The Washington times., 1936-05-16
Looks Like
OneHOrse
Scamper
- aHRNRH AAnR RR
Times Sports Editor

Times Sports Editor
PIMLICo RACE TRACK,
BALTIMORE, Md, May 16.
Well, sir; here we are at old
Pimlico again, and we're not
exactly alone.
There must be fifty odd thou
sand others rambling around
these familiar old haunts at the
Hilltop race course as the turf
goers Of another generation
fondly named this knoll Of
ground which is Pimlico, and
every dad-blamed one Of us is ask
ing the same question:
"What will win the Freak
nesS?"
And there are as many answers
to that question as there are horses
In the race, with Bold Venture, Of
course, standing out like q meteor
across . desert night.
Afraid of the Venturer
Fact is, as I thread my way In
and out and around and about the
green-shingled stables whic h
face off across the local oval from
the grandstand I sense o distinct
liking for Mr.. Schwartz's great
thoroughbred, if only in the oft
overheard utterances from the
trainers, flunkies, touts and
hangerS-on:
1.-THE horse that beats Bold
Venture wins the PreakneSS."
That is q very direct compli-
ment, back-handed as it may be
expressed: yet some $4,000 folks
are here today doing that precise
thing-looking for horse to beat
the Venturer in the forty-Sixth re-
newal Of the great Pimlico Freak
ness.
There are few here who would
not be willing to forget every other
plug in the race and lay it on the
line for the Venturer, except that
the betting ilk doesn't like the par
ticular kind Of money Bold Ven
ture is likely to pay.
Seeks Longer Shot
A strong favorite may be o.
K. for the cold, practical gam
bier, but the mob, and Pimlico is
host to one today, is always look
ing around for longer shot than
Bold Venture happens to be. He
is one of the very few ever to
come up to the wire in a Freak
ness with odds so near to even
money. Bold Venture is very like
" to wind up an oddS-on favorite
before post time, such as did Man
o. War back in 1920.
You see, the factors which make
Bold Venture the horse Of the
hour are to be found in the Ken
lucky Derby, run down in Louis
vile two weeks ago today.
Quite overlooked except by
such handicappers as my con-
frere, Paddock, Bold Venture
proved in a few fleeting seconds
Of the Derby that he has holding
speed. He can go out in front and
stay there. His type makes the
most dangerous contention and
it's simply suicidal to bet against
the likes Of him.
AnsUer Is Plain
Then there are q lot of other
considerations involved in today's
feature race which have the
throng awestruck. Every stable
that has q leg-up on the 3-year-old
championship by coming to the
Preakness a Derby winner Is
anxious to complete the double.
The thought is this: If Bold
Venture could take the lead at the
six furlong post in Kentucky and
run a mile and a quarter to beat
the likes Of Brevity, the winter
book favorite, what is to keep him
from winning over this field here
today with Brevity not present
and across q sixteenth Of a mile
less stretch Of ground?
Horse Form
The answer to that isn't moth
ing" It is less than that. It is
Just o mere shrug of the shoulder.
If horse form means a thing in
this weird business that is racing,
then Bold Venture is in like the
Democratic party.
You may argue that the same
might have been said about Brew
ity two weeks ago today down
yonder at Churchill Downs, and
If you did say that in rebuttal,
you would be quite right.
Brevity, the form horse, was
right up there with Bold Venture,
whose form had not been estab-
lished because he'd been wintering
in Columbia, S. c., where that
other great Derby winner, Caval-
cade, once wintered, to win the
Derby.
But again remind you that
Brevity isn't here today.
Which takes us right back
where we started.
To Bold Venturei
Cabin Johns in Action
Cabin John diamonders play
L %Aa kkAA a