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Michigan Notes HAZEL PARK, Mich., May 16. Jockey Mike Basile, who enjoyed a highly successful meeting here last season, checked in from Chicago and will spend the remainder of his 10-day suspension waiting for Hazel Parks 62-day meeting to open May 24. Trainer Floyd Arnold arrived from Chicago with his 22-horse stable after a good showing at the recently concluded Sportsmans Park meet. Among Arnolds charges is the consistent veteran sprinter Brooky who favors the footing at Hazel Park. B. H. Wise, Watervliet .Mich. fruit grower and thoroughbred conditioner, is a recent arrival from Sportsmans Park with a string of 18 horses. Numbered among them are the handicap performers Validon and Next Page and such other capable runners as Asking and Dawney. The vanguard of the Detroit division of Henry Forrests public stable is on hand and the remainder will follow under the supervision of Grover Noel. Nine horses were in the first shipment from Sportsmans Park. Forrest will race the main division in Chicago following the close of Churchill Downs and Noel will look after the local contingent. Starter Bryan Steele arrived at Hazel Park to open schooling activities. Two-year-olds and older horses will appear at the schooling gate to learn proper barrier tactics, and the juveniles in particular must be approved by Steele before permission to start will be granted. Assistant starters include Emery Ensor, Doug Fisher, Elmer Vaughn, Joe Kochina, Villa Tessier and Ralph Henslein. Arthur Brent arrived with seven horses. The stable, which campaigned in Florida during the winter, includes Go Modern, Chief Pontiac, What For, Mr. August, Quick Dollar, Keepa Dance and a pony. Brent anticipates a bright future for Chief Pontiac, a three-year-old who flashed considerable speed at times in Florida. One of Hazel Parks all-time favorites, the speedy and consistent Hangover, will race at the coming meeting. The five-year-old speedster won his last two starts in Florida and Illinois and he is now being pointed for the ,000 Great Lakes Handicap on opening day here. Hangover was sidelined nearly a year ago with a peculiar ailment which defied diagnosis, but trainer V. L. Creal has him back in top form, ready and raring for his local debut. Val Walker, in charge of Hazel Parks police force, will open his* race track offices on Wednesday. Charles Meehan, his chief assistant, will join him at that time. Also expected shortly is Ian Wilson, in charge of the admissions department. He is coming from Garden State Park where he is presently engaged. Mrs. George C. Whites Speed o Light, who hasnt raced since he won the Labor Day Handicap here in 1955, is back in training and doing nicely, trainer George White reports. The stretch-running gelding, now eight years old, rapped himself several days after his winning race two years ago and has been turned out on a farm in Tennessee ever since. Clocker Jimmy Gruber is on hand and he-reports that workouts are under way on the main track after it had been closed until early May. Times are comparatively slow since yards of sand have been worked into the strip and it hasnt settled yet. By opening day Gruber expects horses to be running faster than in recent seasons here. Track superintendent Paul Talbot has been developing the course slowly. Another handicap performer of several seasons back will be making a comeback at Hazel Park. He is Tamarack Stables Bright Shoes, injured in training at Hazel Park in 1955 when he was. at the peak of his form. Trainer Allen Dyson has the gelding in splendid condition. Ait Warner called from Toronto to tell racing secretary Horace Wade that Fleet Path would be shipped down from Woodbine for the 0,000 Decoration Day Handicap at a mile and one-sixteenth. He als* named the four-year-old Bite for the . 000 June Handicap at six furlongs. Two Detroit favorites of recent years have been retired to stud by trainer George C. White, of Nashville. The good mares Princess Trace and Nocallla, both eight years old, have been bred to One Hitter and Wine List respectively. The three-year-old filly Kristies Dream, who kicked up a fuss in her first visit to the starting gate, is learning fast, says starter Bryan Steele. She behaved like a lady in next visit and owner James Briggs beamed proudly about the gray daughter of Bees Dream, a son of the speedy Grey Dream. Bill Friedman, of the Racing Commissions staff of investigators, is in charge of licensing race-track personnel. As in the past, all horsemen, grooms, jockeys and others will be photographed and thumb -printed for cards admitting them to the stable area. Clarence Green bedded down 10 charges headed by the good four-year-old sprinter Beau Carvel, a winner at Hazel Park last summer. Claude Bourland Jr., supervised the arrival of his horses from Sportsmans Park, among them the two-year-old Mr. Dan L., Mr. Rafferty, Ky. Rainbow, Power Play and Nagol. He also has the speedy three -year -old Will Command. Bobby Commodore is a member of trainer George C. Whites outfit. The 23-year-I old youngster from Racine, Wis., lias been under contract to Harry Trotsek, but White has leased his services for the Hazel Park meet and Commodore will make his saddle debut here. Racing secretary Horace Wade will start two-year-olds at the four-furlong distance and alternate between the half-mile and six-furlong routes starting with the second condition book which will be in use beginning Monday, June 10. Wade hopes to offer races for Michigan-bred and -owned juveniles in every book. Jack Riggs and his wife Nancy, expecting their first child this summer, settled down for the season although Jack took time out for a quick trip to Beulah Park to handle the public address system Saturday in the temporary absence of announcer Jack OHara, filling for Fred Caposella in New York. Riggs, who handles the announcing at the Michigan Racing Association track, is a placing judge at Hazel Park as well as serving in the racing secretarys office in the mornings.
