view raw text
REFLECTIONS I By Nelson Dunstan Delaware Park Opens Meeting on Saturday Fifteen Stake Events to Be Contested Steeplechase Sport Gains in Popularity Most Important BelmontStakes to Come ComeNEW NEW YORK N Y May 25 25One One of the major items of this week is the Saturday open ¬ ing of Delaware Park for thirty days of top quality racing This Wilmington track with Donald P Ross as its president and Bryan Field vice president and general manager has been the scene of high class sport on the flat and through the lield since its first meeting in 1937 While there are no 50000 stakes the purse money represents a large per diem outlay with a minimum of 2500 and a liberal number of overnight races up to 5000 Many of the most noted stables of the East will be bedded down at the track to compete for the 100000 that will be distributed in the 15 added money events 10 of which will be flat stakes and the other five steeplechases The popu ¬ larity of Delaware Park is attested by the record breaking num ¬ ber of 1112 horses that have been nominated for the stakes at one of the most attractive race courses to be found in this country It is popular too with the men in the backstretch for the management has disregarded expense in making for the welfare of the jockeys and stable hands and also in the build ¬ ing of a recreation center which has few counterparts at Ameri ¬ can tracks Of the stakes the three richest are the 25000 Kent for threeyearolds one mile and a sixteenth on June 12 New Castle Handicap fillies and mares threeyearolds and older one mile and a sixteenth June 19 and the 25000 Sussex Handicap threeyearolds and older horses one mile a quarter July 3 Besides the Kent threeyear olds will have another opportunity on July 26 in the 17500 Leonard Richards Stakes which will be at a mile and a furlong Although Coaltown is one of the trio of threeyearolds which the Calumet Farm has named for the Kent it is doubtful that the stable will have a starter in this race as the Wright contingent usually moves on to Arlington Park following the Belmont meeting While Coaltown would be a great drawing card his absence will give an opportunity to Mount Marcy Vulcans Forge Gasparilla Macbeth Better Self Salmagundi and other threeyearolds to fight it out for the major portion of the purse Virtually the same horses have been named for the Leonard Richards Stakes but to the list must be added Citation the winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness PreaknessDelaware Delaware Park has always been a stout supporter of steeple chasing and the first of these throughthefield races will be the 10000 Tom Roby Steeplechase Stakes for fouryearolds and older jumpers at about two miles The Tom Roby was in ¬ augurated in honor of the jockey who was injured at Belmont Park some five years ago and who is still bedridden Scheduling the Tom Roby on June 15 the Delaware officials defer to the chase program at Belmont Park where the meeting closes on June 14 Judging by the reaction at Belmont thus far this year it is our opinion that the cross country sport is gaining in popularity The International Steeplechase Handicap which was run at Belmont last Thursday drew more than 25000 people to the course It was won by Mrs Dodge Sloans seven yearold campaigner Fleettown He is also an eligible for the Charles L Appleton steeplechase which will be run at Belmont Park tomorrow After the Meadow Brook Steeplechase Handi ¬ cap at Belmont on June 10 many of the best jumpers will move down to Delaware for the five jumping events that will be con ¬ tested there thereWith With the running of the Withers and the Juvenile on Saturday racing at Belmont passes the halfway mark and the most important stakes still are to be run The threeyearold situation is now such that it is difficult to say what horses will come out to oppose Coaltown On Saturday the 50000 Jersey Stakes will be run in opposi ¬ tion to the Withers in New York The following Saturday the 50000 Yankee Handicap will be run at one and one quarter miles at Suffolk Downs and there is a possibility that the Jones boys will send Citation to compete in that event for Calumet did not nominate either Coaltown or Citation for the 15000 Peter Pan Handicap which at one mile and a furlong will also be run on June 5 One thing certain is that Citation will start in the 100000 Belmont which will be the feature event at Belmont on June 12 With the Kentucky Derby and Preakness already to his credit it is natural that he will be sent out for the third and last leg of the Triple Crown On this day Delaware Park will stage the Kent Although Coaltown is eligible there is a question as we said above whether he will be sent to Wilmington for the race raceMemorial Memorial Day which will be celebrated next Monday is always a red letter day on the American turf and at Belmont Delaware Park Garden State Park Suffolk Downs Lincoln Fields and Hollywood they will stage stake events in keeping with the holiday With 50000 added the Suburban is likely to draw a good sized field as 48 older performers have been named for the race Last year King Ranchs Assault was the winner over Natchez and Talon running the one and one quarter miles in 201 With Assault now retired the race shapes up as a splendid contest as Faultless Fervent Gallorette Endeavour II Rico Monte Cosmic Bomb Stymie Talon Phalanx and others are among the possible starters John B Campbell will release the weights for this event today Fol ¬ lowing the Suburban the 50000 Coaching Club American Oaks will be run on June 2 at a mile and three furlongs and besides Bewitch and Whirl Some many of the best threeyearold fillies in training are eligible
