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PREAKNESS SIDELIGHTS | Incidents and Happenings of Day ill Race at Famous Old Pimlico Course. i Superintendent John Ryan accomplished wonders in bringing the racing strip to good condition after the drenching it had received. Constant working on the oval and bright sunshine had the going rated as fast before the horses were called out for the first race. This brought some change in the prognostications. Many had awarded Equipoise the best chance with a thought that the going would be heavy, but even with that condition there were those that remained loyal to Twenty Grand. Horsemen were still talking of his wonderful final trial for the Preakness when the son of St. Germans ran a mile and a furlong in 1:51%. Others had a high regard for Surf Board, and some wagers were made that he would beat his more illustrious stablemate in the running. But through it all the Equipoise faction remained loyal to the Whitney colt, and Mate did not seem to have lost any of his supporters, though the majority of good judges pinned to either Twenty Grand or Equipoise. It was pretty generally agreed that Ladder did not belong and that Soil Gills was a bit over his head in such company. Clock Tower had some following, on his good race with Twenty Grand in the Wood Memorial, but he was not taken seriously by most of the handicappers. Although Morton L. Schwartz, owner of the son of Snob II., had brought a considerable party of friends on from New York to see his colt perform. There was general commendation among the horsemen and patrons of racing on the new dress of Daily Racing Form and its clearer, larger type used in the charts. The extra mutuel selling windows, which were opened at 11 a. m. for the benefit of those who desired to wager on the Preakness, were doing a good business right up to the time of the opening of all the windows for the big event. The crowd came early, and before 1 oclock the big stand was filled, and it was apparent then that it was a wise provision that there be no steeplechase so that the infield might be used to take care of the later arrivals. Continued on second r age. WEAKNESS SML1GHTS Continued from first page. Col. Matt Winn, realizing the interest of the Preakness in Kentucky, arranged a hook-up so that the running of the big special was broadcast at Churchill Downs. The first wager made on the Preakness, when the extra windows were opened at 11 oclock, was a bet of 00 on Equipoise. This was made in one of the seven windows in the general enclosure. The first club house wager was one of 00 made on Twenty Grand, or rather the Greentree Stable entry. Thomas J. Healy, principal trainer for C. V. Whitney, with Fred Hopkins, who developed Equipoise as well as Harry Shillick, the boy who exercises the son of Pennant and Swinging, will leave for Louisville at 5:17 p. m. tomorrow. Equipoise will be loaded tomorrow morning for his journey to Churchill Downs. Totem will go along as a trial horse for the star. A. C. Bostwicks Mate will be shipped at the same time with Equipoise, and James Healey will be on the same train that carries T. J. Healey and Fred Hopkins. The Greentree Stable, Twenty Grand, Surf Board and Anchors Aweigh will leave in their own special car for Louisville on the same train carrying the other invaders. Jack Pryce said he would not make a decision on his shipping arrangements for Walter J. Salmons Ladder until he discovered how the colt came out of his Preakness effort. There were some nine hundred detectives employed to help police Pimlico for the big day with details from New York, Philadelphia and Washington. James McClelland was a club house visitor. He came over to witness the running of the Preakness and during the afternoon was joined by Edward F. Sims, owner of the Xalapa Farm at Paris, Ky. Mr. McClel- land said that arrangements had been made to ship the Lone Star Stable of thoroughbreds from Havre de Grace to Washington Park next week. Aegis, the Walter M. Jeffords hope for the Preakness, was the first one withdrawn. Then it was shortly before the running of the first race that James Rowe scratched Anchors Aweigh, which, as a matter of fact, had been named along with Twenty Grand and Surf Board to be raced should the track be heavy. After the announcement of Anchors Aweighs scratching, the handsome son of Man o War and Goodbye was brought on the track and sent along for an easy mile and an eighth in 1:57. He ran the first quarter in :24%, half in :49%, three-quarters in 1:15 and the mile in 1:43%. He was in hand all the way and was being pulled up at the end of the nine furlongs.
