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: * Ohio Sport Returns To Beulah Saturday Expect Banner Season With Large Thoroughbred Colony; Later Opening Seen Helpful GROVE CITY, Ohio, May 2. — Beulah Park will open its 19-day meeting on Saturday marking the return of the thoroughbred sport to central Ohio for the first time since last September. President Robert J. Dienst anticipates a good session for several reasons. The horse colony, estimated at around 700, is a bit larger than has been the case some years in the spring, a weeks later start is expected to provide more seasonable weather and the group of riders and trainers who will be in action are "regulars" with whom the public is conversant. Several improvements have been made since the fall meeting of 1958. In the barn area, Jordan Hall has been opened for horsemen, this being a new recreation room. Dining facilities in that area also have been enlarged and improved. In the administration building, which is only a couple ofyears old, new tile flooring has been installed, not only enhancing the racing officials, the racing commission, publicity director, the identification crew and the jockeys. The Inaugural Purse, a sprint offering, tops the opening card and there will be a special feature each Saturday. The highlight of the meeting will be the 20th running of the Governors Handicap at a mile and a sixteenth. It is scheduled for Saturday, May 23, semi-final Saturday of the span of racing and Cardinal Sin, who won it a year ago. may be among the entries for the 1959 renewal. Paul Ward Returning Heading the list of riders who will be on hand is Paul A. Ward, who has made a habit of winning the jockey title at this oval for several years. Ward has been vacationing at Hot Springs but expects to swing into action on opening day. Among the other "regulars" due to be under colors are J. C. Fernandez, Jimmy Dobson, Johnny Neville. Guillermo Silva, Phil Borgemenke and Blake Collins. Har-rel Bolin. who has been successful in Florida and Illinois in the last couple of seasons, has joined the riding colony here for the first time and many predict he will be among the leaders. Among the former training leaders who will be represented by sizable strings at this session are Gale Osborne. W. B. Alexander, Jim Bronnenberg. D. G. Post. Verbin Turner, Jr., Charley Hill, George Clem and Luther Hicks. The 19-day meeting in 1958 saw the track averaging 4,435 in attendance with mutuel play at 52,867. Officials are hopeful that these figures will be bettered during the coming meet since last falls marks were 4,726 daily attendance and a handle of 75,822. Nine races are scheduled Wednesdays and Saturdays and eight on other occasions with post time set for 2:30 p.m. daily. There is a possibility that nine races may be staged on other days if Ohio-owned horses are sufficient to fill one race of this kind. Permission for such a race on Mondays, Tuesday, Thursdays and Fridays has been granted by the racing commission.
