Evening star., 1953-11-19
Faster Times Point Up
Track Improvements
AsBowie Opens Meet
By Lewis F. Atchison

OCGC11IlS lIIUO GIlS TIlyGIlII1 Oh n
16-day meeting, Bowie apparent
ly is entering into new phase
of its history.
Old Bowie, with its surprise
winners and box-car payoffS,
selling platers and slow times.
apparently is gone. It's a fast
track now, men. AS one Seedy-
looking, perplexed oldtimer put
it,
"Ain't no more Bowie horses
no more"
He seemed to be ungramati-
cally correct. The teletimer gave
out the news as yesterdays
eight-race program unfolded be-
fore 1888 fans. The running
times recalled Larry MacPhail's
statement before Bowie's face
lifting began a year ago. He said
the track was not level, but ran
up and doWnhill. MacPhail, then
president of Bowie, proposed to
Straighten things out, and yes
terday it appeared that he sue
ceeded, insofar as the track was
concerned.
FrivOlity Lowers Record.
Mrs. R. D. Wolfrey'S Frivolity
climaxed a day of fast times by
knocking three-fifthS of Sec
Ond off Hamadan'S 26-year-old
track record for a mile and
one-quarter. Piloted by Dixie
Mitchell, Jockey Bobby Mitch
ellis kid brother, Frivolity, a s.
year-old mare, was clocked in
2:063s. She was 31a lengths
ahead of Zop at the wire.
F'rivolity, carrying lot pounds,
had 2-pound edge on Hama
dan, who carried 109 on Novem-
Der 26, 1927, when she ran the
distance in 2:0715.
Hamadan'S mark stood up so
long because the mile and one
quarter is not usually run at
Bowie.
There are good horses at
Bowie, thanks, no doubt, to the
responsiveness and solid repu-
tation of John B. Campbell, the
racing secretary. But there were
no "big name" horses on yes
terday'S card, as interesting as
1t was. When Standout cam
paigner gets the strip under him
he'll certainly make it hum a
new tune.
MOnacOan Wins Opener.
Monacoan won the opening
Six-furlong race in 1:12 fiat,
good time, but not sensational.
Seebit won the third, another
s4-mile dash in 1:11A, and
Stopper Upper took the fifth at
the same distance in 1:112s.
From those times one could
gather that the track, almost
washed away last year after be-
ing rebuilt, was faster than
normal.
In between, other horses
marked up good time at varying
distances. G. S. Howell's Pun
kin Vine won at seven furlongs
in 1885, and Mrs. Julius
Schwartz's Fair Brother took
the featured $4,000 Prince
Georges Handicap at a mile
and one-Sixteenth in 1:454s.
The feature was a dilly, in
non-race track parlance. It
was so close Jockey Dave Cor
man, who rode the winner,
though his horse was no better
than third. Dave was weighing
out when a fan called over and
asked if he'd won?
mo" German replied shaking
his head. ''Third, maybe"
A blanket finish is the only
adequate description of the race.
Fair Brother, a 5-to-1 shot who
shared light weight of ia
pounds with Louis B. Mayors
Lucrative, was a nose in front of
r. R. McClarin's Spring Grove
in the photo. The latter was a
short head in front of S. d.
Sideil's Smart Choice, and C. +.
WiSecarver's Isle of Bond was
only " lengths further back.
Mrs. H. L. Nathenson'S Guy,
the 5-to-2 favorite, got off next
to last and was never a serious
contender. He didn't look sharp
enough to rate the role of ia
vorite, but his 126-pound impost,
six more than the next high,
might have discouraged him.
Fair Brother paid $1,000, $3.50
and $3.50 across the board.
Daily Double Pays $333.4O.
The 8-6 daily double COM
bination won $333.40 after Mo-
nacoan won the first race and
Punkin Vine took the second.
Johnny Rotz, leading apprentice
rider at Laurel, was aboard
Monacoan, while Karl Korte,
leading apprentice at Garden
state, brought in Punkin Vine.
Yesterdays betting began
slowly enough, with little more
than $4,000 on the first race,
but it increased as the day pro-
greSSed and reached a total of
1857 ,028. Both attendance and
wagering figures topped last No
vember's delayed opening day
when 5000 fans sent $733,056
into the machines.
The regulars will need a few
days to compare and get a solid