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REFLECTIONS *y NELS0N dstan NEW YORK, N. Y„ May 3.— Jamaicas successful meeting will come to a close Thursday with the second running of the 5,000 Firenze Handicap and, on Friday, Belmont Park will open its 32-day meeting with the fifty-sixth running of the traditional Toboggan Handicap at six furlongs. Belmont should ex perience the large crowds that have attended at Jamaica for, during the meeting, there will be 21 stake events, including five steeplechases that will attract many of the best horses now in training in the East. Many improvements have been made at the beautiful Elmont course since last fall, and one that is certain to meet with the approval of the fans is the 1,800 new seats that have been installed atop the grandstand and, with them, a new unit of pari-mutuel machines which will do away with having to go downstairs and then up again with each succeeding race. From the grandstand, a spectator at Belmont has the best vantage point, and especially so for races which are run down the Widener straightaway. The Belmont officials plan to turn out a weekly folder of the happenings at their track and will also have booths strategically placed where post cards can be addressed and mailed by those who desire them. AAA Before this week is out, three of the stake events at Belmont will be written into the record books. For the Toboggan Handicap, Coaltown was assigned 140 pounds and My Request and Rippey are second on the list at 129. Coaltown will not start, nor again will My Request, who suffered a quarter-crack last week and will be on the sidelines for many months. But, as the race closed with 38 nominations and many of those on the list are in training, it would not be surprising if a good-sized group came out to oppose Rippey, winner of the Pau-monok on the opening day at Jamaica. On Saturday, which is Kentucky Derby Day, Belmont will offer the 5,000 Swift Stakes for three -year -olds at seven furlongs, and also the 0,000 Fashion Stakes for two-year-old fillies at four and a half furlongs down the Widener chute. While the top-notch three -year-olds will be in Beautiful Belmont Park Opens Friday Toboggan First of Twenty-One Stakes Many Fine Improvements at Delaware Thoroughbred Clubs to Defend Racing Louisville on that day, the Swift closed with 70 nominations, and on the list are many members of that division who stayed behind in New York but who should make a fine race of the Belmont event. Algasir is expected to start and he probably will be opposed by Stone Age, Reveille, Ennobled, Danherst, Parliament, Noble Impulse and Galloping Gus. AAA Andy Schuttinger had more than his share of bad luck when Blue Peter, the two-year-old champion of last year, was forced out of the Kentucky Derby and other spring events for three-year-olds. In a way, the veteran jockey, who is now a breeder in his own right in New Jersey, is realizing much pleasure from the accomplishments of his two-year-old, Ferd, who won the Youthful Stakes over seven opponents at Jamaica on Monday. Ferd is a chestnut colt by Lochinvar — Ouch, by Sting, and was bred by Mrs. Schuttinger, wife of the noted little trainer. It is unfortunate that Andy nominated his colt for only the Juvenile, which will be run at Belmont Park on May 18. This youngster appears to have all the earmarks of a good two-year-old, and this, despite the fact that he was only a head in front of Navy Chief in the Youthful. It is safe to say that Schuttinger will bring this youngster along carefully, and we daresay that within the next two months he will have Blue Peter ready for the many rich three-year-old races that are in the offing. Neither he, nor J. M. Roebling, want to hurry their War Admiral colt. AAA When Delaware Park opens on May 28, we will no longer be able to call it "the sporting little Wilmington course," for it has grown up as its new 240-foot extension to the grandstand, which now measures 795 feet and can seat 12,000 under cover, is now completed. Also in readiness is the 32 -foot addition to the clubhouse, which has increased mutuel facilities 45 per cent. Other new features will include a reserved seat section and earlier and more frequent train service to get patrons home promptly. With every confidence in racing and in their coming meeting, the Delaware officials have a total outlay in stakes money this year of 05,000, an increase of ,000 over the distribution for the same stake events a year ago. This increase is brought about by the track continuing its policy of annually adding ,500 to its two early closing stakes, the Delaware Oaks and the Leonard Richards Stakes. Although the jockeys at Delaware Park have quarters which are comparable with the finest to be found in America, this year a new "walk in" steam room has been built for them. There will be no dark Mondays at Delaware this year, for Governor Carvel recently signed legislation which extended the meeting two days, and this will do away with dark Mondays. AAA The National Association of Thoroughbred Clubs, of which the Tennesee breeder, J. W. Dennis, is president, is about to undertake a campaign to offset the adverse publicity that racing has been receiving in recent years. We know of no finer movement, for there have been stories in our national magazines during recent seasons which have shown all too clearly the ignorance and the viciousness of some oeople who seem to feel they are qualified to write on the subject of thoroughbred racing and breeding. We refer to such articles as "Let Them Eat Grass," which was written by a man who was occasionally sent to the race tracks as a substitute for the regular turf writer on his paper, but who actually knew nothing about his subject. This writer has not yet heard how the National Association of Thoroughbred Clubs plan their campaign, but, thank goodness, we have one organization in racing who has the courage to speak their mind when such articles as the one we referred to above, appear in our newspapers and magazines. Racing has its faults and can stand constructive criticism, but it should also defend itself when misleading stories are passed on by editors who are more concerned with sales than they are with the truth about a great sport.
