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.,..,,„.., „.,..,,... ...... — . Kfflg sfaflfcfiv zk ,VL.t Maryland By Charles Hatton Nixons to Present Woodlawn Vase Saturday J Trials and Prep Suggest Sharp Preakness Owner Lowe Discusses Shoe, Gallant Man PIMLICO, Baltimore. Md., May 14.— It is going to be a "big" Preakness. Equipped with blinkers, Bold Ruler negotiated the rather abrupt turns like the Cin-t. .,..,,„.., „.,..,,... ...... — . cinnati cinnati Limited Limited rounding rounding Horse- cinnati cinnati Limited Limited rounding rounding Horse- Horseshoe Bend at Altoona, pulling out a little extra each time Inswept challenged. We know he is all right, for Eddie Arcaro is lugubrious. Iron Liege probably assured himself the post of favoritism to win a second leg on the Triple Crown when he made a breeze of a mile in 1:37%, time faster than the first miles of Preaknesses won by Citation, Whirlaway, Assault anj and other 0!. celebrities. celebrities. Federal Federal Hill Hill « Kfflg sfaflfcfiv zk ,VL.t anj and other 0!. celebrities. celebrities. Federal Federal Hill Hill went a mile in 1:39, despite loosening a plate. And Vice-President Richard Nixon is coming! He was in conference at the White House today, but his secretary. Miss Rosemary Woods, told us that he and Mrs. "Pat" Nixon will be here. One or the other will present the famed Woodlawn Vase, in the absence of Gov. Theodore McKeldin. Marylands chief executives traditionally do the honors Preakness Day, but McKeldin is in Liberia. This will be the Vice-Presidents first visit to Pimlico and he certainly will be among friends, for President Eisenhowers son, Maj. John Eisenhower, and his brother Dr. Milton Eisenhower will attend. Nixon says that he "Will be glad to have the opportunity to congratulate" the winner of this eighty-first Preakness. It is nice he takes an interest, and his presence can only have a good effect politically, coming as it does on the heels of the Defense Departments directive making the Downs "out of bounds" for the militarys bands Derby Day. So far as we know, Nixon will be the fust Vice-President to attend since the days of Charles Curtis, who actually rode races in the West at the age of 12. The last genuine aficionado among the presidents was Andrew Jackson, often called "the Racing President." The Duke and the Man Will Be Missed It is a little disappointing that Gallant Man will not again meet Iron Liege in the Preakness, and that Gen. Duke is hors de combat. Gen. Dukes defection comes as no surprise. He has not Iron Lieges fluid action, indeed pounds a track when moving at speed, and this coupled with very thin hoofs and the many hard modern race courses, is not an ideal combination. Gallant Mans forfeiture of a chance in this second of the Triple Crown events is a consequence of two things: The Churchill Downs stewards suspension of Willie Shoemaker for 15 days, which precludes his riding the colt at Pimlico, and the beautifully bred bays somewhat delicate constitution. Chatting with Ralph Lowe, who is in Texas, today, he said: "I got Johnny Nerud out of bed last night to discuss the colts status with him, whether we should reconsider or not. . I would so like not to disappoint the people at Pimlico. But the colt has been a little off his feed several times since the Derby, and yesterday was the worst day he had. Personally, I would rather run him eight times this season, and eight times next, than to run him 12 times in 57 and not at all next year. I left it entirely to Johnny. It is his responsibility and his reputation which is at stake. Nerud is inclined to give his courageous charge a little more time, awaiting the Peter Pan and Belmont. He is not alarmed, but is properly solicitous. Fellow Texans Fared Well Together "Again I had planned to ride Shoemaker on Gallant Man in the Preakness, until the stewards made their ruling. I have confidence in Shoemaker. He has ridden five horses for me, winning on four and losing the Derby by a nose. The Preakness would have given him an opportunity of making amends. He tells me he is sure Gallant Man can beat the colts he met at Louisville. If he had only not been set down." . . . Clearly the sporting Texan feels keenly the action against his rider. Lowe plans to go racing during Belmont, when Nerud saddles some of his string, and is interested also in several stakes out Chicago way. "We have a colt by Abernant called Aberion, pointing for the Domino, Chicagoan and Classic," he observed. "Remember him? We think he is a good prospect." Turf ana: Turf historian Jimmy Holmes writes: "Your point about U. S. presidents disdaining to attend the races is well taken. However, it may also interest you that, in 1918, President Wilson attended a hunt meet, in company with Rear-Admiral Grayson, at the old Alexander Island track, across the Potomac from Washington. This course has long since been given up for racing, and is now, I believe, a brickyard. The facts were given to me by Spec Crawford, who rode and won an event that day on Archdale." . . . Our bit about the directive precluding Armed Forces bands from participating Derby Day brought a number of letters and several wires, including a missive from film patrol pioneer Jack Smith, who says: "I will never know why they treat horse racing like a stepchild. They make everyone feel racing is out of bounds for decent people. I get so tired of the way it is treated. You never hear the Church speak against racing. At Jamaica I was impressed by the Sisters of Charity who are stationed at every entrance. Few fans pass those CtMinutd »n Pag* Forty -One MARYLAND By CHARLES HATTON Co minted from Page Five good sisters without putting a small offering in the basket. Yes, this is gambling money, as some people call it. But it aids a lot of helpless families and children and hospitals.- . . . Federal Hill is registered as a brown, but he tried awfully hard to be a liver-colored chestnut, and he is in certain lights. Veterans say that Domino had this chameleonlike coloring. Cliff Lusskys colt has admirable length of pelvis. He points for a Garden State stakes the Saturday following the Preakness, and is a natural for those mile races at Chicago, though Swoons Son is lying ominously in wait for him. Gallant Man is a nominee for the American Derby on the grass and Johnny Nerud .says: "Yes, indeed, I would run him on it, if he came up to it all right." There are several races in which the diminutive Mi-goli colt could run at Belmont before the Belmont Stakes, which is his next objective at the moment. . . . Fourteen of the last 17 Preakness winners turned for home on top. The conformation of the course seems to favor speed horses. Some good horsemen we know think Federal Hill will drown em if it comes mud." . . . Lou Pond-field is delighted with the contentious way in which this Preakness is shaping up. . . . Nile Lily will not accompany Jota Jota in this Wednesdays Black Eyed Susan. Her peoples confidence she will go middle distances is somewhat shaken. ... It is said that the highest musical note ever achieved by the human voice was "C" in altissimo, sung by Lucrezia Agujari. "C" in altissimo is 2,048 cycles per second. We would bet Charley Johnson hit 3,000 when Gallant Man came out. . . . Jimmy Jones wanted to get a race under Barbizons girth Monday at Garden State, but it failed to fill. . . . The British press will" be represented at the Preakness, a correspondent for the Sketch covering the social angle.
