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REFLECTIONS I By Nelson Dunsian Atlantic City Becoming Beautiful Course Polynesian Totes Package.to Victory Saggy Has Von Five Straight Races Assault Faces Tough Task in Suburban NEW YORK, N. Y., May 27. We journeyed down to Atlantic City on Monday and scarcely could believe our eyes at the many improvements that have taken place there and were accomplished without the use lake in the infield has been enlarged and there is now a turf course within the regular track that will, next year, see horses running over grass. In view of the fact that it is too early for the regular Atlantic City vacationers, the attendance of over 11,300 was indeed a fine one at this season of the year. The Atlantic City officials are frank to say that they do not expect to make much profit at this first meeting, but, even if they do not, we have an idea that their second meeting much of which will be run in August will prove highly popular with New Jersey racegoers. When we left there, we did so with the conviction that within two years this will be one of the most oeautiful race tracks to be found in the East. Mrs. P. A. B. Widener was at Atlantic City on Monday to see her crack five-year-old Polynesian win the Inaugural Handicap in easy fashion. It was last year that Polynesian equaled the worlds record at Atlantic City for six furlongs in 1:09. That the son of Unbreakable is partial to the Atlantic City course was obvious on Monday when, under a perfect ride by his regular jockey, Eddie Arcaro, he was timed in 1:11. On only one occasion this season has Polynesian, carried less than 130 pounds, the same weight that he was assigned for the Inaugural at the Seashore course. During the past two years, Polynesian has started in 26 races and been in the money on 21 occasions. Recently, we announced that Mrs. Peter A. B. Widener intends to retire this extremely fast horse some time this season, and also that she would donate a stud service to him, the entire proceeds to go to the Damon Runyon Memorial Fund. His fee will be ,500 and, as his book is full, it will be impossible for any breeder to get a service to him beyond this one that has been donated by Mrs. Widener. This writer already has a bid of ,500 for that service, and we would be very pleased to accept further bids from breeders in any part of the country. It begins to look as if racing may have a real two-year-old champion in Saggy, the Swing and Sway colt who, in winning the Eastern Shore Stakes yesterday, won his fifth race of the season with nary a defeat. It is too early, of course, to make any predictions regarding this youngster who races in the silks of Mrs. S. Sagner and, as he beat only one horse in the Eastern Shore Stakes, his future efforts will be a more definite guide as to his championship possibilities. He is slated to start in the Worlds Playground at Atlantic City on Memorial Day and, even though he has a worlds record to his credit, he will be given the acid test in that event, for there are quite a few highly regarded juveniles expected at the Atlantic City course for that race. On the day following the Worlds Playground at Atlantic City, the National Stallion Stakes, which will be run as a secondary feature to the Belmont, will be contested on Long Island, and should Saggy triumph in New Jersey, it will be interesting to see how he later fares against the formidable youngsters who have been campaigning here in New York to date. Until they beat him, however, Saggy looms as one of the top two-year-olds of the season. With the weights now released, the Suburban Handicap, to be run at Belmont Park on Friday, still shapes up on paper as the most interesting handicap event to be staged so far this season. The four-year-old Assault is assigned the top weight of 130 pounds, and the "Triple Crown" winner of 1946 is followed by Basileus II. and Stymie at 126 each. While the French champion, Basileus II., has yet to make his first start of the season, the respect in which he is held by John B. Campbell is obvious in these assignments. Pavot has been assigned 121 pounds. Natchez is next on the list at 120, and is followed by Rico Monte and Polynesian at 119 each. We would hardly say that the contention ends there, for there are some horses with lesser assignments who could give the topweighted group a real fight for the honors. It seems fairly certain that both Assault and Stymie will be starters. Not only will their get-together be of interest to racing fans, but there will be many watching the two of them as both have serious designs on Whirlaways record of 61,161, the figure at which Mr. Longtail now sits on the worlds money-winning throne. There appears to be a growing conviction that the Belmont Stakes on the week-end will be a "two-horse race" the two horses, of course, being Faultless and Phalanx. The racing public seems very reticent to give up on Phalanx, the son of Pilate, who is jointly owned by C. V. Whitney and A. S. Hewitt. As we see the Belmont, there will be about seven starters and the supposition seems to be that if Phalanx is to win any of the important races for the three-year-old division, it will be the Belmont, as the distance of one and one-half miles is made to order for him. Some of those who follow the races closely are of the opinion that the Belmont distance is going to be beyond the capabilities of Faultless, who won the Preakness at one and three-sixteenth miles and then took the Withers at one mile. The Belmont is really a show-down for both Faultless and Phalanx. If the former should win, he will have clearly established his claim to the three-year-old championship. Should Phalanx be returned the winner, the only conclusion that could be drawn is that Faultless is the best three-year-old up to one and one-quarter miles, and Phalanx the best at the longer distances. This would by no means be the first year that such a condition existed in the three-year-old ranks or, for that matter, in the handicap division.
