Reflections: My Request Had Early Support in Derby; Citation Certainty in Preakness, Belmont; How Many Will Answer Preakness Bugle?; Handicap Stars Featured This Week-End, Daily Racing Form, 1948-05-04

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R E F L E C T I O N S fiy MLSON NEW YORK N Y May 3 One of the strangest sights at Churchill Downs just before the Derby running was the mutuel board which showed My Request the favorite over the powerful entry of Citation and Coal town This was caused by the smaller bettors who were members of the knock down the favorite club and who realizing that others would get little return on the entry were playing the Whitaker colt to defeat the Calumet pair It was expected by some that the entry would 50 to 1 to 5 but in view of the prices the odds on the favorite pair dropped very slowly and finally closed at 2 to 5 Short as that price was it was one of the biggest overlays in recent seasons and many of the bigger playqrs took full advantage of the peculiar situation that prevailed in the wagering It is a foregone conclusion that both Citation and Coaltown will be held at very short prices in any of the threeyearold events to come This writer cannot recall when a horse won the Run for the Roses so convincingly Although Coaltown was beaten by his stablemate he showed himself a fine colt by the manner in which he set the pace and held on gamely even though Citation passed Tiim My Request also ran a game race but he failed to respond when called upon to contest the issue with the flying pair in front of him himA A A A AThere There is hardly a doubt that Warren Wright will send Citation after the honors in both the Preakness and Belmont which will complete the Triple Crown But now that the question of supremacy between the Derby winner and Coaltown has been definitely settled we are wondering whether the master of Calumet will elect to send Coaltown in those two events There are many opportunities for Coaltown besides these races for even though he is eligible for both of them he has also been named for the Survivor Kent Withers Yankee Jersey Stakes and both the Classic and American Derby Cita ¬ tion has had a good share of racing this season and by My Request Had Early Support in Derby Citation Certainty in PreaknessrBelmoni How Many Will Answer Preakness Bugle Handicap Stars Featured This WeekEnd WeekEndthe the time that the Preakness and Belmont are history the Jones boys will probably decide to give him a rest When that happens theywill still have a powerful con ¬ tender in Coaltown just as they will have a good sub ¬ stitute for Bewitch in Whirl Some The Derby victory places Warren Wright at the top of the money winning owners andt in all likelihood he will hold that position throughout the season Whether his horses can top the 1402436 which his colorbearers garnered last season is a question that only the future can answer A A A ATor Tor days before the Derby we were all wondering about the size of the field The figure of 12 dwindled to Lsix at post time We are now wondering just what the Derby outcome will mean to the Preakness which will be run on May 15 and also the Belmont which is scheduled for June 12 Winter racing has had a great deal to do with the early estimates of the 1948 threeyearolds Both Citation and Coaltown proved they were horses of real class back in the days of Hialeah With the running of the Experimentals and Wood Memorial in New York the Chesapeake at Havre de Grace and Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland we all had a pretfy good picture of the division before the Derby running At best the field for the Preakness will not be a large one Beyond My Request we do not think there was a starter in the Derby who justified another chance against Citation It may be that Max Hirsch will decide to send Better Self in the Pimlico race and that Mount Marcy and Salmagundi will also be starters But it is just this writers opinion that regardless of who is sent against him Citation will go on to win the two events to complete the Triple Crown John C Clark president of the Hialeah race track was a Derby spectator For quite a few years Clark has advocated a trophy to be awarded a Triple Crown winner Coming up on the train from Ikwisville he said I am still of the opinion that atrophy symbolic of the Triple Crown would soon become one of the most prized of the many beautiful trophies that are now given in ¬ dividually for these three races If this writer recalls correctly there was some talk of a new Triple Crown trophy a few years back It is true that the trophies for the Kentucky Derby Preakness and Belmont Stakes are three of the finest that are competed for in this country But we do believe that Clark is correct in saying that there should be one additional trophy to be given a Triple Crown winner after the running of the Belmont Stakes There are some owners who value trophies highly and just one of these is Warren Wright whose collection at Calumet Farm is really something to see Some day the heads of Churchill Downs Pimlico and Belmont may get together and decide on a new trophy for the winner of these threeyearold events eventsA A A A AAlthough Although threeyearolds have held the stage for the past month other divisions will have their innings this week In New York fillies and mares will hold the spot ¬ light for at Jamaica on Wednesday they will stage the 15000 Frizette for twoyearold fillies at five furlongs and the weekend feature will be the 25000 Firenze Handicap for fillies and mares three years of age and older at a mile and a sixteenth This race pomises to bring Gallorette Harmonica But Why Not and Carolyn A to the post and that quartet alone would result in a race worth going miles to see Down at Pimlico the week end feature will be the timehonored Dixie Handicap an event that promises to bring the best of the older horses into competition and there is a possibility that Armed will go to the post for the first time since his disappoint ¬ ing showing In Florida This event will be a fitting fore ¬ runner to the 75000 Gallant Fox Handicap which will be staged on Saturday May 15 the same day that the Preakness will be contested at the Baltimore course


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1940s/drf1948050401/drf1948050401_40_1
Local Identifier: drf1948050401_40_1
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800