On the Trot: Knox Hanover, Countess Vivian Win Split Honors in Jimmy Creed Stakes John Sitzmann in Tonights Feature, Daily Racing Form, 1954-06-08

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I On the Trot 1 By MOBRIE KURLANSKY Knox Hanover, Countess Vivian Win Split Honors in Jimmy Creed Stakes John Sitzmann in Tonights Feature MAYWOOD PARK, Maywood, 111., June 7. Hie outstanding pacing event of this meeting, the Jimmy Creed Stakes, a ,000 . double-header, result- I lUlll et m a splik decision between Knox Hanover -.JilSk mm; S anc Countess Vivian, KandjiliHKi wo f the matrons ;HjSB foremost sidewheelers, vB wn ne trophy for P:ifeiH the early-closing event SffB s going to the world MPH champion pacing filly JH on account of her bet-A 1M ter placings in the two WL m heats. Knox Hanover, the excellent Hoot Mon colt, however, gained the honor of having paced the fastest mile of the meeting with a 2:04 effort in the second dash. With a large crowd, numbering 6,029, in attendance, the mutuel handle for Friday night again went over the 00,000 mark. while the Daily Double pool of 7,339 was the highest of the season. World record pacer Jimmy Creed, now a rising: young sire standing in Michigan,-couldnt have shown a better performance than either Countess Vivian and Knox Hanover did in this race named for him. The only flaw in an otherwise highly exciting contest was the mishap, if you might call it that, encountered by Knox Hanover before the start of the first heat. When starter Ralph Estes released the nine-horse field, the Ohio-owned colt was off stride and running instead of pacing, which necessitated his being taken up momentarily, and he . consequently lost precious ground. Driver Don Hall later explained the colts hopples were too loose, although they were the same straps used on Knox Hanover in all his previous starts at Hazel Park. The Motor City oval is a five-furlong track and the run to the first turn is much longer than at this half-miler. With Knox Hanover out of the way, Countess Vivian, starting from the seventh post position, went out winging and, after battling for the lead with Dominion Boy for an eighth, got to the top after the first quarter, and the rest of the trip was easy for the speedy filly, her driver, Mel Har-mening, never being required to even touch his game charge. Knox Hanover," after having settled down to his proper gait, caught up with his field and finished courageously, beaten less than five lengths. Countess Vivian was timed in 2:05 and paid the generous odds of over 6 to 1. In the second heat, the daughter of Kings Counsel went to the post as a 3-to-2 choice, while Knox Hanover was held at 2 to 1. The fleet BHaven was away fastest -from the gate and, when they passed the stands for the first time, C. F. Burnley brought his Dale Wingay to the front, with Countess Vivian and Knox Hanover still biding their time in the middle of the field. Bounding the clubhouse turn, Harmening pulled with the Countess, but Hall, who was behind the champion filly, apparently - waiting for this to happen, made his move at the same time. The two Ohio invaders fought it out on the backstretch. Even so, Dominion Boy, Dale Wingay, Gay Order and BHaven tried desperately to keep up with these two speedsters, but there was no doubt then that, as far as victory was concerned, the issue was strictly between Countess Vivian and Knox Hanover. When they turned for home, Knox Hanover had managed to grab a good lead on Countess Vivian, but the filly by no means was ready to give and, in a great rally, came again to fight the colt all the way to the wire, only to lose by the scant margin of a nose. Knox Hanover was clocked in 2:04, a new mark for the meeting and the colts best time over a half-mile track, the fractions for this outstanding mile being :30ys 1:01 and 1:33. Glenn Hawkins, veteran Springfield trainer, had a double success Friday, guiding the trotting colt, Capri Crusader, to a repeat win in the ,500 West Side Stakes, and the pacing gelding, Fairbanks, to an upset victory in a B-class pace, the Hinsdale-owned sidewheeler rewarding his backers with a 7.80 win mutuel. . . . Volora, six-year-old trotting mare owned by Paul S. Dougherty of .LaGrange, 111., won her third race in a row Friday, while Delhi Lady, owned by Jordan Bros. Co. Stable of Rockford, 111., garnered her fourth victory at this meeting since starling on the lateral gait. . . . Prior to his victory with Countess Vivian, Harmening steered the three-year-old pacing gelding, Peter Vangundy, owned by Altamount Racing Stable, to his first victory of the season, the son of Howard : Hanover reducing his record by almost ive seconds to an acceptable 2:081. Tuesday nights feature will be the Northern Illinois Colt Stakes, a mile event lor three-year-old pacers endowed with a ,500 purse, for which 10 entries were re- ceived. O. H. Boners good stakes winner, John Sitzmann, with his regular reinsman, Russell Britenfield, in the sulky, although having drawn a starting position in the second tier, very likely will add another I purse "to his -already big bankroll. His most dangerous foes should be Starr Haven Bob Parkinson, Adam Dale Jerry Baier and Tycoon Billy Rouse, while the daughter of Gene Hayes, Melinda Hayes, is capable of upsetting the pre-race calcu-! lations. ,


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1950s/drf1954060801/drf1954060801_46_1
Local Identifier: drf1954060801_46_1
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800