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KNICKERBOCKER — Was one of the few horses to win the Metropolitan Handicap as a three-year-old. He scored a major upset over Heelfly, Jacola and Fighting Fox in the 1939 renewal. -* [reflections I By Nelson Dunsran _ Three-Year-Olds Pass Up Met Camden Completes Racing Chain Hickory Head Promising Juvenile King Georges Pair Win Guineas NEW YORK, N. Y.. May 14. Saturdays Metropolitan Handicap hardly appears to be a spot for three-year-olds to defeat older horses. In fact, the only members of that division eligible for r 0,000 races are Apache, Sense, Dogpatch, Black Raider, Son Forever, Alsab, , Hyacinthus and Troon. Apache now appears to be the only member of the three-year-old division who might faCe the older horses. While three-year-olds have been i fairly successful in capturing the place and show awards in the Metropolitan, com- . [ . I . • ! J ! ] ] • 1 1 paratively few are on the winners roster. The first to win was Voter, who scored in 1897, and was immediately followed by Bowling Brook and Filigrane in the two successive years. Arsenal won as a three-year-old in 1902, and in 1905 the three-year-old Sysonby, carrying 107 pounds, ran a dead-heat with the four-year-old Race King, who was in there with a feather of 97. Fifteen years were to pass before Wildair, a three-yaer-old, won in 1920 and, since then, the only members of that division to win over older horses were Laurano, 1924, and Knickerbocker, who scored an astonishing upset over Heelfly and Jacola in 1939. Mad Hatter and Equipoise are the only two who were able to win the Metropolitan two years in succession. Last years winner, Eight Thirty, then a five-year-old, won over Bold and Bad in 1:37%. With the formal authorization of the New Jersey Racing Commission is now assured from July 18 to September 12. Thus, it completes a chain, for starting with Bowie in Maryland, racing goes to Delaware Park from May 29 to July 4, but in previous years there was the long absence of the sport from July 4 until Havre de Grace opened on September 12, while even with the Camden track there will be a lapse of two weeks, the new association will pretty much complete the chain in the Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington area. Despite gasoline and tire restrictions, Delaware Park will open on May 29, and during the meeting will stage such fixtures as the Dover Stakes, opening-day feature, followed by the Delaware Oaks, Kent Handicap and, as usual, the events designed to attract the best jumpers in training. During the long Camden meeting, they will stage seven stake events with ,000 added, and three with 0,000 added. It is no secret that general manager Walter Donovan and his associates believe their new track will be a "natural." When Hickory Head defeated Best Irish on Tuesday, Belmont fans were sure they had seen a good juvenile. But in view of the fact that the Greentree Stable has long been known for the fitting names it bestows on its juveniles, there was much scratching of heads as to the name of Hickory Head. As the dam of this promising babe is Dabchick, who is also the dam of Devil River, it soon developed that Mrs. I Payne Whitney exercises the same care of old in the selection of names. For, like • Devil Diver, Hickory Head is a species of duck. Regardless of the name, this youngster * showed enough in his first outing on Tuesday to win the thought he will make his presence felt in the juvenile competition directly ahead. Although Greentree has ] also named Cumshaw, Pacifist and Whose, Hickory Head appears to be the stables mainstay for the ,000 added Juvenile Stakes, which will be a co-feature with the | Withers at Belmont Park a week from Saturday. The Juvenile, which is at five , furlongs over the Widener course, drew 199 nominations, with the most royally- bred babes of the season on the list. „ i This years Guineas — One Thousand and Two Thousand — resulted in a double for King George, his Sun Chariot winning the former and Big Game taking the latter, which, with the Derby and St. Leger, comprise the British Triple Crown. This is the first time since 1909 that the Kings horse has , won the Two Thousand, and the first time since 1928 that a royal colorbearer won the One Thousand. It is the first time since 1902 that the same owner won the two events, in that year "Bob" Sievers great mare, Sceptre, winning i both, along with the Epsom Oaks and St. Leger. In the Derby of that year, Sceptre finished fourth to Ard Patrick, whom she had defeated in the Two Thousand Guineas. But although defeated in the Derby, she was the first of either sex to win the four events named since Formosa accomplished the feat in 1868. Big Game, undefeated to date, will now be a heavy favorite for the war-time substitute of the Epsom Derby. His daddy, Bahram, was j undefeated in nine starts, including the Triple Crown, and is now owned by an American syndicate composed of Alfred G. Vanderbilt, Sylvester W. Labrot, Jr., Walter Chrysler, Jr., and James Cox Brady. He is standing at i North Wales Stud in Virginia. j I • * ] | , i , i j i j With the news that Longacres will hold a meeting from June 27 to Labor Day comes a message that a fine-looking colt out of the mare Iolanda, arrived at the Oregon farm of H. W. Ray on Mothers Day. As the colt is by Mio dArezzo, he is a full brother to Mioland. There is considerable interest in the Longacres meeting, and several California owners have signified their intention of sending horses to the popular Oregon course. The 0,000 Longacres Mile will be run on Sunday, August 30, and there will be three days for War Relief — one each for Army Relief, Navy Relief and the American Red Cross. News also reaches us that there will be racing at Vancouver, B. C, but that, also opening on June 27, it will be of 34, rather than 42 days/ duration. There is still a strong possibility that a meeting will be conducted at Reno, Nev., this summer. George P. Wingfield, chairman of the Nevada State Racing Commission, and who raced for years as the Nevada Stock Farm, is strongly in favor of a well-conducted meeting at Reno this year. The permit issued the Silver State Jockey Club becomes effective only if the members meet the stipulations it asks. In the event that does not materialize, a group of Reno businessmen are ready to finance a meeting, i
