Turf

Last week a creature named Dr. Freeland moved through Maryland wearing a white mask acutely reminiscent of the Ku Klux Klan. But not one of the 40,000 people who were watching him, not Vice President Curtis, who once rode horses, nor Mrs. Gann, who had a good seat, nor Maryland's Governor Ritchie, nor Will Rogers, whose pocket was picked of four mutuel tickets, thought of the Klan as they watched what Dr. Freeland was about. They were all interested in seeing what horse would win the famed Preakness horse-race. Dr. Freeland, who is a big fast three-year-old horse out of Toddle by Light Brigade, humped his shoulders and won the race in a rushing finish.

Dr. Freeland is owned by Walter J. Salmon, the realtor who built Manhattan's Salmon Tower. The Salmon silks are salmon pink. As winner of the Preakness, Mr. Salmon was presented by Gov. Ritchie with the bulky Woodlawn Vase won last year by Harry Payne Whitney's Victorian. Horseman Salmon touched the cup but did not take it away. It is customary to leave it at Pimlico. Mr. Salmon also received $53>325> which he pocketed.

The second horse to stamp in was Minotaur. Dr. Freeland had passed him only 100 yds. before the finish line. One hour and a few minutes before the race Minotaur was owned by Charles Graffagnini, a New Orleans butcher. Restaurateurs habitually buy from butchers. One hour before the race, Chicago Restaurateur John R. Thompson Jr. bought Minotaur for $40,000.

The third horse was African, owned by R. T. Wilson Jr. African and Dr. Freeland were jointly entered by their owners. People who bet on African were paid $9.70 for a $2 mutuel ticket just as though they had bet on Dr. Freeland.

The last horse was Hermitage, owned, trained and ridden by orchid-shirted Earle Sande, oldtime jockey.

In a Washington jail, Oilman Harry Sinclair had hoped to hear the Preakness results over the prison radio (see p. 12). But the radio would not work. He had to wait for the newspapers. When he read them he discovered that one of his horses, Patroness, had won a preliminary race.

The Preakness is Maryland's greatest race, traditional preliminary for the Derby at Churchill Downs, Ky., greatest U. S. race. But Owner Salmon announced that Dr. Freeland would not run in the Derby this weekend.

England's greatest race is the Epsom Derby (June 5 this year). A great test preliminary for the Epsom Derby is the Thousand Guineas for fillies, run last fortnight at Newmarket, won by Taj Mah. Another favorite for the Epsom Derby is Cragadour, Lord Astor's colt. Drawings were announced last week in the -L-1,000,000 ($4,860,000) London Stock Exchange Derby Sweepstakes. This year two tickets were issued for each of the 335 Derby entries. A ticket on Cragadour was drawn by one Jimmie Gibbs, aged 7.