to finish the mile trip with a :30 quarter, or most likely a tick faster, both Peter Vangundy and BHaven had used up their reserves and finished the race on sheer courage. Talking of Mr. Dean, his owners Saunders Mills of Toledo, Ohio, are in the very fortunate position to have two other free-for-all pacers in their barn; This enables them to deploy their forces and be represented in major races in Chicago, Detroit and New York at the same time. Earlier in the month, for instance, on the same night when Mr. Dean defeated the local pacing elite here, the duo of Warpath and Knox Hanover carried the blue and gold colors of the stable to victory in the ! 0,000 Detroit Pacing Derby. The Saunders representatives finished one-two in the mile and a quarter event with Warpath setting a new track recordof 2:34 for the distance. George E. Enslen, racing secretary at Freehold Raceway, the New Jersey half-miler, intends to run a series of what he calls classified money races with claiming conditions during the forthcoming meeting. Conditions for a typical claiming race of the Enslen variety would read as follows: Claiming pace for horses eligible to class 18, claiming price ,000. If for less, one class allowed for each S500 to ,500. This would make for a spread of four classes, whereas under the system used in Chicago the claiming price only governs a horses eligibility. Actually there are no limits in writing conditions for claiming races, which we believe by next season will form a major part of most programs at pari-mutuel harness tracks. Adios, the dominant pacing sire since the death of world champion Billy Direct, was the first two-year-old to race, in 2:05 over a half mile track. To date he has already sired nine sons and daughters that accomplished a similar feaf. As far as speed on the nations major night harness racing circuits is concerned Adios is represented by the fastest pacer in New York Adios Harry 1:59; Michigan Dotties Pick 2:00; Maryland Adios Boy 2:01; and Illinois Queens Adios 2:01.
