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REFLECTIONS By Nelson Dunstan John B Campbell Still Rates Armed Highly HighlyGives Gives Calumet Gelding 130 in Metropolitan White Lady Lives Up to Her Royal Pedigree PedigreeFond Fond Embrace Surprise Winner of Fashion NEW YORK N Y May 19 19John John B Campbell the veteran racing secretary of the New York tracks is still of the opinion that Armed is the champion handicap performer in this country and he stressed that poirit once again when he placed the Calumet gelding at the top of his Metropolitan Handi ¬ cap ratings with 130 pounds Armed will not be a starter but there is a possibility that his stablemate Fervent who is second on the list at 128 will go to the post Follow ¬ ing that pair Cosmic Bomb and Stymie are in at 126 Phalanx 125 Rippey 124 Double Jay 123 Endeavour II and Faultless 122 and then Gallorette the queen of her sex at 118 Just how the field will eventually shape is a question at this writing but yesterday Hirsch Jacobs told us that Stymie would be a starter and we have an idea that William Helis will send Rippey the Toboggan winner to the post There are many horses farther down on the list who will be watched keenly and just one of these is the recently imported filly Imprudence who was the winner of the Epsom Oaks last season and is regarded as one of the best of her sex brought to these shores in recent years This should be a whale of a horse race for some of the best milers in the land will be out to seek the long end of the purse purseC C V Whitney started a threeyearold maiden filly in the fourth race at Belmont yesterday and the manner in which she won her debut justified her imposing pedigree She is a gray filly despite her name and is by Mahmoud out of Top Flight by Dis Done and they were not far wrong in calling her White Lady for she is very close to white in color Top Flight was one of the best two year old fillies seen in this country during the past quarter century and you remember the excitement that followed the appearance of her first foal a colt named Sky Raider If we recall correctly it was Frank Ortell turf editor of the WorldTelegram in New York who staged a campaign that finally resulted in the naming of Sky Raider While White Lady was impressive in winning yesterday a better line will be obtained on her in either the Acorn Stakes on May 21 or the Coaching Club American Oaks which will be run on June Z and in which this Whitney miss may be asked to meet the likes of Bewitch Whirl Some Scat ¬ tered Vashti and other threeyearold fillies who have demonstrated they are above average averageThis This year the National Stallion Stakes will be run in two divisions one for fillies and the other for colts Yesterday at Belmont Frank Frankel whose Flashco was the surprise winner of the Maturity at Santa Anita uncorked another surprise in the filly Fond Embrace who won the Fashion Stakes from Our Fleet and Eternal Flag over a slow track Fond Embrace is a daughter of Haltal and she cost just 6200 as a yearling at Keeneland In this one race she won 10350 but it may be that she will go on to earn many times her purchase price A better line on her will be forthcoming should she start in the filly division of the National Stallion that is due to be run on Saturday June 5 In the Fashion she won fr6m some good fillies including Acoma Piping By Gay Mood and Plunder It is too early of course to judge the twoyearolds but it will probably develop that by the time the National Stallion rolls around some of the top fillies will be showing the stuff of which theyare made In fact the National Stallion shapes up as a race that will attract many of the promising members of the weaker sex sexThe The Belmont paddock is the best place to meet up with the trainers and in recent days we have been talking with quite a few of them regarding the twoyearolds in their charge Jimmy Smith the Maine Cl nee Farm condi ¬ tioner is placing much of his faith in the twoyearolds and while he is very conservative there is no doubt that he is well pleased with Mr Busher the full brother to Busher for whom Mrs Elizabeth Graham paid 50000 a worlds record for a weanling He is coming along fine Smith said and while he is an eligible for the National Stallion Stakes on June 12 1 do not want to rush him I can make no claim that he will be a stake winner but I do think that he will pay back a good part of his purchase price when he gets to the races Jimmy Jones the Calumet trainer has a large group of twoyearolds in his charge but the one he talks most about is Good Ending a bay colt by Bull Lea out of Dustwhirl thus a halfbrother to Whirlaway These are but two of the 293 yearlings that were originally nominated for the National Stallion Stakes Another certain to draw his share of attention is Spotted Bull a bay colt by Bull Dog but of Spotted Beauty and for whom the Jaclyn Stable paid 4500LWhen 4500L When it was first announced that nine threeyearolds would oppose Coaltown in the Swift Stakes there was considerable surprise around Belmont Park It was at first thought that trainers wanted no part of this speed horse in a sevenfurlong race any more than they wanted their charges to be sent against Citation Ever since the running of the Preakness there has been speculation as to how many would oppose the Derby and Preakness winner in the Belmont Stakes There is also specu ¬ lation as to whether the Belmont like the Derby and Preakness will be limited to straight wagering only That of course depends entirely on the number of starters The rules of the New York State Racing Commission require acrosstheboard betting in races in which five or more separate entries start win and place in races having fout separate entries and win betting only in races having two or three separate entries
