The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-06-16
HOOP, JR. HOLDS 8.5 FAvORITE
 ROLEFOR RAGE
By OSCAR FRALEY Limited Press Staff COrrespondent)

United Press Staff Correspondent)
 Baltimore, Md, June 16.-(UP)- The favored Kentucky Derby win- ner, Hoop Jr., and Walter Jeffords' feared Pavot stage their long waited meeting in the 55th running of the Preakness today with seven other starters challenging them for the richest prize ever offered at Pimico.
 The winner of the run for the Black Eyed Susans over lightning fast track at Old Hilltop will carry of the greatest purse in the history of this tradition bound feature. The victor's share of the record $87,670 pot of gold will be s68,l7o-toppdng the former mark of SCOOPS earned by Pensive last year.
 Hoop Jr.. the pride of Fred w. Hooper, Jacksonville. Fla. and Pavot. juvenile champion of 1914, are the two bg horses in this race. Junior earned his rating by splash ing home six lengths ahead in the Derby last Saturday. On that im- pressive run they installed him as an 8 to favorite. Pavot, beaten in his one start this year, won all eight trips to the post as a two- year-old and on that they've made him the second choice at 5 to 3.
 From there on the payoff is plenty. And there are those who insist any colt in the field can show his heels to both the big ones as they thunder down the stretch today. Little Hoop will have an un- familiar boy aboard in Al Snider, veteran Eddie Arcaro riding in New York. And others remember that Polynesian showed Pavot the way home in the Withers mile. Yet only three of the Is Derby also- rans were on hand before a crowd of 45,000 to take another crack at Junior. They were Darby Dieppe, third at the Downs; Sea Swallow seventh in that Kentucky mud, and Alexis, far 10th in the Rose run. The rest, including Pavot with Georgie (The Iceman) Woolf up, were taking their first crack at little Hoop.
 They included Mrs. P.A.B. Wid- ener's Polynesian; Pentagon stables the Doge; Adonis from the stables of William Helis, and Bobanet stables Bobanet.
 Of the lot, Polynesian, on the strength of his Withers win, was accorded the best chance of stop- ping the two big ones. The Brown colt, with Wayne Wright up, was held at 8 to l. Next in line. at 10 to was Darby Dieppe, a 1o-1 chaice ridden by Mel Calvert. The Doee and Johnny Gilbert were quot- ed at 12 to l and Alexis, with Ken Scawthorn up, was 15 to l.
 AdonS. with Ere Remerscheid aboard, and Sea Swallow, owned by San Francisco auto magnate Charles s. Howard were held at 20 to l. Bobanet, with Shelby Clark up, was 9 to l.
 Every horse in the field was pro- nounced fit and ready as the Main- CID OAOpF)tQ HIeT elHrfeS Tn the box at the secretary's office yes- terday and it was believed that all would go to the post. They can scratch until 45 minutes before post time at 4:15 p. m. EWT.
 The draw for post position pro- phetically put Pavot and Hoop. Jr., in the number one and two posi- tions. There, side by side, they will be called upon to battle each other for the lead right from the start. Trainers of the outsiders were happy over the setup, hoping that maybe the big two would run them selves out in an early battle.
 The post positions from there on out put Bobanet in the third sec- tion of the starting gate; Sea Swal- low fourth; Alexis fifth; Darby Dieppe sixth, Polynesian seventh, the Doge eighth and Adonis ninth.
 The Pimlico track provides plenty of racing room for all with the field down to nine starters at the most.