Evening star., 1938-05-16
BIC THREE Of TURF
|NFOR SHOWDOWN
Arlington Classic Likely to
Match LaWrin, Dauber !"
and Stagehand.
BY ORLO ROBERTSON,
Associated Press Sports Writer.

HoooSid keu lcoo 0pOi to w LVCAs
NEW YORK, May l6.-LAwrin,
Stagehand and Dauber-theres' the
big three Of the 3-year-old turf divi-
sion.
Lawrin won the Kentucky Derby,
Stagehand came through in the Santa
Anita Derby and Handicap, and last
Saturday Dauber entered the select
group with galloping score in the
muddy Preakness-richest race Of the
year exclusively for 3-year-olds.
Dauber has bowed to both of his
rivals, but off his performance In the
Preakness he appears worthy of giving
them race when they hook up again,
probably in Arlington Park classic late
in July The blazed-face chestnut,
from William du Pont, jr.s, Foxcatcher
Farm dropped half-length decision
to Stagehand in the Santa Anita Derby
and trailed Lawrin by length in the
Kentucky classic after Stagehand had
been forced out by illness.
Real Race Looms.
When they meet again, 1t should be
a real horse race. Both Stagehand
and Dauber strictly are stretch rum
ners, but Lawrin can set burning
pace or come from behind as he did
in the Kentucky Derby and the Flam-
lingo Stakes at Hialeah Park Stage
hand and Lawrin prefer fast tracks
while Dauber has the added advantage
Of being one of the turf's top ranking
mudders
Dauber's next start will be in the
s50000 added Belmont Stakes at Bel
mont Park June 4. Since the race is
mile and half and neither Stage
hand nor Lawrin is eligible, he figures
to be the shortest kind of favorite.
Stagehand is eligible for the Withers
Mile at Belmont Park Saturday. but
it is doubtful if he'll be in condition
to start. LaWrin is pointing for the
classic, but may go in the mile and
an eighth Of the DWyer Stakes at
Aqueduct next month.
The FoXcatcner colt needed to be
mudder in the Preakness. Not since
Nellie Morse won in 1924 had weather
conditions been so bad for Pimlico's
rich race. A biting rain made $4,000
fans very uncomfortable and turned
the racing strip into quagmire. Yet
the son Of Pennant-Ship O. War
stepped the mile and three-sixteenths
in / SO As, only seconds slower than
the track record established three
days before by Pompoon in the Dixie
Handicap.
Dauber's First Big Win.
Dauber broke slowly, as usual. and
was next-to-last going around the first
turn. He still trailed far back at the
half-mile post. Then Maurice (Moosef
Peters, 21-year-old Brantford. N Oak,
jockey. called on the big chestnut. He
quickly overhauled all except Menow.
then started tossing mud into the face
of Hal Price Headley's star as they
Strengthened out for the run to the
judges.
Peters had a snug hold on the reins
as Dauber hit the finish line seven
lengths in front of Townsend B. Mar
tins Cravat, the surprise of the race.
Menow was third.
The victory was the first important
score for Dauber. although ne was in
the money in nine of his fifteen races
last year and never had been back Of
third in six previous starts this season,
after having been purchased out of
the c. v. Whitney dispersal sale last
fall for $4,000. The purse of S5l,875
boosted his earnings for 1888 to s69,-
ITS. Backers of the winner, and they
were legion in the rainsoaked crowd,
received to in the mutuels.
The race just about ended all cham
pionship hopes of Fighting Fox and
Bull Lea. For the second straight
week. the Fox weakened after forcing
the pace for six furlongs and finished
seventh. Bull Lea. also away with
the leaders, wound up a notch higher.