view raw text
i — r Here and There on the Turf Johnstown Belmont Standout Could Threaten Worlds Record Gilded Knight Knocked Out Belmont Field to Be Small — i Johnstown will be an overwhelming favorite in the Belmont Stakes Saturday, although he will be asked to run a mile and one-half for the first time. That his oppo-, nents in Americas only race fully duplicating the English Derby also will be going twelve furlongs for the first time doesnt change the comparison from what it would for any distance. Doubts were entertained, and we plead guilty, that Johnstown could go the Kentucky Derby distance, but there is no need now to question his staying ability over any route unless the going is other than fast Johnstown simply has too much! speed for his opponents and they will find| that fleetness just as discouraging at a mile and one-half as over shorter distances. William Woodward, however, wants his colt to win the Belmont before being ready to ad- Continucd on thirty-second page. ] j j HERE AND THERE ON THE TURF Continued from second page. mit he has an exceptional horse, mud excepted. In the Withers, Johnstown gave a remarkable speed performance. He ran the mile in 1:35% to equal the best time for the race, made by Man o War and matched by Snob II. The son of Jamestown and La France, by Sir Gallahad III., could have beaten that mark easily and, under any pressure whatsoever, it is very possible he could have shaded Jack Highs track record of 1:35, made as a four-year-old under 110 pounds. Johnstown ran the first six furlongs in 1:10, the same as Nusakans record over the Belmont course, yet he was under strong restraint. As he beat :24 in every one of the opening three quarters, the Belair bullet required only :25% to finish as he did. He probably couldnt have shaded :24 in the fourth quarter if called upon, but Johnstown would come reasonably close to doing it. The three-year-old marvel probably wont get the chance, but the worlds mile record of 1:34%, held by Equipoise, would be in great danger if Johnstown was asked to run over the Arlington Park course, where "the C. V. Whitney star established the mark. If all goes well, the. Woodward flyer will try for the Classic, but he probably will not require a preliminary effort to get fit, as his campaign will be busy enough to keep him thoroughly seasoned. But under similar circumstances as prevailed when Equipoise beat Johnstowns sire to establish the new record, he would stand an excellent chance of lowering the best time for the eight furlongs. He is not after records, however, and any he shall attain will be incidental as Johnstown speeds along through the three-year-old classics. His only troublesome rival appears to be "Jupiter Pluvius." Gilded Knights failure to run better than he did in the Withers puzzles many including his Wheatley Stable connections. Seemingly the "most plausible explanation is the effort he made to keep within striking distance of Johnstown from the start took all his speed and he steadily weakened thereafter. Hash and Porters Mite made no effort to keep up with the Derby winner in the run down the back stretch and so were able to finish well enough to stage an interesting duel for place honors. They ran sufficiently fast to capture any ordinary running of the Withers as they were individually timed in 1:37, but they did only as well as they raced in a fashion suggesting that Johnstown was in another race. Gilded Knight might have done as well if he had forgotten about the Woodward star also. A small field seems certain in the Belmont Saturday with Johnstown, of course as the principal. None of his Withers opponents performed well enough to warrant taking a chance in the longer event, but Gilded Knight probably will do so. Hash worked out after the Withers, but trainer John Gaver undoubtedly is in a quandary about running him. As Challedon is not eligible to the Belmont, Johnstowns principal opponents appear to be Heather Broom and Knickerbocker. Both passed up the Withers to follow a different program of preparation for the Belmont to be as fresh as possible, but their chance appears to be muddy going. Even if Johnstown should go stale, he would have to tail off a great deal to slip back to the level of Heather Broom and Knickerbocker. The odds against Johnstown in the Belmont may be even shorter than the 1 to 8 posted in the Withers.
