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Sportsmans Meet Highly Successful Handle Final Day New Spring High ,453,107 Sent Through Machines Saturday; Daily Average Play Up 7,699 By Staff Correspondent The Sportsmans Park spring meeting was one of the most successful ever staged at the West Side track. The season this year opened one day earlier than formerly, with a six-day pre-season charity meeting being staged rather than a five-day session which had been the case previous springs. As a result an extra Saturday of racing was held.- Although the weather as a whole was on the poor side — there were seven days on which rain fell — the daily average mutuel handle showed a gain of 7,699 over the corresponding meeting last spring. Attendance, on the other hand, was down 23 per day, averaging 11,527 per day. Of the 19 programs offered, only nine were run on fast tracks. The session closed last last Saturday on a brilliant note when 19.662 fans, largest of the meeting, attended despite unpleasant weather and wagered ,453,107 on the nine races. This handle is a new high for a spring meeting. The Sportsmans single -day high was set last November 10 when 17,932 fans wagered ,557,317 on the nine-race card. Daily average purse distribution rose from 7,922.22 in 1956 to S29 568.42. up ,664.20 per day. Six Feature Races Offered Six feature races were decided at the meeting, with the 5,000 Sportsmans Park Handicap on Saturdays closing program the richest. B and H Stables Rock Pilot beat Speed Rouser a head in this event and earned a purse of ,750. This effort, plus two seconds and a third, gave the Petrose five-year-old 5,750 and leading money-winning honors for the meeting. Rock Pilot also was the leader at the 1956 snring meeting, with ,750 through a pair of victories. King Bebe, from the Harold H. Rendel-man stable, winner of the Thomas D. Nash Memorial and one other race, ranked second with 3,425, followed by Dr. Sidney and Hannah Babbitz Speed Rouser, the Spring Handicap victor, who had 1,500. The Blossom Stable of David Feldman, Chicago turf writer, led all the owners in money won at the session with a total of 7,845. The Blossom Stable horses won six races, and were second and third one time each. J. Kel Houssels, the Nevada horseman, ranked second with 7,655, followed by the Wise and Simpson stable with 6,200. Clarence Meaux led the riders with 23 firsts, followed by Jack Fieselman with 16. Robert Lee Baird, William Collier and Anthony Skoronski tied for third with 13 winners apiece. Collier turned in the best riding feat of the meeting on April 29 when he scored with four of his six mounts. L. Shelton, who trains his own horses. saddled seven winners, to be leading conditioner at the session. J. Byrd, N. Glass, S. Ippolito~and B. H. Wise each had six. Sportsmans Park statistics follow : April 20 to May 1 1—19 Days* Gross distribution 61,800 Net distribution 61,800 Daily average net distribution 9,568.42 Attendance 219,013 Daily average attendance 11,527 Mutuel handle 6,374,430 Doily average mutuel handle 61,812 Leading Money-Winning Owners Owner. 1st. 2nd. 3rd. Won Blossom Stable 6 1 1 7,845 Houssels, J. K. Sr. 6 4 2 17.655 Wise and Simpson 5 3 3 16,200 BandHStable 1 2 1 15.910 Shelton, L. W. 7 «1 0 14,390 Rendleman, H. H. 2 0 1 13.925 VanBerg, M. H. 4 4 2 13.560 Kosiba, Grace 5 4 2 13,515 Sledge, O. 4 5 4 12.495 Shipp, Mrs. E. B. 5 2 1 11.980 Leading Money-Winning Horses Horse. 1st. 2nd. 3rd. Won. Rock Pilot 12 1 5,750 King Bebe 2 0 0 13,425 Speed Rouser 12 0 11,500 Flashy Token 3/0 1 7,175 Wolverine 3 1 0 6,775 Arracado 2 2 0 6,670 Red Charger 3 0 1 6,670 Good Gesture 10 0 6,500 Uncle Pete 3 0 0- 5,870 YBond 2 0 0 5.525 Leading Winning Jockeys Jockey. Mts. 1st. 2nd. 3rd. Unp. PC. Meaux, C. 110 23 17 11 59 .21 Fieselman. J. 97 16 13 10 58 .16 Band, R. L. 98 13 14 17 52 .13 Collier, W. 62 13 6 4 39 .21 Skoronski. A. 89 13 12 10 54 .15 Craig, H. 101 11 15 11 64 .11 Mundorf. R. 92 11 10 11 60 .12 Baldwin. R. 55 9 9 5 32 .16 Jessop, J.D. 86 8 11 14 53 .09 Gilligan,L. 61 7 5 7 42 .11 Leading Winning Trainers Trainer. Wins. Trainer. Wins. Shelton. L. 7 Kindle, L. B. 5 Byrd. J. 6 Salvino, R. 5 Glass, N. 6 Fling, W. E. 4 Ippolito, S. 6 Gentry, C. 4 Wise.B. H. 6 Whatley.T. 4 The following handicap features were decided : Stake. Date. Winner. Value. Inaugural Handicap, April 20, Good Gesture ,500 Spring Handicap, April 27, Speed Rouser 6,500 Littleman Handicap, April 29, High Authority 2,925 Thomas D. Nash Memorial Handicap, May 4, King Bebe 9,750 Midwestern Handicap, May 6, Arracado 3,250 Sportsmans Park Handicap, May 11, Rock Pilot 9,750 The percentage of winning favorites was below normal, as shown in the subjoined tabulation : Number of races 162 Winning favorites 41 Winning second choices 23 Winning outsiders 98 Winners at odds-on 3 Defeated at odds-on 4 Percentage of winning favorites .25 Dead heats, to win None * Includes six-day charity meeting.
