view raw text
4 .«■ Rife WILLIAM HELIS — Horses from the Louisiana sportsmans barn were prominent on two racing fronts Saturday, Rounders accounting for the Dixie at Pimlico and Salto the Roseben at Belmont Park. POLYNESIAN— Surprise winner of the fifth-fifth Preakness Stakes. Belmont Renewal Highlight of Week Final of Triple Crown7 Races Will Climax Closing Day Sport f Peter Pan, Coaching Club Oaks and National Stallion Are Also Up for Decision ELMONT, L. I., N. Y., June 16.— Belmont Week" is at hand, during which the eyes of the turf world turn to the series of stakes to be contested at the Westchester Racing Association plant. The center of the turf world has shifted with the three-year-olds from Kentucky and its Derby, to Pimlico and the Preakness. while next Saturday the seventy-seventh running of the Belmont I Stakes, third tier in the "Triple Crown" will j climax the final day of the current meeting. In addition to the Belmont, the ,500 Peter Pan Handicap, also for three-year-olds, will be run at a mile and an eighth on Tuesday: the Coaching Club American Oaks will see the leading three-year-old fillies vie at a mile and three furlongs for a 0,000 prize on Wednesday and juveniles will spin five furlongs in the ,000 National Stallion Stakes along with the Belmont on Saturday. Two steeplechase stakes will be also decided during the brilliant week to come, | with the Corinthian Steeplechase Handicap being the feature of Mondays program and the Meadow Brook Steeplechase Handicap ! bringing Saturdays stakes offerings to three. Owen to Ride Top Weight Nine have been entered for the Corinthian, headed by last years chamnicn jumper, Rouge Dragon, who will carry M. A. Cushmans silks and 159 pounds, a substantial part of which will be Willie Owen, leading chase rider of 1944. The veteran son of Annapolis will be opposed by Mrs. Ella Wideners Iron Shot. 152: Isadore Bie-bers Ahmisk. 149; Thomas T. Motts Floating Isle, 142: Mrs. F. A. Clarks Chesapeake. 138. and Invader. 135; W. H. Lipscombs Mercator, who will be coupled with Rouge Dragon, 137; Brookmeade s Stables Gay Venture. 132. and G. H. Bostwicks Bridlespur, 130. At the peak of his form. Rouge Dragon would be a solid favorite, but he has not been seen in these parts this year. Ahmisk, winner of his last start here, is sure of considerable support. Floating Isle was rather unlucky when beaten a head by the capable Elkridge here in the Charles L. Appleton Chase. The improving jumper made a bad landing on the far side, causing George Walker to lose both the reins and an iron, as well as much ground. Mercator finished six lengths farther back in third place, while Gay Venture and Chesapeake fell. The latter was running on almost level terms with the winner when he went down at the last fence and Gay Venture fell at the same obstacle trying to avoid stepping on him. There are two ,000 races to be run over the flat on Mondays program. The Pandora Purse will bring together seven juvenile fillies at five furlongs on the Widener Course, while the Hurst Park Purse has drawn a field of eight four-year-olds and upward at one mile. Maine Chance Farm which is cutting a wide swath in the juvenile races, has entered a pair in the Pandora. They are the recent winners Clover Lea and Pure Gold. The entry will probably rule odds-on choices over Darby Dune, Golden Warbler, Hand Picked, Forgetmenow and Harem. Hand Picked is a daughter of Bold Venture from the good mare, On Hand and is said to be able to run a bit. The Hurst Park is headed by the classy Professor Lee, a winner of his last start here in the Longchamps Farms silks, and Magellan, who races for Joseph M. Roeb-ling. They carry a moderate 116 pounds each. The others are the hard-hitting veteran Transformer, 114; Coronal, 114; the sprinter Haile, 114; the nimble Eternity. 113; the consistent Tarpan. 109. and the filly Sirlette, 108. This should be a keen contest. The fields for the stakes to be contested later in the week will be largely determined by stakes to be run today. This is particularly true of Saturdays Belmont, in which Hoop Jr. and Pavot are the most conspicuous candidates prior to the running of the Preakness.