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» 1 » :by Dieppe Dieppe was was the the 1 j REFLECTIONS ■ By Nelso* Dunston Blue Grass Result Scrambles Derby Field Stay-at-Homes Vie in Rich Withers Bill Corum Likes New Wagering System Dante, at 6 to 1, Epsom Derby Favorite NEW YORK, N. Y.. June 4. The field for the Grey Lag Handicap stalled at the stretch turn so as not to reach the starting gate before 4:05 and as a result thousands on the Jamaica lawn were thoroughly drenched. . . . . Saturdays Saturdays results results in in New New York York tell tell the the » 1 » ! J i . . . . Saturdays Saturdays results results in in New New York York tell tell the the same old story of Arcaro, Atkinson, Permane and Johnny Adams. . . . H. Pratt, one of the best riders in the country, has severed relations with his employer. . . . Santa Anita is averaging better than 0,000 a day in the sale of War Bonds, so the gross for the meeting will be around ,000,000. . . . There are some 4,000 persons engaged in the breeding of thoroughbreds in California. . . . John Galbreath, owner of Darby Dan Farm, hurried away from Jamaica to get the Blue Grass result before catching a train, and -you should should have have seen seen his his face face when when he he heard heard Dai Darby i a i j 1 I l . J J l ? ; 1 n I j ■ I I | 1 y s g should should have have seen seen his his face face when when he he heard heard Dai Darby :by Dieppe Dieppe was was the the winner. . . . Twilight Tear is not an eligible for any filly and mare stakes at Belmont. . . . What ever became of that move to have the Jersey Act abolished? Saturdays Blue Grass Stakes, final prep event for the Kentucky Derby, was another upset when Darby Dieppe was returned winner, with Fighting Step second. Behind this pair were Air Sailor, Pot o Luck, Best Effort, Bymeabond, Sea Swallow, Foreign Agent, Burning Dream and Darien. Add to that the mild upset when Hoop Jr. defeated Alexis in the second division of the Wood Memorial and you have a complete picture of just how open a race the seventy-first running will be on Saturday. According to the charts of the Blue Grass, both Pot o Luck and Burning Dream had excuses, for the former was blocked and the latter crowded back in the stretch run. Regardless of that, both Darby Dieppe and Fighting Step move up as strong contenders. Darby Dieppe has a high turn of speed, for at the three-quarters he was in eighth position and went from there into the lead at the head of the stretch, then drew out to win by two and a half lengths. A run-down of the "probables" indicates that a field of about 15 is .very likely, with Jeep the favorite at post time. The seventieth running of the 5,000 Withers is the feature event on Wednesdays Belmont program, but as most of the top three-year-olds are at Louisville, the field is hardly likely to be as large as those of former years. Pavot is an eligible and, should he go to the post, he would inject a great deal of interest into the event. If the son of Case Ace remains on the sidelines, Greentree Stables Coincidence would be a popular choice with the Long Island throng. This Questionnaire colt has done very well in his two starts this season, winning both in convincing fashion. The field will probably include Hillyer Court, Dockstader, Adonis. Flood Town, Hitem. Polynesian and Baron Jack, who won at Delaware Park last week. In former years the Withers was sandwiched between the Preakness and the Belmont, but this year— although a rich race in its own right— it must be regarded as a prep event for the two "Triple Crown" events which follow the Kentucky Derby. For the first time in history the Kentucky Derby and the Epsom Derby will be run on the same day. There is considerable interest in this years running of the Epsom event for the reason that Miss Dorothy Paget, cousin of Jock and C V. Whitney, will be represented by Sun Storm, a Solario colt who is now quoted at 13 to 1. Although Viscount Astors Court Martial was winner from Dante in the Two Thousand Guineas, the latter is favorite in the latest callover from England, at 6 to 1. Court Martial is held at 100 to 8. Danter, who is by Nearco, is hampered by very poor vision. This was due to an accident at Mid- dleham. and for a time it was thought the colt might have to be retired as a result. His start in the Two Thousand Guineas was mainly to determine his status and. while he was defeated, he gave such a fine exhibition that it was decided to start him in this Saturdays renewal. One of the most beautifully bred horses in England, he will be retired to stud immediately after the running of the Derby. Hyperion, leading stallion in England, will be represented by High Peak and Sun Honey. High Peak is the property of Lady Derby. On a few occasions we have questioned the efficacy of the new betting regulations on the New York tracks. Some people disagree with us. including Bill Corum. Bill says, "It has seemed to make for prompter starts, thus cutting down the tedious wait between races that has always been one of the sports worst fea- tures for the average fan." We fail to follow him. There has been no cutting down of time between races, and just one exam- pie: there was forty minutes between the post time of the first and second races at Jamaica on Saturday. True, George Cassidy is sending the fields away with dispatch this season, but what has that got to do with the new betting regulation? What we said was that when there was a 14-minute delay, as there was in the running of the second division of the Wood Memorial, it gives bookmakers just 14 minutes to operate. Bill Corum shied away from that entirely, and that happens to be our main objection to a system that, frankly, we believe is. inferior to the one it re- placed. Until we read better reasons than Bill has given, we will go on believing that the old system was the better of the two.
