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REFLECTIONS NRSON DUNSTAN NEW YORK N Y May 15 Mondays Toboggan Handicap ill be the first of 21 stakes decided at the Belmont Park meeting of 25 days that will end June 14 The Belmont Stakes third and last leg of the Triple Crown is the most impor ¬ tant event of the meeting and will be run June 12 Geldings are barred from this race but 93 colts and fillies were nominated It is a question at this time how many of them will accept the issue against Calumet Farms Citation While Calumet also nomi ¬ nated Coaltown Free America and Whirl Blast it is doubtful that any of these will go to the post Among others nominated are Relic who was injured in Florida during the past winter Whirling Fox My Request Sal ¬ magundi Better Self Billings and Saggy the latter being the colt who defeated Citation in the Chesapeake Trial He skipped the Derby and Preakness and is a doubtful starter in the Belmont due to its distance one and one half miles The Belmont is but one of the events for threeyearolds that will be contested at Belmont Also scheduled are the 15000 Swift at seven furlongs on May 19 the 25000 Withers one mile May 29 and the 15000 Peter Pan Handicap one mile and a furlong June 5 Fillies and mares will play an important part in the Belmont meeting Two races exclusively for threeyear olds of the weaker sex are the 15000 Acorn one mile May 25 and the 50000 Coaching Club American Oaks one mile and three furlongs June 2 Calumet Farm has nominated Bewitch and Whirl Some for these two events and it is unfortunate that Bellesoeur was not named for either As we stated in this column some time ago Laudy Lawrence has reserved Bellesoeur for one race prior to the stake events at Saratoga which are for members of that sex and age The Acorn was established as a prep TwentyFive Days of HighClass Racing Belmonts Stake Events Draw Champs Royally Bred Babes Due for Debuts 700000 Belmont Stakes on June 72 72for for the Coaching Club American Oaks which is now re garder as the most important race for threeyearold fil ¬ lies staged in the East It has been won by some of the most noted members of that sex and age including Cleo ¬ patra Princess Doreen Top Flight Black Helen Level Best Vagrancy and Twilight Tear Seventyeight fillies were named for this years renewal among them Vashti Lea Lark Scatered Ghost Run and the Mill River Sta ¬ bles Peace of Mind a daughter of Beau Pere PereA A A A AThreeyearolds Threeyearolds and older horses are expected to pro ¬ vide some of the thrilling races at the beautiful Elmont course Following Mondays Toboggan Handicap the 25000 Metropolitan Handicap at one mile will be run on May 22 and the 50000 Suburban at one and one quarter miles is scheduled for May 31 The 20000 Top Flight Handicap one and onesixteenth miles for fillies and mares threeyearsold and older is the feature event on June 9 while the 1500 Roseben Handicap for sprint ¬ ers among older horses will bring the meeting to a close on June 14 The Metropolitan and the Suburban are two of the most historic handicaps decided in this country and both have been won by famous horses down through the years The Metropolitan closed with 60 nominations and on the list are Gallorette who won in 1946 Stymie the 1947 winner Armed Faultless Fervent Endeavour n Harmonica Rippey Cosmic Bomb Double Jay Tide Rips and Phalanx Only 48 were named for the Suburban and all those we have mentioned for the Metropolitan are on the roster in addition to Rico Monte and Talon At the Jamaica meeting which closed today A T Sim ¬ mons Eternal World was the winner of the Youthful and the Remsen but this precocious colt will be given a sterner test at Belmont Park as many promising young ¬ sters will make their debut in the twoyearold stakes They are the Fashion fillies only four and a half fur ¬ longs May 18 the Juvenile at five furlongs May 29 the National Stallion five furlongs fillies only June 5 and the National Stallion colts only June 12 All of these events closed with more than 100 nominations For the National Stallion Stakes colt division 293 were named It is much too early to judge this division Late summer may point out the contenders for such races as the Saratoga Special Hopeful and the Futurities The most beautifully bred youngsters out of the yearling sales and also the homebreds have been named for these events There will be much interest in the colts and fillies by Count Fleet Whirlaway Bull Lea Mahmoud War Ad ¬ miral and many other fashionable stallions 444 444The The Toboggan Handicap and the Remsen Handicap which are sprints for older horses will be run over the Widener straight course So too will the four stakes for juveniles Belmont Park has always been a stout supporter of steeplechasing and there will be five events for the jumpers the most important being the 15000 Meadow Brook Steeplechase Handicap about two and a halfmiles June 10 There will also be a stake for hurdlers this being the 5000 Belmont National Maiden Hurdle on June 4 The first of these events will be the 1000 Inter ¬ national Steeplechase Handicap which at about two miles is scheduled to be run next Thursday One of the sights at Belmont will be the statue of Man o War in the walking ring in the padock close to the spot where the effigy of the illfated Phar Lap was placed under a tree after his remains had been set up by the Jonas Brothers before being sent to a museum in Australia
