Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-04-08
Ring King 10 Head
Likely Field Of Eight
In SD Chesapeake
By Lewis F. Atchison

W ouCSECu 4AA 0cStOAA aJ OOA
running of the $20,000-added
Chesapeake Stakes at Laurel.
Track officials hope to have
eight starters for the mile-and-
-one- sixteenth race which, in
the past. has been Maryland's
tuneup for the Kentucky Derby
and succeeding Triple Crown
events. But the Chesapeake. like
the Derby. has had run of bad
luck with name entries. It may
develop into a rouSing horse
race, but from all indications it
won't have too much glamour.
The eight probable starters
are all that's left of SO nominees,
26 of them Derby candidates.
Those expected to run. in addi-
ton to Ring King, are Christian
Stables Ezio. Ella K. BrySon'S
Hello, Eugene Constantin, jr.'s,
Busher's Beam, Warren P. Grit
f1th's Gweny G., Howard A.
Jones' For Free, Edward M.
O'Brien's Galdar and Alfred
Roberts Thither.
Wins Two Straight.
Ring King has two straight
victories at Laurel to his credit,
but his performance Saturday
may determine whether the son
of Alsab-Gracie Wee will be made
a supplemental entry. at $500.
for the PreakneSs May % at
Pimlico. Trainer Tommy Kelly.
a Baltimorean, frankly says the
stable doesn't yet know how
good the colt will be.
Ring King never got to the
races as a 2-year-old. He was
tried twice for speed in training
but wouldn't extend himself. He
had a funny way" of going, to
use a track term. and seemed
SO hopeless he was shipped back
to Rice's Danada Farm in Ken
lucky.
Last December. when the 35-
year-old Kelly took charge Of
the Rice Stable, Ring King was
turned over to him to see If
anything could be done.
Kelly nursed the horse along,
ran him twice and saw him fin
ish sixth both times. But he
showed enough to make Kelly
work a little harder. Ring King
diSlikeS work, Kelly says. but is
fond of eating and sleeping and
isn't as nervous as most race
horses.
Second at Hialeah. q:
On February "a Ring King
started against maidens at
Hialeah and finished second to
the highly regarded War of
Roses in a fast race. Shipped
to Maryland, his next start was.
in an allowance and he won
easily. Runnerup in that race
was Sour Note, who was sent
to New York. Last Saturday
Sour Note whipped a field Of
good 3-year-olds, including War
of Roses, Striking Hour, Pat
Thompson and Repel.
Ring King came right back
for his second straight win at
Laurel in the $4,000 added
Cherry Blossom Stakes, defeat
ing Double Speed and War,
Piper, another pair of Derby
hopefuls
The Rice colt had Southpaw
Bill Hartack in the saddle for
both Laurel victories, but therell
be a stranger on his back Sat-
urday. unless Gweny G. is a late
scratch. Hartack was committed
to ride Gweny G., the only filly
in the Chesapeake. long before
Ring King was named for the
race.
Galdar to Get Workout.
Galdar arrived from New York
late yesterday and probably will
be galloped tomorrow morning.
Jimmy Cowboy Nichols will
ride the O'Brien entry.
Mrs. j. r. H. Thour
Christmas Gift, trained by Jim
Ryan, worked a mile at Belmont
Park yesterday, but Laurel Off
Gals had no word on his week.
end plans.
Fisherman, another Chesa-
peake nominee. is expected to
run in Saturdays Experimental
Handicap at Jamaica. Catspaw
and Sugar Dad, owned by c. v.
Whitney, along with Fisherman.
aren't training well. Allen H.
Smiths By Jeepers is off his
feed. Mrs. John D. HertZ's Dou-
BILE Speed, big disappointment
in the Cherry Blossom, doesn't
seem up to a mile and one-Six-
teenth at this time and is en-
tered in the six-furlong Expert
mental. Hirsch Jacobs Man OF
Destiny bucked his shins last
week, and other potential Chesa-
peake candidates are either on
the sideline, not ready for the
race, ailing OF pointing for big
ger things.
The crowd of 14,701 gave
George Leone a big hand yes
terday after being informed by
Announcer Ray Haight that 1t
WAS the Boston apprentices first
saddle victory.
Publicity Miss. 8-to-5 favorite
In the first race. got up in time
to nose out In The Van, lis
to-1 shot, who was just ahead OF
Lady Founders, 132-to-1 out
slider. Publicity Miss paid $5.4O
to win. In The Van returned
SLOT for second and $3.50 for
show. Lady Founders paid $49.6C
for show.
A. P. Mergardt, Washington
plumbing supplies wholesaler
claimed Maabrook out of the
fifth race from Mrs. Walter M
Jeffords for $4,000. Maabrook
finished fourth behind -Four