Uhm. . . . the free-legged pacer.
ROYAL MELODY BEATS TORPID
The Brown Valley Farms' Royal Melody, with Jack Ackerman in the sulky, handed Torpid and Johnny Simpson their second defeat of the campaign in the Poplar Hill Farm Stake. The latter won the initial dash in 2:00 to set an all-time mark of nine 2:00 race miles in a single season for owner Max Hochberg. Royal Melody was right at the winner after a tough journey as Torpid trailed the five-horse field to the half before Simpson made his winning move. A number of experts thought that an upset was in the making as they came out for the second trip and that's the way it went.
Royal Melody was at the quarter in :303/5, then Torpid took over on the outside at the half in 1:002/5, led at the third pole in 1:311/5, then faded near the wire as Royal Melody rushed up to challenge and win in 2:003/5, Benny Schue came on strongly with Meadow Rhythm for the place over Torpid who just wasn't at his best this afternoon.
Ackerman also earned the Reynolds Memorial Trophy with Royal Valley from the same barn. The Hal Dale horse won the first heat in 2:012/5, then bowed to Berrymite (Buxton) in the final in 2:021/5.
It looks like the daughters of Adios 1:571/2 are deserving of being considered splendid additions to the breeding ranks as while they are naturally young and but few retired, they had some mighty shifty foals performing in 1956 as for instance Adioway 3, 1:594/5, Razzle Dazzle 2, 2:01 and Meadow Rhythm 2, 2:03. As the property of Delvin Miller, the son of Hal Dale 2:021/4 has five crops of foals two-year-olds and over, and while one must await the coming of the official returns next spring to determine results for 1956, our figures which of course are subject to additions, show that more than So entered the 2:10 list as two-year-olds, an average exceeding 16 annually, and more than one-half earned records ranging from 1:583/5 to 2:05 inclusive, and it is quite surprising to note that our figures show 21 were fillies and 24 colts.
The first foal of Medios was the fast colt of the 1956 season Meadow Rhythm p, 2, 2:03 which was timed better than 2:00 at Lexington. Mare and foal owned by Dr. K. J. Thomas of Calais, Maine.
