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ABANDON KEENE MEMORIAL Official Announcement Expected Soon Four Others Also on List. Financial Conditions Force Discontinuance of Spindrift, Speed, Maturity and Debut at Belmont Park. NEW YORK, N. Y., Nov. 15 Several important alterations in the stake program for next year at Belmont Park will be officially announced in the near future. Racing secretary Victor Schaumberg, in discussing the changes yesterday, stated that Joseph E. Widener, president of the Westchester Racing Association, had studied the matter carefully and was reluctant to make any changes, but due to present financial conditions, was forced to abandon five fixtures. The most important of these is the Keene Memorial. This two-year-old dash, one of the outstanding fixtures of the early spring meeting, has been looked upon by horsemen and others connected with racing, as a barometer in judging the merits of early claimants for the juvenile crown. The Keene Memorial was inaugurated in 1913 and the first running was won by the Oakridge Stables Stake and Cap, one of the lightweights in the field, ridden by J. McCahey. The distance that year and the following year was six furlongs and it was contested over the main course. In 1915 the distance was shortened to five and one-half furlongs and transferred to the straightaway. In 1926 the distance was shortened to four and one-half furlongs. The race in the past few years carried an added value of ,500 and was, due to declarations, nominations and other penalties, worth considerably more. In addition to the Keene Memorial, the other fixtures abandoned are the Spindrift, Speed, Maturity and Debut Stakes. These fixtures are, with the exception of the Spindrift, recent additions to the stake list. The Sprindrift Handicap is for three-year-olds and over, one mile and one furlong, and carried an added value of ,000. This fixture, one of the famed ones run at Sheeps-head Bay in the heyday of that track, was revived last year. When the nominations closed fifty-eight horses were named for the race. The Spindrift dated back to 1885, the first running when G. L. Lorrillards St. Augustine, ridden by Blaylock, was the winner. The Debut and Maturity are of recent date. They were instiuted by Mr. Widener and patterned after European fixtures. The Debut was for three-year-olds that never had started, while the Maturity was for older horses. The response from horsemen for these two fixtures was never enthusiastic and last f Continued on eighth page. ABANDON KEENE MEMORIAL Continued from first page. year there was some talk of their abandonment. Mr. Widener, however, decided to program them in the hope that they would prove popular. The idea behind the Debut was that horsemen might be tempted to save three-year-olds that had not started for this race. The appeal of richer purses and stakes for horses proved too big a magnet for horsemen and as a rule the quality of the starters in the Debut could not be classed above that of selling platers. The Maturity was a mile dash, one of the few fixtures in New York to which geldings were eligible. It was inaugurated in 1928 and then was for four-year-olds. Last spring the conditions were changed to permit three-year-olds to start. Other important changes to be announced will be the reduction in the added value of some of the fixtures. In some the monetary difference will be considerable, while others not so pronounced. The Suburban, one of the time-hallowed fixtures, will be reduced to ,000 added, one-half of the amount of last year. Another important change for the Belmont of 1935 will be that two closings will be inaugurated. One will be for weanlings and one for yearlings. The forfeits for weanling nominations will be cut in half of what it is at present, or down to 50, while forfeits for yearlings will amount to 50. There will be no change in the added value of this stake, remaining as it is at present, 5,000 added. For the 1934 and 1935 runnings of the Withers no changes will be made and the added value will remain as it is.
