No betting in four-horse stakes field

The Ruff/Kirchberg Memorial Handicap will be run as an exhibition before the first parimutuel race at Beulah Park.

Originally scheduled to be a $50,000 event for Ohio-accredited older horses, the Ruff/Kirchberg attracted only seven nominations and then only four horses were entered, with two of them part of an entry. By Ohio Racing Commission rules, when fewer than six betting interests are entered in an Ohio-bred stakes, it must be run as an exhibition and the purse is limited to the money provided by the state fund, in this case, $17,500. Catlaunch will give six to 16 pounds to his three foes and was highweighted at 124 pounds. That is the same weight he carried last year when he won this race by three lengths as the even-money favorite. The distance of the race will remain 1 1/8 miles.