All the strain of a Gold Cup race doesn’t [just] hit the guys in the pits and the drivers’ seats.

Three essential members of the Slo-mo team put in some tooth-gritting, fist-clenching minutes Sunday afternoon in their spots aboard the official Gold Cup barge.

They were Mrs. Stanley Sayres, wife of the Slo-mos’ owner, and Mrs. Joe Taggart and Mrs. Lou Fageol, lady loves of the pilots.

The three Gold Cup gals watched the race like poker players pulling in their cards to see if they lose the old home-steam. They listened to Slo-mo IV’s motor like mothers sitting up with a sick child.

When the race was won, the three laughed and cheered and hugged one another. But while the race was on they showed just anxiety.

In early laps of that second heat when Gale II was shoving Slo-mo neck and neck over the straightaway. Mrs. Sayres didn’t even want to watch. She sat down behind the standing, yelling crowd and stared into space until the crisis was past.

Mrs. Fageol didn’t stop worrying even when the Seattle boat seemed safely in the lead.

"It sounds like a little sort of ‘blubber’ in that motor," she said tensely. "You never can tell what will happen until it’s over 55.

In final minutes of the race Mrs. Joe Taggart was praying her husband toward the finish —

"Come on, Joe. Two more laps. Now one more lap. Come on, Joe."

And when that checkered flag finally ended it all. Mrs. Taggart spoke for all three Gold Cup gals: "The most wonderful moment of my life."