Polynesian Outruns Hoop Jr. Throughout to Win Preakness: Co-Favored Pavot Is Unplaced As Hooper Colt Pulls Up Lame; Jockey Wright Rides Mrs. P. A. B. Wideners Racer Out Smartly for Clean-Cut Score Before Gathering of 25,000; Rounders Captures Dixie; Gallorette Accounts for Oaks, Daily Racing Form, 1945-06-18

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JOCKEY W. D. WRIGHT— His energetic handling of Polynesian played no little part in that colts surprise victory in the Preakness Stakes. Polynesian Outruns Hoop Jr. Throughout to Win Preakness Co-Favored Pavot Is Unplaced As Hooper Colt Pulls Up Lame Jockey Wright Rides Mrs. P. A. B. Wideners Racer Out Smartly for Clean-Cut Score Before Gathering of 25,000; Rounders Captures Dixie; Gallorette Accounts for Oaks BALTIMORE, Md., June 16. — While a sweltering crowd of about 25.000 looked on in surprise, Mrs. P. A. B. Wideners Polynesian outran and outstayed the co-favored Hoop Jr. and Pavot in the richest Preakness at Pimlico here this afternoon. The Philadelphian, cleverly rated by portsider Wayne Wright, drove to the end of this historic mile and three-sixteenths two and a half lengths in front of the Derby winner, Hoop Jr., while the latter was nosing out Mrs. W. G. Lewis Darby Dieppe for the place. The Doge finished a creditable fourth, Pavot fifth. In extenuation of Hoop Jr.s defeat it was noted that he pulled up lame. But those who refused to believe their eyes when Polynesian beat Pavot for the ►recent Withers must perforce revise their estimate, while the handful who backed the son of Unbreakable and Black Polly were rewarded at the "get-rich-quick Wallingford" rate of 6 for . It was not a particularly fast race, timed in 1:5845 but yielded Polynesian, a supplemental candidate, 6,170. The Dixie which just preceded the Preakness, was won by William Helis Irish-bred Rounders in 1:5645, time only two-fifths behind the track mark . Parr Makes Presentation The gathering was about up to the Preakness "par" but was disappointing to those who were confident it would reach record dimensions. The handle on the Preakness was 47,343. which is a record for a single race at Pimlico. Following the running of the days "piece de resistance," Harry Parr, head of the Maryland Jockey Club, pre-| sented the Woodlawn Vase to Mrs. P. A. B. Widener. In the enclosure was Maj-Gen. Anthony McAuliffe. who sent the now famous communique: "Nuts" to the Germans at Bastogne. It was by far the most pretentious pro-! gram ever presented on the Hilltop, in-j eluding a renewal of the Pimlico Oaks, Nursery and Jennings, in addition to the Preakness and Dixie. Upon dismounting from Hoop Jr. in the Preakness, jockey Snider said, "We were not in enough trouble to make any difference. My horse pulled up lame." The terse jockey George Woolf snapped: Continued on Page Twenty-Two j | i • j I j I j | ! i i | j j I ! I Preakness Renewal Goes to Polynesian Surprises Crowd of 25,000 By Outrunning Hoop Jr. as Co-Favored Pavot Is Fifth Continued from Pandge One • "No excuses. He simply wasnt there." And those who observed Pavot closely were of the opinion this was "the awful truth". Pavot and Hoop Jr. broke from down on the rail in the days principal stake, with Polynesian leaving from Number 7. Along with The Doge, those went head and head for about three-sixteenths. Woolf eased Pavot back down on the rail, swinging into the clubhouse turn. Polynesian outran The Doge and opened up a length there, with Snider restraining Hoop Jr. a length off The Doge. Through the backstretch it was Polynesian rating along at a lively clip, prompted by The Doge, who was holding on more stubbornly than almost anybody hoped, while right behind these two Hoop Jr. and Pavot raced side by side. The rider on each of these favorites was intent on moving as the other made his run. Curving for home they inaugurated their runs together outside The Doge and Polynesian. All the racing was from the eighth pole home. Pavot tired and swerved in behind The Doge, who began flying the distress signals. Hoop Jr. was placed to extreme pressure in a futile attempt to reach Polynesian. The latter retaliated by drawing away. Darby Dieppe, a confirmed rail and stretch runner, found a hole on the inside and moved to Hoop Jr. the final yards. Hoop Jr. was hard urged to withstand him for the place as Polynesian scudded under the wire winner by daylight. The others never were really in the race. The fractions were :23, :47ft, 1:1225, 1:3845 and l:5t%. Hoop Jr. appeared the only casualty on pulling up. Rounders Smart Performance Rounders turned in one of the smartest performances of his career to capture the 5,400 accruing to the winner of the 0,-000 added Dixie Handicap. He was the aggressor throughout this mile and three-sixteenths and jockey Remerscheid had him five lengths before He Rolls, the receding runner-up, in l:564,i . This time was only two-fifths of a second behind the ill-fated Riverlands track record. Some three lengths off He Rolls. Bobanefs lightly rigged Gay Bit was third by half his length in front of Bon Jour, top weight under 124. The successful Celt carried his 118 pounds well enough to force Spangled Games pace under a tug for a few furlongs, then sallied to the front on the turn and opened up five as Remerscheid rode him out through the stretch. He Rolls was on the pace all the. way, supplanted Spangled Game in second place when the real racing began, but was no match for Rounders with only two pounds pull in the weights. Gay Bit ran evenly throughout to be a distant third, never really threatening. Bon Jour had no lick early and picked up tired horses the latter part of it for fourth. Alex Barth, the tardy favorite, was well placed early but could not run when Woolf called on him and he dropped lengths out of it the final half mile. Rounders paid .80. His fractions were :2415. :4835, 1:12%, l:374/5 and 1:56%. Harry Parr presented owner William Helis the Dixie trophy in the winners enclosure. Lady Gunner won her third straight in as many starts and the ,870 first prize in the Pimlico Nursery, a ,000 test of four and a half furlongs. M. Wexlers brown Roman filly was an odds-on choice among the four acceptances in this stake, pegging the pace of Ariel Song about a length away to the hot corner, where she cracked down and won by two lengths in a flat :53 for the distance. The track record is Hastevilles :52%. It was virtually a two-horse race, with Scuttleman six lengths away in finishing third and Bullcold never "in the hunt" after dwelling at the break. The winner paid .70 and was the first favorite to race to expectations. The traditional Preakness band appeared on the course atop the stretch after this event, parading to centerfield stations preceded by a squad of mounted police.


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