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p— ——I I I 1 - On the Trot By MORRIE K URLAN3KY Four for Kidwell, Insko a Triple Largest Crowd of Season, 8,165 Lieut. Mike Captures Headliner MAYWOOD PARK, Maywood, 111., May 4. — The Maywood Park spring meeting reached a climax on Saturday night when the largest crowd of the season. 8,165. turned out for a 10-race program that produced, among several blanket finishes, two meetings records and saw leading drivers, Del Insko and Glen Kidwell, all but monopolize the winners circle. The evening started out on a near sensational note when Insko annexed the first three races in a row. Kidwell took over to capture the following three events. In the seventh race, the featured trotting event for A-class performers, neither Insko nor Kidwell had a mount and the third leading reinsman of this highly exciting spring session. Dick Williams, took over to guide Ralph H. Kroenings steadily improving Darneau to a meetings record for diagonally-gaited performers, winning the mile race in 2:04%. Ken Boring, fifth-ranking driver here, scored an impressive victory in the eighth race with his own good pacer. Redwood Boy, who lowered the meetings record of 2:04%. held jointly by Golden Miss and Cheri Adios by two fifths of a second in his hard-earned triumph. In the featured AA-A class pace, it was again Kidwells turn to crash the winners circle and he succeeded in great style, piloting Copa Stables amazing Lieut. Mike to a 2:04% victory over Irish Gallon and Boomtown in a breathtaking finish. While it was the fourth win out of five starts on Saturday for the capable Kidwell, Lieut. Mike scored his fifth consecutive triumph at this meeting to remain undefeated this season and lower his record by almost a second. In the final race of the night, talented Malcolm Weaver steered the odds-on favorite, Bill Byrd, to a facile victory to round out a memorable night of harness racing. With a lot of first -time visitors in the large crowd, the newcomers couldnt have picked a better night. Racing was extremely formful as five post favorites won while the other five races were taken by second choices. Highest win mutuel returned was .80 by Famous Mite. Darneau, from the Ralph H. Kroening stable and driven by trainer Dick Williams, stole the show Saturday with his excellent 2:04% effort in the featured trot. Rated well off the blistering fast early pace set by Big Axe, Darneau made his move with three-eighths to go to score a handy victory over Almiras Worthy. It was the third win out of five starts at this meeting for the four-year-old Quel Veinard colt. In his other two races. Darneau, a small but well-made colt with a sure gait, finished second and fifth to Rexall Boy. The colt had ample excuse for his defeat last week as he suffered interference in the third quarter to break stride. On Saturday, Darneau proved himself as the best trotter currently racing in Chicago and many observers believe that he can go at least a second faster. Suspensory trouble for most horses usually spells the end of their racing careers. Not so for Lieut. Mike, who overcame this serious impairment and emerged from winter training a better horse than ever. Last summer, the stallions owners had to turn him out for his leg ailment and decided to give him a long rest at "Doc" Flanerys farm near St. Charles. Competent treatment if not the nearness of the worlds greatest harness horse of all time, the late Col. E. J. Bakers Greyhound, did a small wonder with Lieut. Mikes underpinning and when Kidwell took him over for preparation the first week in January, the five-year-old trained soundly and he has done so ever since. On Saturday night, Lieut. Mike crowned his career not only by successfully withstanding repeated challenges, but outgam-ing such strong finishers as Irish Gallon. Boomtown and Gunfighter. The rest of the beaten field was made up by such good ones as Lord Adios, Jake Rodney, Plutocrat and Meadow Bower. In winning five straight races since April 4, Lieut. Mike lowered his record three times to now sport a mark of 2:04%. Redwood Boy, who i used to be strictly a front racer, of late conforms quite willingly to trainer-driver Ken Borings intentions and stays in the pack as long as his reinsman wants him to. The Jimmy Creed stallion of a year ago probably wouldnt have won last Saturdays mile event for the best B-class performers. However, Redwood Boy stayed in second position, letting Chief Jim cut out a rapid pace, with the fir*st quarter raced in 29% i seconds and the first half in 1:0125. Easter Haven battled Chief Jim for the lead, but could not get past the True Chief sons | saddle to drop in behind the Indiana pacer when Redwood Boy did not close a gap soon enough. Chief Jim was the end of his mettle going into the last turn when Redwood Boy quickly took over and successfully defended a diminishing advantage to the wire clocked in 2.04, fastest time of this meeting. Si Creed finished second, while Ned Rosecroft showed an improved effort to garner third money from Chief Jim. . . . Insko scored his triple with Ethelway in the first race. Orphans Part in the second and Barney Boy in the third. For Barney Boy, like Ethelway an Insko homebred, it was the third straight win.
