The Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky • Page 28

rry TTTirT.fi "'rr Tr1 1 7 4 THE COURIER-JOURNAL, LOUISVILLE, KY. FRIDAY MORNING, JUNE 4, 1971 Canonero II rarin' to go in Belmont, trainer says ago as trackman at Louisville's Miles Park, could speak Spanish. "Yeah," observed another of Nick's friends, "and you probably didn't know the Pope could speak Latin." The laughter that followed seemed to puzzle Arias, who apparently has not shaken his fear that any display of mirth might concern either Canonero II or his training methods, which were criticized severely by some experts until proved successful again for the Preakness. Another thing brought out by Sanabria's questioning of Canonero II's party is that the price reported paid an agent by Pedro Baptista for Canonero II and two other Keeneland purchases was not $60,000, as has been reported frequently, but merely 60,000 bolivars. In American money, that's about $15,000.

Meanwhile, a field of 11 appeared to be shaping up for the 103rd Belmont, although trainer Woody Stephens was dis satisfied with Sole Mio's workout yester-day and announced that the colt would not be entered at this morning's deadlina. Replacing Sole Mio, who had also loomed as a Derby starter until withdrawn with an injury, was Royal D. A Maryland-bred colt who was last among the 11 Preakness starters, Royal was second in the Survivor Stakes at Pimlico in his last outing on May 22 to give owner J. McCloy Davis renewed hope. Other expected competitors Saturday are Pass Catcher, Bold Reason, Epic Journey, Highbinder, Purse Finder, Salem, Twist the Axe, and the entry of Jim French and Good Behaving.

There appeared only a remote chance that trainer Reggie Cornell would enter either Eastern Fleet or Gleaming. With 11 starters, the Belmont's gross purse would be $160,350 and the winner's share would be $96,210. Reds go hitless Ripped in last start, Cubs' Holtzman stops Cincinnati without a safety 1 By BOB ADAIR Courier-Journal A Times Staff Writer NEW YORK It's only natural that the more a horse runs, the more the public learns about him. Yet, in the case of Canonero II, who shoots for the Triple Crown in the Belmont Stakes here Saturday, it's rather amazing how many things crop up each time a different interpreter serves the colt's handlers, who speak only Spanish. Yesterday, speaking through Belmont trackman Nick Sanabria of Daily Racing Form, trainer Juan Arias explained more about those snail-paced workouts Canonero II has turned in since returning to this country from Venezuela to capture the Kentucky Derby and Preakness.

Arias said that rather than being sluggish and unwilling to run in the mornings, Canonero II actually is so anxious to speed things up that he has been wearing out his exercise boy, Earl Whye. Regular jockey not on him Because he is so "on the muscle," added Arias, the colt is not entrusted to his regular jockey, Gustavo Avila, during his long conditioning gallops. It's not that Avila can't restrain Canonero II, the trainer continued, because the 31-year-old jockey has demonstrated in competition that he can. But a horse can wear out a rider, as well as himself, Arias pointed out, and there's little sense in having Avila exert that much energy when it doesn't count. Arias also is concerned about overtaxing Whye, who weighs 135 pounds, and said he is contemplating using Luis Rafael Guanchez as a substitute this morning.

Guanchez was the colt's exercise boy in Caracas and is here with many other Venezuelans to root for Canonero II in the Belmont. Canonero II galloped once around the 1 12-mile Belmont Park main track yesterday, and Whye said afterward the colt was "really pulling hard" and that he ached from holding him back. And Avila wins a race Later in the day, Canonero II was brought to the paddock for the second time this week to familiarize himself with the surroundings. Then he was allowed to walk in front of the stands between races on his way back to the barn. Jockey Avila also had a chance to familiarize himself with the track by riding the winner of the last race on yesterday's program.

That was his only mount. "My horse has put on weight since coming here and he's blooming now," Sanabria quoted Arias as saying. "I've changed his training routine from that before the Derby and Preakness to take the distance of the Belmont into consideration." Following the interview, a colleague remarked that he hadn't realized that Sanabria, a thorough master of English who spent a couple of stints some years Staff Photos by Bill Luster Sipping and serving their way to victory DOSS HIGH'S Bob Gutmann takes a breather en route to a 6-0, 6-0 win over Moore's Bill Meade in yesterday's West Jefferson County tennis regional. GREG HATFIELD of host Western concentrates on this serve to Pat Maddy of Valley. Hatfield breezed to a 6-2, 6-2 triumph.

(Story on Page 10.) Associated Press CINCINNATI Ken Holtzman started for the Chicago Cubs against the Pittsburgh Pirates Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh. He lasted 3 23 innings, gave up 11 hits and eight runs. Six of those runs came in one inning, the fourth, when he also was massaged for two home runs and threw three wild pitches. Holtzman started again for the Pirates against the Reds here last night. He pitched a no-hitter.

