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REFLECTIONS I By Nelson Dunstan Racing Officials Minus Pool Conscious Coaltown and Citation Out of Yankee Mahmoud Colts Giant Killers1 on WeekEnd No Calumet Colorbearers in CCA Oaks NEW YORK N Y May 31 31Citation Citation has accomplished quite a few things this season and in the doing has made our racing commissions and associations minus cool conscious When Col Matt Winn announced there would be only a win pool for i Derby running there were many indignant letters to this writer from all over the coun ¬ try Then the Maryland solons decided on a win pool only for the Preakness and on Fri ¬ day the New Jersey Racing Commission passed a resolution authorizing straight wa ¬ gering only for the Jersey Stakes On Satur ¬ day afternoon the New York State Racing Commission amended its ruling enabling the racing associations in the Empire State to determine themselves what pool should be provided in stakes They stressed the point that these pools are largely caused by proiessionai the favorite to place or show with the prospect of earning five cents on each dollar bet in each of the win place and show pQols This writer has not joined in the anvil chorus of calling the race track owners greedy for the simple reason that he realized from the start that the average player at a race track is not interested in winning five or ten cents for every dollar played and that he was little concerned with the type of player who could afford to wager large sums simply to win nickels or dimes On the weekend Jimmy Jones the Calumet trainer was in something of a quandary concerning the 50000 Yankee Handicap at Suffolk Downs this Saturday For some days it had been reported that Coaltown would be sent to the Boston track but finally Jones decided to pass up the race not only for that colt but also for his more illustrious stablemate Citation He figures the distance too much for Coaltown and he does not wish to take any chances with Citation so close to the Belmont Stakes and probable Triple Crown victory Jones is of the opinion that Citation is still improving and will be even a better horse in the fall than he is at present He is broadening out across the back and is still develop ¬ ing his already well developed muscles But it is very diffi ¬ cult to make any plans ahead although after the Belmont Stakes it seems fairly certain that we will point him for the 50000 Dwyer at Aqueduct on July 5 and then both the Arlington Classic and the American Derby in Chicago We have no immediate plans for Coaltown but will decide early this week as to his next start startColts Colts by Mahmoud were giant killers on the weekend for besides Vulcans Forge defeating Coaltown in the Withers George D Wideners twoyearold Marabout scored an upset by defeat ¬ ing the oddson choice Eternal World in the Juvenile Stakes down the Widener chute Then up in New England Quarter Pole another colt by Mahmoud scored over the heavily played Brookmeade entry of Splash and Inseparable in the Constitution Handicap a forerunner to the 50000 Yankee Handicap which will be contested this weekend Speculation another by Mahmoud won the Will Rogers Handicap at Hollywood Park While Sir Gallahad HI and Bull Dog are the two most famous brothers ever brought to our shores Blenheim n and Mahmoud are about as brilliani a father and son combination as we have ever had in this country Blenheim n led the list of leading American sires in 1941 while Mahmoud was at the top of the list in 1946 Last year Mahmoud was sixth on the list that was led by Bull Lea and while the latter is far out in front in this years reckonings to date it seems safe to say that Mahmoud will be well up on the list again Both Vulcans Forge and Quarter Pole are eligible lor the Belmont Stakes along with Mount Marcy All three of these colts are by MahmouS MahmouSWednesdays Wednesdays feature at Belmont will be the 50000 Coaching Club American Oaks for three year old fillies at a mile and three furlongs Although Calumet had Be ¬ witch Whirl Some Whirling Girl and Yesme as eligibles none of them will be starters Bewitch was a winner this year but she is not herself and plans are not to start her before the Arlington Park meeting To date there has been no standout among the threeyearold fillies in fact they have been a fairly inconsistent group While White Lady a daughter of Mahmoud from the barn of C V Whitney is one of the six eligibles from that stable there is a question as just which one will be in the lineup if any George D Wideners Watennill who won the Acorn Stakes over seven opponents last Tuesday seems a certain starter and so does the King Ranchs Scattered who won the Pimlico Oaks but could do no better than fifth in the Acorn An ¬ other probability is Fred L Flanders Challe Anne who was a winner of the Kentucky Oaks but who was defeated by Conniver in a one and one eighth mile race at Belmont Park last Friday Regardless of who answers the bugle the Coaching Club is going to lack the class of the fields of former years yearsA A threeyearold event which has all the earmarks of a horse race is the 15000 Peter Pan Handicap which at a mile and a furlong will be the feature event at Belmont on the weekend Neither Citation nor Coaltown are eligibles and that leaves a field which will probably be headed by Vulcans Forge who de ¬ feated Coaltown in the Withers There are ever so many three yearolds who will welcome an event in which Citation will be an absentee and it will be something of a change to see a three yearold race in which the finish is not a foregone conclusion before the start Besides Vulcans Forge those named for the Peter Pan include Mount Marcy Loser Weeper Hypnos Escadru Faraway Kilroy Big Dial Salmagundi Macbeth Gasparilla and still others Among the others is Whirling Fox a highly regarded maiden of the threeyearold ranks This colt from the Belair barn has finished second on three occasions this season but in his last start on Saturday ran third to Stunts and Page Boots The question today is are the threeyearolds a mediocre lot or does Citation make them look that way
