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***** j? , A J GEORGE D. WIDENER— Takes over the helm as president of Belmont Park today. » _ I REFLECTIONS I By Nelson Dunstan Belmont Opens Spring Meeting Many Important Fixtures Renewed furlongs for three-year-olds and older horses. These are but two of the 19 important stake events that will be contested during the meeting at the beautiful Long Island course. Tuesday of each week will feature steeplechase events, while Saturdays, with the exception of the first, will have two important fixtures. The feature this coming week-end will be the 0,000 added Metropolitan Handicap, at one mile, a race that has been won by many of Americas outstanding horses down through the years. It was in this race that Jack High created the American record of 1:35 for one mile, which was later lowered to 1:3425 by Equipoise at Arlington Park in Chicago. Eight Thirty, carrying 132 pounds, won last years Metropolitan renewal in 1:1 and and some of the famous winners, prior to last year, were Irish Lad, Sysonby, Grey Lag, Questionnaire, Equipoise and Third Degree. During the second week, Belmont will stage two steeplechase events. On Tuesday, May 19, the feature will be the Charles Appleton Memorial Cup Steeplechase, at about two miles, and on Thursday of the same week they follow with the Belmont Spring Maiden Steeplechase at two miles, for jumpers four years old and upward who were maidens at the time of closing. Two of the oldest stakes on the American racing calendar will be cofeatures on May 23, the first being the ,000 added Juvenile for two-year-olds at five furlongs, and the other the 5,000 added Withers, Long Meetings at Suffolk, Detroit Sportsmans Contribution to War NEW YORK, N. Y., May 9. Racing scenes shift Monday with Belmont Park taking over from Jamaica for a a 24-day meeting and Suffolk Downs succeeding Narragansett Park, in New England, d for a 60-day meeting that will carry through July 18. With Alfred G. Vanderbilt lt! _ Navy-bound, George D. Widener will serve as president of Belmont, with P. A. B. ■ Widener and George M. Francis, vice-presidents. Mondays stake events will be the . Fashion, for two-year-old fillies, and the time-honored Toboggan Handicap at six lx I , , • j ] j j ] ■ ; I I I I i i ] famous one-mde event for three-year-old colts and fillies, and a race that has drawn practically every top-notch member of that division. Only one "Triple Crown winner in history has been able to annex the Withers in the same year and that was Sir Barton, who broke his maiden by winning the Kentucky Derby, and followed with victories in the Preakness, Withers and Belmont. In the latter weeks the Belmont meeting will offer such races as the Coaching Club American Oaks, Suburban Handicap, Meadow Brook Steeplechase Handicap, Peter Pan Handicap, Top Flight Handicap, and on June 6, the closing day, the National Stallion, for two-year-olds at five furlongs, and the Belmont, the latter at one and one-half miles. Judging by the Jamaica meeting, it is expected this will be one of the most successful meets staged at Belmont Park during the present decade. With the 5,000 added Belmont Stakes, third and last of the Triple Crown" events, as the last day feature at Belmont, there is a question if the 0,000 added Suburban Handicap will not be the most interesting of the two races this season. At one and one-half miles the Belmont naturally attracts three-year-olds who have shown they can run over a distance of ground. Among the eligibles are Apache, Reapers Blade, Sun Again, Some Chance, Bleu dOr, Half Crown, Fairy Manah[ Devil Diver, Shut Out and Yankee Cousin. Suburban eligibles also include such three-year-olds as Alsab and. Apache besides what is undoubtedly the finest group of older horses now in training. Ben Jones has said he will likely point Whirlaway for this race, and the opposition to the Calumet champion could come from Challedon, Attention, War Relic, Mioland, Market Wise and Our Boots, and to that list could be added Gramps, Third Degree, Boysy, Porters Cap, Staretor, Ocean Blue and still others. Many of these same horses are in the Metropolitan, so from all indications i Belmont fans are due to see some fine sport in the events for older horses. Two of the longest meetings of the year will get under way when Suffolk Downs opens Monday and Detroit begins on May 23. The feature event at Suffolk Downs will be the 0,000 Massachusetts Handicap. It could work out that Whirlaway, barring the unforeseen, will start in this rich event, and if returned the winner, come close to or pass Seabiscuit as worlds money-winning champion. Should the Calumet cannonball win the Suburban on May 30, and then go on to take the New England race, he will be well on his way to earnings of 00,000. As usual, the Yankee, for three-year-olds, will be run on July 4, while the closing-day stake, July 18, will be the Mayflower, for two-year-olds. The Detroit meeting of 73 days will open a week from Saturday, and with the town booming as never before, a successful meeting is anticipated. More than sufficient horses will be on hand to insure good-sized fields. John J. Fitzgerald has been engaged as publicity director for the Detroit meeting and stopped at Baltimore for two days en route from Miami to Detroit. Approximately 0,000 was realized for War Relief at Sportsmans Park In Chicago last Wednesday and will be contributed to the Army and Navy Relief Funds and the Service Mens Center. Lincoln Fields will take over on May 18 and, as usual, the management will card the stake events which have attracted distance runners such as Shot Put in recent years. Chicago racing will reach its peak when Arlington Park opens, and is followed by Washington Park, with the Arlington Classic and the American Derby certain to draw the top three-year-olds in the land. Another event of unusual interest this year will be the Equipoise Mile, which we understand will draw the entries of Shut Out and Swing and Sway, both sons of the famed Whitney | "Chocolate Soldier." Fittingly enough, the first winner of the Equipoise was Howard l Wells Equifox, and it would be quite a racing oddity if another son of Equipoise won the race this year. Even with gas and tire restrictions, Chicago racing has held its own, and with a program of stake events and purse distribution greater than ever before, both the Arlington and Washington Park managements are looking forward to successful meetings.
