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ig weights weights for for the the the REFLECTIONS By Nelson Dun 5 tan Paumonok, Dixie Cap Weights Both Races Draw Fine Horses Challenge Me Derby Threat Distance Events at Chicago NEW YORK, N. Y., April 3. With the Monday edition of newspapers, the sport of horse racing approached the 1944 iyii season season by Dy announcu announcing ig weights weights for for the the . s - - 1944 iyii season season by Dy announcu announcing Paumonok at Jamaica and the time-honored Dixie Handicap at Pimlico. As one is at six furlongs and the other a mile and three-sixteenths, the handicap honors naturally figured from different angles. Apache and Devil Diver are Pau-b monok top weights at 130 pounds, followed - s e *i a e ;- r - 1 ■ fc " ] |. j I r 5 3 . 1 3 . [ i ; : i 1 r 1 f . j i 1 1 the by Slide Rule at 127. In Dixie, Thumbs Up and Shut Out are the high weights at 126, with both Devil Diver and Slide Rule at 124, followed by Alsab, Princequillo and Apache at 122 each. Both races have the makings of fine contests and as you scan the lists you can see many who have possi-s bilities for first honors. Market Wise is not named for either event, and will prob-" ably not be seen until later in the spring. Needless to say, Count Fleet will not be seen in handicaps, but beyond those two many of the best performers of last year are named for these older events which will help to send the 1944 season off with a bang. Rich opportunities for these older horses will follow the Paumonok, Jamaica Handicap and the Dixie Handicap. Still it is surprising that so many of the best racers were named for both the Paumonok and the Dixie. The status of Alsab. Attention, Rounders, plus the specula - tion on a horse such as Shut Out. adds much to the interest of the older division. In every year injuries take their toll and it is just a question which of those will be knocked out of the running before summer. But never has the division offered so many royal chances for big purses and those who stay sound through- out the year could reap a harvest. Challenge Me projected himself sharply into the Kentucky Derby picture by his easy victory in the Arkansas Derby. In 18 starts last year this Challenger II. colt won but four times. But the Challengers improve with age and they also improve when the distance is lengthened out and also again in bad going. True, the Brolite Farm racer did not beat anything of real class, but he simply toyed with his field, and it may be that he is one of those horses we see, year after year, and who improved greatly in the winter months. We are not going to become unduly excited over him, but we are certainly going to give him his due when it comes to reckoning the chances of the field that will go postward in the Derby. Last year there were only 28 stake events at one and one-quarter miles or more run on the American turf. As near as we can judge, there will not be many more this year, but it was good news to read that the Arlington -Washington meetings wilt feature grass races every Thursday and distance events every Friday. In their release the Chicago tracks I state "distance and turf races always ; have been highly popular at Wash-1 ington Park." If we see it correctly, distance events are popular everywhere and turf events at the few courses in which they are featured. The distance events at Chicago will be from one and one-quarter miles to two and one-quarter miles, providing opportunities for many horses 1 who are capable of being trained for t the longer routes. I Quite a few of the grass events will also ! be at the longer distances. Two of these . races which attract horses and also attract fans are the 0,000 Grassland Handicap, to be run on Thursday, July 18. and the 0,000 Meadowland Handicap, to be run on Thursday, August 10. The purses for » both the route events and those on grass will range from ,500 to ,000, thus . equalling the endowments of many stake 1 races in former years. These events have t a very definite value in public interest and t also encourage the training of horses for I contests which are off the beaten path of ? the average race card. I
