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Bii£, .t — mk Chicagoland By Teddy Cox Charlies Song Tough but Not Invincible Lepman Racer Goes All Out to Whip Pan Skoronskis Daring Maneuver Aids Cause SPORTSMANS PARK, Cicero, 111., May 4.— Now that Charlies Songs heralded cloak of invincibility has been shredded, the remaining handicaps on the National Jockey Clubs agenda likely will prove more enticing to owners and trainers here. Over the week end an attempt was made to muster a representative field in the 0,000 Chicagoan Handicap, but for some reason not appearing in the cold past performances, Charlies Song was elevated to the proportions of a veritable giant. He arrived from Florida amid all sorts of fanfare, and when he was breezed between races as his final prep for the Saturday feature, his intended foes, both man and animal, seemed to melt away, and because there were only four entrants for the Chicagoan, the race was discarded. Strangely enough, Charlies Song appeared in action, nonetheless. Whereas there were not sufficient trainers willing to pit their charges against him when he was assigned the heavy impost of 123 pounds in the Chicagoan and was to spot all but Racetracker considerable weight, they quite willingly jumped smack-back into a hotter frying pan in the Fleet Bird Purse. The race was named in honor of the stallion who is standing at Jack Hogans Jacnot farm, Wads-worth, 111. Charlies Song managed to eke out a spectacular victory, his fourth in eight starts this year. Buddy Lepman s choice of Tony Skoronski proved wise, for the veteran Chicago reinsman probably would not have finished in the money had it not been for a daring maneuver as the closely-knit band made the arc into the stretch. Favorite Couldnt Find Room Skoronski had deftly dropped Charlies Song down along the rail during the spin down the homestretch the first time, around the clubhouse turn and into the backstretch. Charlies Song was desperate for his head and Skoronski was shouting other riders for racing room as the Spy Song stallion dangerously avoided running over the heels of other horses. Tony had never before been required to sit against the dashboard so long, and it ceased to be entertaining to the big crowd that had backed Charlies Song into odds -on favoritism as they came into the final straightaway. It was here that Skoronski made his bold gesture. A narrow opening appeared before him as the field fanned out, and Tony darted through. Charlies Song responded to the emergency call and moved swiftly lest this small exit close. Pan, in the meantime, also had been confronted with his difficulties, and while Skoronski was making what proved to be his march to victory, the former was parked out in the middle of the track. The two gamecocks thereupon shot away from the others, and at level weights, 120 each, they waged one of the one of the warmest melees of the entire season. „ Charlies Song and Pan most certainly will be back for a return engagement Saturday #in the 5,000 Thomas D. Nash Memorial Handicap, at 1 1-16 miles. Also, there will be Mrs. Emil Denemarks Racetracker, who has won four of his five starts this year and who probably would have been favored over Charlies Song had the Chicagoan filled Saturday. Then, too, William H. Bishop is back on familiar Chicagoland soil, and he will shoot a pair of his most reliable barrels with On the Job and Petes Folly. Nick Loukas Versatile Repair Man One couldnt be far wrong in likening a horse trainer to a "body and fender man." It is, indeed, unusual, though when an actual body and fender man is a horse trainer. Nick Loukas many years ago proved himself one of the finest automobile repair men in the Chicago area. During the last twelve months or so he also has proved himself quite handy at repairing the ailments of his two-horse stable, composed of Ali O-K and Royal Flyer. Loukas reached his crowning goal Saturday when he registered a double with his two horses. Royal Flyer was along in time to win the third race against a band of ,000 platers, and Ali O-K scored by a zip in the sixth race while sporting a ,500 claiming tag. Naturally enough, there was much rejoicing in the Loukas household over the week end. Loukas is a man who believes theres no substitute for hard work, and he practices what he preaches. He awakens bright and early to be on hand with his horses. After the training chores he dashes north to supervise the inner-working of his fender shop. Loukas does not race his horses during the winter months, but found it necessary to keep them legged up. So, after * the season ended here last year, he sent his two charges to the Happy Day Farm at Norwood Park, gave them a rest, then started to train them himself shortly after the first of the year. "Its a tough job training horses in ice and snow," he says. "I couldnt find an exercise boy, so I roped them into condition." The saddle horse people call it Continued on Page Forty CHICAGOLAND By TEDDY COX Continued from Page Five a "lunging rope." Around the thoroughbred colony "roping" a horse is usually associated with "gyps" who cant afford exercise boys. This was not the case with Loukas, however. Roping a horse means merely that a man ties a long rope to a halter and holds it in the center of a ring while the horse gallops around in a circle. It tends to keep the weight off of bad-legged horses. Nicholas Peter Loukas is 51 years old, but is a Johnny-come-lately to the owner and trainer ranks. But when a men sends out two horses and he wins two races, youve got to conclude that he has learned a lot in a short time.
