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New York Scene Shifts to Belmont GEORGE D. Wl DEN ER— President of the Westchester Racing Association, which inaugurates a 34-day meeting at its beautiful Belmont Park course today. Fourteen Speedsters Entered InToboggan on Opening Card Ferd Takes Up 126 Pounds ] While Meeting Tea-Maker, Sheilas Reward and Jumbo BELMONT PARK, Elmont, L. I., N. Y., May 12. — "Beautiful Belmont" throws open its historic wrought-iron gates Monday for its 44th spring meeting, with 21 stakes, including six for the jumping set, to be decided before the brilliant session closes on June 20. "Brilliant" is one of the most overworked adjectives in the English language, ranking with "beautiful" in that respect, but both words apply to the Westchester Racing Association track and its brand of thoroughbred racing. The highlights of the Belmont meeting, which opens with the 0,000 Toboggan Handicap at six furlongs on the straight course, are the 0,000 Suburban Handicap, traditionally run on Memorial Day, and the 00,000 Belmont Stakes, which brings the session to a close. The Suburban, at a mile and a quarter, is generally regarded as the most significant, if not the richest, handicap run on the North American turf, while the mile and one-half Belmont is the top tier of the "Triple Crown" and more often than not, points out the sophomore champion. Of only slightly less interest than the Suburban and Belmont are the 0,000 Metropolitan and the 5,000 Withers, an- ► , nually two of the best mile races in the country; the 0,000 Coaching Club American Oaks, definite test for three-year-old fillies at a mile arid three furlongs, and the colt and filly divisions of the National Stallion Stakes for two-year-olds. The Steeplechase program is climaxed with the 0,000 Meadow Brook Steeplechase Handicap at about two and a half miles on June 14. Fourteen of the swiftest sprinters in training have been named for the Toboggan, somewhat surprisingly headed by Mrs. Andy Schuttingers Ferd, who set a Garden State Park record for a mile and a sixteenth in his last start and finished a close second to Cochise in the Grey Lag Handicap at a mile and a furlong at Jamaica before that. The son of Lochinvar, who won the six-furlong Paumonok Handicap on opening day at Jamaica, has 126 pounds to carry and has drawn the unfavorable No. 1 post position. For the past few seasons, at least, the outside post position has been a distinct advantage in races down the invisible Widener straightaway. However, in his present form, Ferd will undoubtedly have a strong following, though no rider has been assigned as yet. F. Ambrose Clarks Tea-Maker and Mrs. Louis Lazares Sheilas Reward are next to Ferd in the Toboggan weights with 123 and 122, respectively. Tea-Maker was disqualified after winning a sprint at Jamaica last week. The veteran wore a run-out bit, which was evidently too effective, as it caused him to bear in sharply in the stretch. Sheilas Reward, who was voted "Sprinter of the Year" in 1950, finished behind Tea-Maker in that dash. Eddie lArcaro will ride Sheilas Reward, who has drawn No. 3 stall in the gate, while Warren Mehrtens will guide Tea-Maker, who will break out of No. 11. Casemate Has 119 Up Two other highweights who rate serious consideration are James Cox Bradys Casemate, 119, and Mrs. Jan Burkes Magic Words, 118. Casemate finished second, close behind Ferd after setting the pace, in the Paumonok, then was carried wide and knocked out of contention by Singing Step in his next start at Jamaica in April. The Case Ace four-year-old broke his maiden as a juvenile on the Belmont straight course. Magic Words was the chief victim of Tea-Makers failure to keep a straight course at Jamaica and had won his previous start. Dave Gorman will ride Casemate, who has a bad post position, while Eric Guerin will be on Magic Words, who breaks from the extreme outside. The others in the Toboggan field are the E. P. Taylor-Elmcrest Farm entry of Bull Page, 105 and Navy Chief, 108; Spring Hill Farms Nell K., 113; Llangollen Farms Singing Step and Woolford Farms Delegate, 111 each; Brookmeade Stables War King, Belair Studs Hyphasis and Hal Price Headleys Jumbo, 110 apiece, and E. Barry Ryans Big Story, 106. Nell K. was last seen in the Firenze Handicap at a mile and a furlong at Jamaica, and bore out badly in the stretch, interfering with the favored Next Move. She is more siuted by the six furlongs of the Toboggan, in which she finished third behind Piet and Olympia last year. Delegate has shown a liking for the straight course in past years, but has not shown much liking for any course this year, though he has trained splendidly for this race.
