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MRS. PARKER CORNING— Whose Attention will carry top weight of 126 pounds in todays Metropolitan renewal. Twelve Twelve Vie Vie in in Metropolitan Metropolitan Handicap; Handicap; Kentucky Kentucky Handicap Handicap Feature Feature at at Downs Downs lAttention May Rule Favorite Over Market Wise at Belmont . First Week-End Program at Big New York Course Should Attract Tremendous Throng Metropolitan Handicap, ,000, Three-Year-Olds and Upward. One Mile. PP. Horse. Jockey. Wt. 1— Best Seller S. Young • 114 2— Boysy L. Haas 114 3— Market Wise No Boy 125 4 — Attention D. Meade 126 5 — Omission J. Gilbert 116 6— Reading II. No Boy 122 7— Cant Wait A. Robertson 114 8 — Ocean Blue T. Malley 114 9— Third Degree E. Arcaro 120 10 — Rosetown J. Longden 110 11— Pictor G. Woolf 120 12 — Cramps R. Neves 110 ELMONT, L. I., N. Y., May 15.— The Metropolitan Handicap, Americas out- standing mile special for three-year-olds and upward, will have its 49th running down at maple-shaped Belmont Park to- morrow afternoon as the feature event on a gala Saturday program of thoroughbred sport. Attention and Market Wise, two distinguished members of the "I Beat Whirlaway Club," head an even dozen of the lands most capable performers named for this historic 0,000 added run of eight furlongs. • Handicapper John B. "Jack" Campbell pronounces Mrs. Parker Comings fleet son of Equipoise "the most horse" in this field under an impost of 126 pounds. This package required him to concede from one to 16 pounds to all rivals, and doubtless the public will concur in the official handi-cappers estimate and install this New Yorker the "tote" favorite. Market Wise, "the Cinderella horse," is certain to be strongly supported with 125 pounds, and the same goes for Mrs. Payne Whitneys Third Degree, who carries 120; the recent Toboggan winner, Omission, under 116, and Belmont prexy George Wide-ners Rosetown, carrying a feathery 110. Reading II. Makes American Debut Rounding out a strong, well balanced field are Louis B. Mayers Anzac, Reading II., who shoulders 122 and gives an inter-national aspect; W. L. Branns stout little T Pictor, under 120; Crispin Oglebays Ocean Blue, who recently tied a Pimlico record , and carries 114; Darby Dan Farm stables , Best Seller, 114; Tom Heard, Jr.s erstwhile cripple, Boysy, 114; Myron Selznicks one- J time handicap luminary. Cant Wait, 114, and Jock Whitneys mud-running Gramps -with 110. ■ Its one of the smartest fields in the recent annals of the famed "Met," a special £ which attached an importance comparable i to the Derby and Preakness back in the i gas-lit "gay nineties." , This renewal of the Metropolitan con- 1 tains many intriguing angles. Two sons of i the two-time "Met" winner, Equipoise, are c in the promised field. These are the highly fancied Attention, who last week ran Whirl- s away to a neck in the especially thrilling r Dixie finish, and the less conspicuous a Gramps. Then again theres Third Degree, t who is essaying a comeback and won the t 1940 Metropolitan, and Rosetown, who will strive to emulate such amazons as Gunfire, 1 Black Maria and Nimba on the roster of t to Metropolitan winners. a a If the dozen named overnight go post- R Continued on Page Two ■ = e i . J . I • » 1 ; j . ] | ! , J ! ■ — — _ . * ■ — — — — — „ _ Mm a : %: ■:■■■ :; -mmF ■* ~ *«•■• -j 4UK. "*4Hk. * - - ■* * ■ — — : THIRD DEGREE— Will be out to duplicate his 1940 success in todays running of the Metropolitan. Attention and Market Wise Head Field Of Twelve in Metropolitan Handicap Reading II. Makes American* Debut Today — Expect Large Throng to See Mile Fixture Continued from Page One ward, the stake will yield its winner a net prize of 1,300. This is the first of four Saturday programs to be offered by the Westchester Racing Association, and the stellar attraction is supported by seven other events, including the Good and Plenty Steeplechase, which has drawn nine familiar hedge hoppers. In addition, the Voter Handicap of six furlongs has attracted such as Reading II., who may renege from the Metropolitan to accept against Harvard