Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-28
Irish Colt Takes
Hia|eaEl Classic
By b Lengths
Block Metal Second /;
34,o48 Crowd Sets
Florida Record
By Charles M. Eeon
Sports Editor Of The Siar

SEsosts E0Uot " tuo SsoI
MIAMI, Feb. 27.-Turn-to. the
brilliant Irish-bred that racing's
best minds had picked as most
likely to succeed in 1854, took a
tremendous stride toward the
three-year- old championship to-
day when he dashed away from
a select field in the stretch at
Hialeah to win the 25th Fla
mingo Stakes by three and one
half lengths going away. Black
Metal was second and Maharajah
third.
Harry F. Guggenheim's bar
gain colt thus becomes a heavy
favorite to win the Kentucky
Derby two months hence. just
as Dark Star did for Guggen-
helms Cain Hoy Stable a year
ago when Native Dancer suffered
his only defeat.
Only Mrs. Liz Persons Porter
house now seems to stand promi-
nently between Turn-to and
Triple Crown honors. for most
of the other big names among
last years juveniles were in the
field that trailed the Irish star
this afternoon. Porterhouse,
rated equally with Turn-to in
John B. .Campbell's' Experiments.
Handicap weights. has been win
tering in California and won his
first start at Santa Anita earlier
this week. In their only meeting
last year. Porterhouse beat Turn
to in the Saratoga Special but
was disqualified in favor of the
Irish colt.
Record Crowd Sees Race.
Backed down to even money
by the record crowd of "a. 948, the
largest that ever saw race in
Florida. Turn-to and his stable
mate. Giant Cracker. looked like
money in the bank all during the
running Of the mile-and-an
eighth classic. The only anxious
moment for little Hank Moreno,
the same boy that rode Dark
Star. came at the eighth pole
when Ted Atkinson. riding
Greentree'S Maharajah. made a
sharp move and looked like a
real threat.
At this point. Moreno did some
left-handed whipping and
Turn-to shot away from the
pack. although he drifted GU,
for so yards or more. Moreno
then went back to hand-ridine
and the Irisher pulled away
steadily until the field of nine
had passed under the wire.
In the meantime. Maharaja
faded badly and yielded second
money to the Maine Chance
Farms Black Metal. who finished
strongly under Tony DeSpirito
Woodvale Farms Goyamo fin
ished fourth with Conn Nc
Creary up, while the second
choice. Hasty House Farm S
highly-touted Hasty Road
wound up fifth.
Turn-to Earns S96,4OO.
Turn-to. who cost Owner Gug-
genheim. former Ambassador to
Cuba. only $40. 900 at the Keene-
land sales after he was brought
to this country from Ireland,
covered the mile and a furlong
in l:492s to earn a pay check
of 500. 400. The colt. a son OF
the famed Royal Charger. had
won $l76.807 as a 2-year-old. a
large chunk of it in the Garden
State Stakes last October, the
richest race ever held anywhere.
Turn-to. coupled with the
front-running Giant Cracker,
paid 81. $3.50 and $3.50 in the
mutuels. Black Metal returned
$3.50 and 81. while Maharaj ah
paid $40 to show. A lot of
money was burned up on Hasty
Road. who went of at 3.75 to /.
The Irish colt. who looks like
he might take over where Native
Dancer left of, did his running
pyrotechnics for a mighty big
audience since the Flamingo was
(See FLAMINGO. Page C-5)