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Nelson Dunstan REFLECTIONS By Nelson Dunstan Task for Triple Crown1 Winners Also Win Classic American Derby Detroit Strong for War Relief Suffolk Downs Will Swell Fund NEW YORK N Y May 18 18Should Should Count Fleet win the Withers on Saturday and then take the Belmont Stakes on June 5 he will be the second horse in history to win the Triple Crown plus the famous onemile event There is still a feat however that no Triple Crown winner has ever accomplished and that is to go on to win the Classic and the American Derby the two 50000 races which highlight the ArlingtonWashington Park meetings in Chicago It is a tough task but as the Classic is not run until July 24 and the American Derby on August 28 The Count could accomplish it if Cameron sends him after both Gallant Fox and Omaha went to Chicago to win the Classic while Whirlaway was defeated in the Classic and then went on to win the American Derby Count Fleet has a royal opportunity to become the first to win all of them A new angle will be injected into the threeyearold division with the running of the Classic for both Occupation and Ocean Wave will be awaiting the Hertz colt when he arrives in the Windy City Other eligibles for both the Chicago events are Blue Swords Slide Rule and Askmenow but it will be the appearance of Occupation and Ocean Wave against the champion that will be of new interest Occupation win ¬ ner of four futurities last year has been training in fine fashion and Ocean Wave has now recovered fully from his injury and is ready for preliminary training at Bel ¬ mont Park hicsiroans are to see the highest class of racing between now and next September Lincoln Fields will run until June 19 when the Arlington meeting which will be run at Washington Park this year will follow It could be that the much discussed meeting between Alsab and Whirlaway will take place in the 30000 Stars and Stripes Handicap to be run on July 5 this being one of the days that Ben Lindheimer announced i would be devoted to War Relief There are other Chicago races in which this pair could settle their feud notably the 30000 added Arlington Handicap on July 31 or again the 30000 Washington Park Handicap to be run on Labor Day September 6 being another of the days the Chicago tracks will run for the benefit of War Relief organizations Both the champions whose match race last year was one of the great events of the decade will by no means have these events at their mercy For from present indications they are bound to have stiff competition every step of the journey In the Stars and Stripes last year Marriage was defeated by the lightly weighted Take Wing while in the Arlington Handicap the three year old Rounders with but 103 pounds scored over Whirlaway who was carrying 130 pounds In the Washington Park Handicap Marriage scored over Alsab arid if anything we expect them to meet tougher competition in that trio of rich events this season i The midseason racing contributions to the War Relief have been on a grand scale to date but besides the addition of Chicago we must also make reference to Detroit where it is announced they guarantee 35000 with more to come later Detroit made a splendid showing last year When the one track contributed 81336 This years meeting of 73 days will open at the Fair Grounds next Saturday and will continue through August 14 with a program on a higher scale than has been the case in former years Detroit fans have taken to the sport in a big way and it is our opinion that the coming meeting will be the best they have ever staged Weekday racing will start at 445 p m thus allowing the defense workers to complete their days work and in this way avoid the ridiculous charges of absen ¬ teeism which raised such havoc with the spring sport in Maryland Detroit racing has become a definite credit to the sport as a whole and while it has no such pre ¬ tentious program as that at Arlington and Washington Parks it includes a list of 14 features with values from 5000 to 10000 nevertheless On Saturdays racing will start at 215 p m and the opening days feature will be the 5000 Boots and Saddle Handicap a sprint of six furlongs for threeyearolds and older horses Having gone this far with references to War Relief this particular column would be out of joint if it did not make reference to the fine show ¬ ing of Bill Kyne and his Bay Meadows course in California During 107 days of racing 57 days last fall and 50 days this spring Kyne and his associates raised 51529260 for War Relief A breakdown of the figures streses the good that has been done for the forces of our army and navy and their families The largest single contribution was the 5140817 contributed to the Naval Welfare at Treasure Island Several naval hospitals received a flat 10000 Local charities were remembered and that most worthy institution the California Turf Foundation was given 4765559 Kyne has earned the gratitude of all racing JBut Kyne the father of mutuels in California has been helping others all his life The greatest kick out of my years of racing has been the good I could do for our boys he recently wrote us and as long as I can get dates I will continue to do so It is indeed unfortunate that other California tracks could not have joined with Bay Meadows But under the conditions it was impossible Bay Meadows had to bear the brunt for the Golden State and was not found wanting Coming back a bit nearer home we pay a wellearned salute to the Suffolk Downs officials for staging the 50000 Massachusetts Handicap on July 5 the day which all tracks will give to War Relief True that race conflicts with the Stars and Stripes and just which event Whirlaway will start in is known only to Parnell Ben of Calumet Speaking of Suffolk Downs we have a letter from Ed Brown one of the most able honest and fearless stewards in American racing Ed says Flew here from Mexico City where we really established something for thoroughbred racing You are going to rave about that track when you see it for its something to rave about We opened here at Suffolk Downs in all the rain and with all the wartime restrictions but we still had the largest and best opening in Suffolk history We look for a good meeting and I hope you have seen we have the figures on the trolley travel to this track This column commented on those figures a day or two back They were amazing and certainly the ODT has no complaint on the way New Englanders are traveling to and from the Boston course It is one of the most ideal transportation setups in the land