The amazing turnabout, in which Holtzman threw only 108 pitches, struck out six and walked four, gave the Cubs a 1-0 win over the Reds at Riverfront Stadium. It was his third win against six losses this season. It was also Holtzman's second career no-hitter. He pitched the first against the Atlanta Braves on Aug. 19, 1969.

Last night, with the crowd of 23,000 buzzing, Holtzman mowed down the last three Reds. Hal McRae flied out and then Holtzman struck out Tommy Helms and Lee May to end the game. "I feel about the same now as after the last one," said Holtzman afterward. "A little in shock and awfully tired. "The last five innings I went mainly with my fast ball.

I had trouble with my curve and can- only remember throwing it twice for strikes. "I threw one change-up the whole game, and that was to May in the first inning. He hit the hell out of it and I said that it was not good, forget it." DEAN EAGLE Breeders Hancock and Combs not interested in Canonero II Billy Williams snagged May's long fly near the left field wall. "The only tough chances were Glenn Beckert's play on Tony Perez in the seventh inning, which I thought might get through for a hit, and Brock Davis' catch on George Foster's long fly ball in the same inning," Holtzman said. Holtzman said he thought Johnny Bench had a hit leading off in the seventh with a bunt.

"When I got over there, though, I saw the ball was spinning and knew it would roll foul. "I knew I had a no-hitter going from about the fourth or fifth inning. Nobody on the bench said anything but the fans behind the dugout kept saying the Reds would break up the no-hitter." Holtzman scored the game's only run in the third inning when he led off and reached base on Tony Perez throwing error. The pitcher moved up on DOn Kessinger's infield out and then scored on Glen Beckert's line single to right center. Holtzman got into his toughest jam in the bottom of the third when he walked Buddy Bradford leading off.

Bradford moved up a wild pitch and then went to third as Dave Concepcion grounded out. That brought up pitcher Gary Nolan, who bounced in front of the plate. Catcher Danny Breeden pounced on the ball and tagged Nolan for the out, Brad- ford remaining at third. Holtzman then got McRae to fly to center. may make his own pedigree.

On the other hand, a beautifully-bred horse like Citation was a total failure in stud." Combs concluded: "I wouldn't be interested at all, though he's done everything they've asked him to do. They tried to get me to form a syndicate to buy him, but his pedigree isn't good enough for me." Combs said he would go for a Jim French under the same circumstances. There have been many big syndicates and if Canonero II wins Saturday, he could push into a select circle, bloodlines or not. Nijinsky was syndicated for $5.4 million, Vaguely Noble for $5 million, Buck-passer for $4.8 million, Dr. Fager for $3.2 million and none of them won the Triple Crown.

Kauai King won two rungs of the Triple Crown the Kentucky Derby and A. B. HANCOCK NEW YORK Eight different groups five from the United States and one each from Venezuela, Japan and England have beaten a path to the hotel room of Pedro Baptista. Baptista happens to own the hottest name in horse racing, Canonero II, who is on the verge of winning the first Triple Crown since Citation in 1948. Whoever buys him, Baptista hopes to retain shares in the colt and make him available to the best mares in Venezuela.

Canonero II was sold as a $1,200 yearling at Keeneland. When he failed to set Del Mar afire as a 2-year-old, he could have been bought for $11,000. Baptista refused several offers of $12 million after Canonero II won the Kentucky Derby as a field horse. The Preakness took the Derby win out of the category of a fluke and Baptista was offered $2 million. Now, with Canonero II an even money bet to win the Triple Crown, the price has gone up.

Whether he wins or loses Saturday, Baptista says the colt will be sold. Plenty of Nantallah Baptista has a lot at stake. If Canonero II loses in an unimpressive fashion, the quality of his first two magnificent wins will be questioned or weighed against fields that were supposedly weak. Win or lose Saturday, two of Kentucky's top breeders Leslie Combs and A. B.

(Bull) Hancock are not interested in Canonero II. Said Hancock: "As a breeder, I'm not a bit interested in buying Canonero II. I might be if his daddy (Pretendre) got another top horse." Hancock said his breeding empire is saturated with the Nantallah bloodline and he wouldn't be interested because of that. Nantallah is the sire of Canonero II's dam, Dixieland II. Hancock emphasized that Canonero II is a good horse and may be worth more than $2 million, a price made to Hancock a few days ago, "but he just doesn't figure in our scheme of breeding." Combs said the value of a Triple Crown winner would depend on the horse.

"It might be a freak like this horse (Canonero II) jumping up and winning the Triple Crown without any pedigree. It takes three or four generations to get back to solid bloodlines. Of course, he A few months ago, Conway got a call from Anthony Imbesi, New Jersey thoroughbred breeder and owner for whom he has handled several horses. "I'd like to send you a couple of horses," Imbesi said. "I think they're pretty good.

