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BELMONT PARK OPENS Sarmaticus Easy Winner of the Toboggan Handicap Haste Among Starters anjj Is Thoroughly Beaten Interna ¬ tional to Fainnount NEW YORK X Y May 21 Sarmaticus Robert L Gerrys threeyearold son of Sar matian and Pretty Lady was an easy winner of the Toboggan Handicap the opening fea ¬ ture of the Belmont Park meeting today The race was worth 9050 to the winner and at the end he was three lengths clear of Rock Star another threeyearold from the Brook njcde Stable and Sun Pal racing for Lee Jlosenberg just nosed out James Butlers Turf Idol for third The opening of the Westchester Racing As ¬ sociations meeting was a truly auspicious one and a tremendous crowd was present at the beautiful Nassau County course for the occasion The weather was chilly making topcoats necessary but the day was sunshiny and the track at its best bestThe The Toboggan Handicap had for a com ¬ panion feature the International Steeplechase Handicap over the short course and it proved easy for Joseph E Wideners Fairmount while the other races of the day offered an attractive setting for the sport There were eleven that went to the post for the Toboggan which was at threequar ¬ ters mile over the new Widener course It was a truly notable band of sprinters and iriueh of the interest centered about Joseph 33 Wideners Haste which was making his first appearance of the year Haste showed a flash of speed but he tired in the final eighth and when thoroughly beaten was eased up by Sande to finish far back Lucky Play was placed on the outside of his opponents by reason of his bad actions and when the start came he collided with Whiskalong one of the Harry Payne Whit ¬ ney starters and Whiskalong in turn was forced over on Haste and Galetian with the latter being the chief suffer Turf Idol was in rather deep footing and did not get under way as he should but with all this it was a good start startRichards Richards had Sarmaticus away fast and lie at once chose a course down the middle of the course where he found the best footing In the early stages Haste was close after him and a close contender to the last eighth where he began to tire Turf Idol quickly found a place in the contention and Rock Star raced strongly and not far away while Silver Fox swerved somewhat just when he ticcmed to be in a good position to come to the leaders leadersIn In the last eighth Sarmaticus drew out readily to be an easy winner and it was there that Rock Star got into the picture and Sun Pal also closed with a great rush Turf Idol hung under the drive and it was then that both Rock Star and Sun Pal beat him home by a narrow margin and five lengths further back Silver Fox was heading the others othersJ J E WIDEXEU COLORS COLORSThe The International Steeplechase Handicap over the short course saw the Joseph E Widener silks home an easy winner when 3olly Byers rode past the finish Iin2 on Fair mount a good twenty lengths before the JJrookmede Stables Fredden Rock which in turn had a fivelengths lead over W A 3leads imported jumper Gasper Erne II and Rip were two of the horses to come to grief The first named blundered at the water jump while Rip came down at the last jump when he was well beaten beatenFortunately Fortunately both Ferguson who rode Erne II and Smoot who rode Rip escaped in ¬ jury and they walked from the field Gas j er went away from the post like a quarter horse but Morgan at once took back while Jiyers permitted Fairmount to show the way He had the son of Fair Play under a nice steadying restraint but had speed enough to lead all the way He was taking his jumps in his stride and altogether proved himself easily best under the weight arrangement arrangementGasper Gasper held second place to the water jump while the others followed in close or ¬ der It was there Erne II made his mistake which eliminated him from the contest Merg ler shook up Fredden Rock and when the lower end of the field was reached he was in second place but Fairmount was racing strongly in front and jumping faultlessly Ghent the Sanford starter had been racing forwardly but in the back field when Ma honey called on him he stumbled badly at a jump and all but went down Then Uhol from the Somerset Stable also made a bad landing but Bethel recovered without losin his stride strideThrough Through the last half mile Mergler made i brave effort to drive Fredden Rock to Fair mount but the Widener racer went on his way without a mistake and he was under re ¬ straint twenty lengths in front at the end Gasper was coming again at the end but Fredden Rock held him safe for second place and Ghent was fourth The others were well Strung out The race was worth 3525 to the winner and it was a fitting introduction to the steeplechase season seasonOrdinary Ordinary platers met in the opening mile nnd a sixteenth race and it resulted in some ¬ thing of a form reversal when J A Coburns Lockerbie after having been badly outrun a few days ago was a keen contender and lost by a narrow margin to B G Lewis Lady Tlaglan and Exchequer from the Flamingo Farm Stable It was also something of a form reversal for Hell Cat the Greentree Stable starter when she was unable to show little speed and was badly beaten all the way Lady Raglan was taken into the lead at the rise of the barrier by Johnny Callahan and saving ground with her all the way he rated her in front to such good advantage that in the final drive she just won by a nose from Exchequer one that has raced for ¬ wardly throughout while Ixjckerbie after showing good speed finished with a rush that would have won in a few more strides stridesAmber Amber jack from William Woodwards Be lair Stud Stable was the winner of the fifth race at one mile for threeyearolds To score he beat home Gifford A Cochrans Little Asbestos with William Ziegler jrs Araby a fast closing third Judicial and Lit ¬ tle Asbestos were the ones to cut out the running and first one and then the other was showing until shortly after swinging out of the back stretch when Judicial ran out so badly that he was pulled up by Maiben and before he could be straightened he was last of the field and every chance gone goneLittle Little Asbestos began to tire in the final eighth and it was there that Amberjack after repeated disappointments found his way through But he had to give up his best to beat the Cochraii colt while Araby was going better than either of them at the end but he could not wear them down downWhen When Osmand a chestnut son of Sweeper Ormonda was winner from the maiden ju ¬ veniles in the last race of the day he com ¬ pleted a double for Joseph E Widener Sande had to ride the colt out hard to make the victory possible for the Sage Stables Never Again and Santrock from the Brookmeade Stable was a fast finishing third This was another four and a half furlongs dash over the Widener course courseThe The first race over the new Widener Course was a four and a half furlongs dash for twoyearolds and it furnished a good contest when nine of the young thorough ¬ breds ran straight and true all the way A P Canale racing for the sportsman after whom he was named was the winner with Araby from the Newtondale Stable taking second place and William Ziegler Jrs Wee Burn beating John Maddens Flaherty for third Policeman Day showed early speed but it was really A I Canale which dominated the running throughout Ambrose kept him at his task content to lead without at ¬ tempting to draw away from the others though it seemed the colt was good enough to do so had he been extended extendedPoliceman Policeman Day quit badly while both Araby and Wee Burn finished fast A P Canale had the advantage of a long seasoning that began at Miami and it is possible that some of those back of him in this race will re ¬ verse the result with more education
