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: BELMONT OPENS THIS WEEK • Meeting Begins at Big Nassau County Track on Thursday. ♦ Some of Most Important Stakes on American Tnrf Will Be Renewed— Bel-mont on June 9. * NEW YORK, N. Y., May 15.— Metropolitan racing advances this week. At Belmont Park on Thursday the Westchester Racing Association will inaugurate a meeting to run until June 9 that will be marked by the distribution in purses of about 75,000 and revivals of a group of some of the oldest and most popular American annuals for thoroughbreds, also, the institution of a couple of new stakes, which may prove sufficiently popular to merit giving them permanent places on the program. One of these, the Debut, a dash of seven-eighths mile, next Friday, the second day of the meeting, is for three-year-olds that have not started. The other is the Maturity, a gallop of one mile and a quarter, for four-year-olds exclusively. The French have a counterpart of the Debut that is one of the most attractiv • features of their spring sport. Specials like the Maturity are common all over Europe, but not on this side. In the vivid green, white, pink and orange setting of a deferred spring, a spring that appears to have waited graciously on the Belmont Park opening, the pick of the seasoned campaigners of the Bowie, Havre de Grace and Pimlico meetings in Maryland, the two days session of United Hunts at Aqueduct and the Jamaica racing that improved steadily as it progressed, will compete at various distances over the biggest track in the country. The first days features will be revivals of the Toboggan Handicap, a dash of three-quarters over the Widener Course, for three-year-olds and upward, and the International Steeplechase, a gallop of two miles. Next Saturdays program will include renewals of the Keene Memorial, for two-year-olds, and the 0,000 Withers, a dash of one mile, for three-year-olds. OTHER FIXTURES OX SCHEDULE. The Hollis, a claiming race of three-quarters, for three-year-olds and over, will be run on May 22, the Maturity on May 23, the Bouquet, four and a half furlongs, for two-year-olds, May 24 ; Charles L. Appleton Memorial Steeplechase, two miles, four-year-olds and over, and the Metropolitan Handicap, one mile, three-year-olds and over. May 26; Harlem, one mile, three-year-olds and over. May 29 ; Juvenile, five-eighths, two-year-olds, and Ladies Handicap, one mile, mares three-year-olds and over, May 30, which will be Decoration Day. The month of June will be ushered in with a renewal of the Swift, an attractive sprint of seven-eighths, for three-year-olds and over, and Junes first Saturday by renewals of the Corinthian Steeplechase, two miles, four-year-olds and over, and the Suburban Handicap, one mile and a quarter, three-year-olds and over, a Belmont Park legacy from Sheepshead Bay, of glorious memory. Like the Futurity and the Lawrence Realization, the Suburban has always been the most popular of American handicaps for distance runners. The Fashion, four and a half furlongs, two-year-old fillies, is set for June 4 ; Speed Handicap, five and a half furlongs, straightaway, three-year-olds and over, June 5 ; Coaching Club American Oaks» one mile and three-eighths, three-year-old fillies, June 6 ; Meadowbrook Steeplechase, two miles and a half, four-year-o.ds and upward, June 8 ; National Stallion Race, five-eighths, two-year-olds, and the Belmont, one mile and a half for entire three-year-olds, June 9. ONLY TRAVERS IS OLDER THAW BELMONT. Harking back to 1867, the Belmont is the oldest of American three-year-old specials of annual renewal, barring the Travers, a Saratoga mid-summer attraction. Originally a gallop of one mile and three-eighths, its distance was lengthened to one mile and a half two seasons ago, thus making it a true Derby, that is, a scale weight — colts 126 pounds, fillies 121 pounds — a gallop of one mile and a half. The impending Belmont will be the richest race for three-year-olds run anywhere in the world. With an average field competing secretary Victor Schaumburg figures, that it will gross 0,000. Last years British Derby paid Call Boy only a little more than 0,-000. The Preakness Stakes and Kentucky Derby, renewals of which are features of spring racing in Maryland and Kentucky, gross about 0,000 each. The Coffroth Handicap, run at Tijuana last March, grossed 00,000, but it was for three-year-olds and upward. There are some two thousand horses belonging to the most representative American stables waiting on the Belmont Park opening at Belmont Park, Aqueduct and Jamaica. Several hundred more will be coming from Maryland this week, the spring racing season there having finished with the Pimlico meeting Saturday. Three-year-olds available for the Withers and Belmont, also for the Metropolitan and Suburban Handicaps, are Sun Edwin, Bobashela, David Bone, Bludgeon, Genie, Propus, Centaur, Caesarion, Vito, Oh Say, Ironsides, Reigh Count, Replevin, Sun Beau, Sun Friar, Spear Rock, Petee-Wrack, Sour Mash, Nas-sak, Sublevado, Mowlee, Ariel, Night Life, Sun Meddler, Sunchen, Stephanus, Knapsack, Eugene S., Redcliffe, Distraction, Diavolo, Honker, Agitator, Flyacross, Victorian, Gerard, Kirkover and Gerfalcon. Call Boys younger brother, the English colt Strolling Player, is in the two handicaps but not the Withers or the Belmont. B. B. Jones and Admiral Grayson did not get him in time to nominate. Brooms is in the Withers, but not the Belmont. All the stake-winning two-year-olds of the season are in the Juvenile, Keen Memorial, National Stallion Race, Fashion, Boquet, etc., with scores of brilliantly tried youngsters that have not made their bows. Handicap and cup horses of mature years ready are Crusader, Scapa Flow, Chance Play, Chance Shot, Osmand, Whiskery, Dolan, Brown Bud. Brown Flash, Sarazen, Black Maria, Kentucky II., Happy Argo, Sweepster, Valorous. Canter. Cheops, Foundation Stone, Ruskin, Donnez Moi, Nimba, Terry, Light Carbine, Buddy Bauer, Sanford, Dangerous, Abul Fath, Flippant, Black Fanther, Display, Wat-kinson, Kiev and Bois de Rose.