Conway, who operates a public stable which currently numbers 23 horses, welcomed the duo to his Belmont Park barn. They were an unraced 2-year-old filly named Happy Valentine and a 3-year-old maiden home-bred colt called Purse Finder. Purse Finder now is a force to be reckoned with in the 103rd running of the 1 12-mile Belmont Stakes. Conway likes the looks and even temperament of Purse Finder. He started out the first time under Conway in a 6-furlong sprint at Aqueduct on April 19.

He finished fifth after being impeded. Blinkers to the rescue "That was sort of a get-acquainted race," Conway said. "I saw that six furlongs was too short for him and felt he'd do better in longer races." On April 30 at Aqueduct, Purse Finder came in third in a 1 18-mile maiden race. "I learned something more about him in that race," Conway said. "I thought he would improve in blinkers.

He showed a tendency to pull up when he got to the front. He needed something to keep his mind on his work." On May 12, equipped with blinkers, Purse Finder graduated from the maiden class with a 3 12-length win in another 1 18-mile race and Conway was persuaded that the Jersey-bred horse had excellent distance potential. Then, on May 28, Purse Finder clinched his shot at the Belmont with his easy win by nine lengths in the Peter Pan, a prep for Saturday's event. Irish-born jockey John Ruane will be aboard Purse Finder, in the Belmont. "My said, "is that John is a first-class rider.

He doesn't present an image of a fancy rider, but he gets the job done." In the articulate trainer's view, the subject of riding strategy in the Belmont and other important races is apt to be over-stressed. "There are good riders and poor ones," Conway said. "But the name of the game is still horse racing and not jockey racing." fit' If only Pretendre had another winner This is Formula 1. The world's finest motor-racing. Its elegant excitement lasts the whole race through.

And it doesn't have to end with the checkered flag. There's another Formula An ounce and a half of Forester and a half ounce of Bols White Creme de Menthe on the rocks with a twist. It's fitting after watching the best in racing to enjoy the best in Bourbon: Old Forester. At 86 or 100 proof "There is the Preakness. He missed in the Belmont Stakes but was still syndicated for $2,160,000.

Pedro Baptista should get at least that much. If Baptista is to be disappointed in his desire for a Triple Crown, the culprit could be a colt named Purse Finder, trained by Jim Conway. Conway trained Chateaugay to win the 1963 Kentucky Derby and thinks he should have won the disputed 1968 running with Francie's Hat, who was blocked in the stretch and still was beaten by only two lengths by Dancer's Image. Purse Finder has won two straight races, the last by nine lengths at Belmont. As usual, Conway is optimistic: "His last race was his best one and his next one should be even better.

You have to run a race to know whether he'll run 1 12 miles or not. But he never has stopped. Going into it, we think we have a good shot." Purse Finder is by Maribeau out of Peerless Cindy, a Windy City II mare. 4 J-5 --arsatasia 3 I nothing better in the market." Fischer a headache for foes Yank zeroes in on ivorld chess title 7 knoiv Vm the he says Send to: Forester Formula I (41111 li r': I fpAi lXlMk. iwmrimniiViitTiM lb I VANCOUVER, B.C.

(AP) Bobby Fischer, fresh from a one-sided victory here over Soviet grandmaster Mark Taimanoy, says he is confident he will go on to win the world chess title. The Russian resigned Wednesday without further play in the adjourned sixth game of their quarter-final elimination match to seek a challenger for the world crown, giving Fischer a 6 0 sweep of the best-of-10-match. "The Soviets have been putting up roadblocks for me for years, but I know I'm the best," said the 28-year-old Fischer, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y. "I should have been world champion 10 years ago." He said he stands to make "easily $100,000 a year as a professional" if he wins the world title, now held by Boris Spassky of the Scviet Union. He received $1,250 in prize money for his victory here while Taimanov got $750.

Fischer, a grandmaster since he was 15, next meets Bent Larsen of Denmark in a semifinal scheduled to start July 4 at a site yet to be determined. The Danish grandmaster defeated grandmaster Wolfgang Uhlmann of East Germany 512-3 12. The other semifinal starts July 4 in Moscow between Tigram Petrosian and Viktor Korchnoi both of the U.S.S.R. The winner of the challenge round will meet Spassky in 1972. Taimanov, 46, said Fischer undoubtedly is the best non-Soviet player he has met in his 19 years of international competition as a grandmaster.

Taimanov, who had a high blood pressure condition that caused one game in the series here to be postponed on doctors orders, blamed his poor showing against Fischer on ill health. He said he also had violent headache attacks during several games here. ftiLj ilnllSf. Cols Liqueur, 607Brown-Forman Distillers Corp.At Louisville in Kentucky I97t Associated Press BOBBY FISCHER Meets Dane on July 4.