Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-05-17
Royal Orbit Wins Prea|ness;
PascuaYs 4-Iitter Beats ASH
Sword Dancer
Is Beaten by
Four Lengths
BY CHARLES M. EGAN
Sports Editor Of The star

Sports Editor Of The star
BALTIMORE. May l6.---
Royal Orbit. q Kentucky bred
who has done most Of his rae
ing in California. played the role
of spoiler to perfection today
at Pimlico as he ran away from
Sword Dancer in the stretch to
win the $lsO.sOo Preakness at
odds Of nearly 7 to /.
Just two weeks ago in the
kentucky Derby, Mrs. Halina
BrSunstein's big chestnut colt
was a 46-1 shot, largely be-
cause he had drawn the outside
post position in a big field of II
three-year -olds. Royal Orbit,
off to a bad start, made up IL
lengths but could finish no bet
ter than fourth behind Tony
Lee. Sword Dancer and First
Landing.
Today Royal Orbit broke
from the No. 6 post, but he
was wedged between Sword
Dancer and Rico Tesio, bumped
the starting gate and got of to
another poor start. But he made
up ground like a real champion
and was a going -away winner
by four lengths as the crowd
of 31,506 gave him a conquer
or's ovation, Two lengths be-
hind Sword Dancer, a close
second choice behind First
Landing at ITO, came the
fast closing Ounce. The IA
vored First Landing, whose
poSt-time price was 8-5, wound
up an inglorious ninth after
fading badly.
The comely Mrs. Braunstein.
who once sang professionally
under the name of Helena
Gregory in several foreign films
and on television, will receive
a check for $4,000 as a result
of her colts triumph in this
SD Preakness. But late today
in the crisp air of an after
noon when the temperature
never got above Sc: she was
only too glad to give most Of
the credit to Trainer Reggie
Cornell and Jockey Willie
Harmatz.
Wins in First Preakness
For young Harmatz, native
of Wilkes-Barre, Pa, who
moved to California as a child,
| it was a case of hitting the
jackpot on his first try. For it
was his first Preakness ride,
and the victory more than made
up for his previous Maryland
disappointment. Harmatz was
the rider on Tudor Era when he
was disqualified in favor of the
Australian Sailors Guide in the
Washington, D. c., Interna-
tional at Laurel last fall.
Cornell also knew his East
ern disappointments. He was
the trainer who brought the
ballyhooed Silky Sullivan to the
Derby and Preakness last year
when the big red horse failed
so badly. At that time, Cornell
promised he's be back East
with good horse" He GER
tainly made good that promise
this afternoon.
Royal Orbit, who now looks
like the odds-on favorite to
win the mile-and-a-half Bel
mont Stakes four weeks hence,
ran the mile and three
Sixteenths in a creditable 1857
after Marauder, a 1891 shot
who finished fourth, had set
the pace for nearly a mile.
Duel Was a Flop
The winner, who opened at
TIL in the betting and didn't
drop much, paid $500, $3.50
and $4.20. Brookmeade Stables
Sword Dancer, who, surpris-
ingly. never quite caught up to
First Landing in the wagering,
returned So and $500. A. B.
Hancock's Ounce, an 81 shot,
paid $3.50 to show.
So what was billed as a rid
ing duel between Eddie Arcaro
on First Landing and Willie
Shoemaker on Sword Dancer
turned out to be anything but,
although both riders had their
mounts well up during the
first mile, when hardly anyone
in the crowd expected the lead
ing Marauder to hang on much
longer.
AS it turned out, Lester @.
Robinson, the Baltimore
pharmacist who owns Maraud-
er, gets a fourth-place check
for $500, which Is a lot more
than Christopher T. Chenery,
utilities magnate. gets for First
landings sad showing.
1t was only the third time in
Continued on Page F-2, Col. 4