Square, Swing and Sway, Dispose, Birch Rod and the Canadian-owned, English-bred three-year-old, Fairaris. The Gunfire Handicap, at a mile and a furlong, has drawn the stakes horses Staretor, Waller and Get Off, in what shapes up a keenly interesting contest. Briefly, its a typical Saturday card at Belmont Park, traditionally the best racing in the United States. The vast Nassau County course probably can comfortably accommodate more visitors thtan any other modern plant in this hemisphere. Last Suburban Day Decoration Day, it attracted the peak crowd in New York states turf history, one of some 54,-000. Tomorrows throng will find the course equally commodious. Given a fair shake in overhead conditions, a crowd of some 40,000 is expected to be present for this Metropolitan. First of "Big Three" Spring Handicaps The Metropolitan is the first of "the big three" of New Yorks historic spring handicaps, the other two being the Suburban and the Brooklyn; while the Butler Memorial has grown in value until it is commensurate with the Suburban and Brooklyn in a monetary sense. Experts in such matters reckon that Attention will be no more than 2 to 1 in the rambling Belmont Park "tote" system. He has the familiar Don Meade in the stirrups, and a few days back barely missed repeating his Arlington Classic defeat of the mighty Whirlaway in Pimlicos Dixie. He blew out for the "Met" this morning in 3Sand :35, :47 and 1:00%, breezing along with the breeze. Market Wise, less shifty from the gate than is the light-waisted Attention, will be aided by a fast early pace and just one long turn to negotiate. Never an impressive work horse, the pride of Jamaicas backers just blindly back him when the irrepressible George Washington Carroll drops him into the entries. Basil James, fresh from a winning ride on Alsab in the Preakness and who made Market Wise whip Whirlaway in The Jockey Club Gold Cup last fall, will have the mount on Brokers Tips 00 son. Omission isnt altogether friendless, after his sparkling run in the Toboggan. Sartorial Sammy Smiths charge has just 116 ► and might get a full mile that way rigged, under Johnny Gilbert. One to reckon with is Best Seller, recently disposed of by the doughty Colonel Bradley to the Darby Dan Farm stable of J. L. Galbreath, Columbus, Ohio. Best Seller came excitingly close to winning the Widener Cup last winter, where he was beaten a zip on the post after fashioning all the pace. He ran much the same sort of race in the Dixie last week, disposing of Air Master and other speed specialists before his gas card expired, at about the mile mark atop the stretch. With 114 in the saddle and the familiar Sterling Young booting, Best Seller might possibly prove more formidable than generally anticipated. Bert Mulholland pronounces George Wideners headstrong mare, Rosetown, ready for the race of her career. This daughter of Jamestown benefited from her third in the Toboggan, marking her 1942 debut, and is training kindly this spring. John Longden has demonstrated, in earlier competition, that he is familiar with her whims and she performs well for the mild-mannered Canuck. One of the light weights under 110, Rosetown could give George Widener a second straight triumph in the Metropolitan without occasioning any great surprise. Reading II. will be making his United States debut. He won approximately 6,-000 in Australia, including some of that continents most coveted distance classics. The Mayer importation has worked very well, but may be withdrawn from the Metropolitan for the less exacting Voter Handicap of six furlongs. The others of the promised field fail to arouse any remarkable interest, though, on best races, none are "out of it." Pictor and Gramps drew far outside, while Ocean Blue disappointed grossly in the Toboggan and Boysy is, possibly, "in tough." The Metropolitan time record is Jack Highs 1:35 flat in winning the 1930 running of this special under 110 pounds. That figure also is the track mark. Third Degree came remarkably close in the 1940 renewal, when he hung out 1:35% and carried 123 pounds, 13 more than were shouldered by Jack High.
