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ThistleDown By Pat Caudill - I Nine-Race Cards Get Meeting Off Well Flintstone May Be Run in Two Divisions Post Four Firsts on Mid-Week Program THISTLEDOWN, North Randall, Ohio, May 30. Nine races a day are presented on opening days, -holidays, Wednesday and Saturdays at all race tracks in Ohio and this gives ThistleDown a running start on their 44-day 1957 meeting as four nine-race prbgrams are to be offered in the first five days of this session. Opening under ideal weather conditions on Tuesday, the management was most encouraged when the crowd of 5,590 fans wagered 66,147 against last years 49,-596. Again on Wednesday, the mutuel handle soared to 09,186 and with the sun shining brightly early in the morning for -the Memorial Day program, all indications pointed for the handle of the excellent nine-race program headed by the ,000 Mbses Cleave-land Purse to surpass last years total for the holiday . card of 10,226. Record List of 33 Nominations for Stakes Adding much color to the opening week of activity is the presentation of the ,000 Flintstone, the first of seven stakes races to be offered throughout the meeting, on Saturday. The Flintstone, the oldest of the stakes renewed at ThistleDown, had its first running in 1925, is an allowance event at six furlongs and is designed for three-year-olds and upward. Named for the horse, Flintstone, owned by John H. McMillen who at that time was general manager of ThistleDown and still makes his home in Cleveland, the sprint has drawn a record list of nominations amounting to 33 and general manager John OKeeffe stated today chances are good for the headliner to be run in two divisions this year. The list of nominees was released yesterday -by racing secretary F. G. "Pat" Farrell and include such classy performers as Arthur Godfreys Beacon Hill Farms Lord Willin, H. H. Rendlemans King Bebe, winner of six events including the 5,000 Thomas D. Nash Memorial Handicap at Sportsmans Parks spring meeting; D. A. Livingstones Old Sea Dog who equaled the track mark of :58 for five furlongs in winning the Mayors Cup Purse here on Tuesdays opening day caid; H. K. Goodpasters Filly o Mine, a winner at the Churchill Downs meeting on May 14, and M. J. Rosenthals Dru Away, winner of more than 5,000 last year who accounted for the Ohio Presidents Purse Series No. 1 here on Wednesday in the easiest of fashions. Wednesdays program created four new "firsts" by the record Daily Double pay-off of ,275.40 for those coupling J. J. Lombardos Kim-Ki and D. W. Sheltons Yea Bama, the shortest win price ever paid at the oval by M. J. Rosenthals Dru Away winning the sixth race returning .60 to win, and two apprentice riders, James Choina and Jack Nelson each winning the first races of their riding careers. Choina, a 17-year-old lad making his home in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and under contract to Shelton, had his big moment aboard Yea Bama figuring in the Daily Double. Young Nelson, 20 years old and from Chicago, nicely handled J. Met-ricks Chara who is trained by the riders father, Cedric, to win the final race of the day. The mount aboard Chara was only the third trip postward for Nelson. , Another interesting angle of the days Double event was apprentice Choina and jockey Donald Wagner, who -handled Kim-Ki in the first for his upset victory paying 73.80 to win, are handled by the same agent Tommy Pierce. A tale of woe comes from Pierce who . blames oversleeping from a noon nap as keeping him from having a winning ticket on these two riders in the Double. Several New Orleans Horsejnen on Grounds Briefs: Racing secretary F. G. Farrell reports that 21 nominations were registered with him for the ,000 added Western Reserve to be decided here June 8 with the possibility of more being in the mail. The event is for two-year-old colts and geldings at the distance of five and one-half furlongs. Trainer Thomas H. Stevens, who led his division here last year, is again on the grounds with a public stable of 20 head. . . . Bill Griffiths, Ascot Parks publicity director, was a press box visitor on opening day here. . . . Among the New Orleans owners and trainers who are participating in the ThistleDown meeting are A. J. Lacoste, R. Surgi, L. Capitano, F. P. Aime, A. Graffagnini and Harold West, with Eddie "Bundle Boy" Meloncon scheduled to join the growing Crescent City group in the near future. . . . Arthur Godfreys colors will be flaunted for the first time over this track Saturday when his Beacon Hill Farms Lord Willin parades postward in the ,000 added Flintstone. . . . Trainer Thurman Gammon, leading trainer at the recent Ascot Park meeting, has taken first cajl on the services of jockey Owen Headley who led the riders at the same meeting with a total of 43 wins. The names of the 22 Ohio Derby winners have been inscribed above the mutuel windows on the main floor this year. . . . The 6,000 Ohio Derby will have its renewal on June 22. . . . Trainer C. E. Brown Jr. of Phoenix, Arizona, is racing here again this year after an absence of about eight years. He is campaigning one of the larger stables on the grounds and has in his employment the capable young apprentice Ernest Su-piran.
