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P Connors Corner By "CHUCK" CONNORS Chief of Chart Correspondents BELMONT PARK, Elmont, L. I., N. Y., May 25. — Some of the boys and girls of the racing set were huddled under the . protecting apron yes- P | terday terday away away from from the the | terday terday away away from from the the winds and their talk was of horses and racing. The Withers, Belmont and Suburban were their chief topics and while the three-year-old situation was gone into at great length, the Suburban was by no means neglected. This mile and one-quarter one-quarter event event for for one-quarter one-quarter event event for for three-year-olds and over was, back in the days of the Gay Nineties and following the turn of the century, one of the glamour "races of the country. In recent years, the lustre that was tarnished, following the passage of the Hughes law, is beginning to glisten again and horsemen and jockeys today look forward to this stake offering with added interest. The Suburban was first run in 1884 at Sheepshead Bay and the winner was E. J. McElmeels Gen. Monroe with W. Donoghue in the saddle besting 19 others to earn ,945. The Ran-cocas Stable, of Pierre Lorrilard, won the second running with the four-year-old. Pontiac. The race was transferred to Belmont Park, when racing was revived in New York in 1913 and Harry Payne Whitneys Whisk Broom II., ridden by Joe Not-ter, was the winner. This race brought about more controversy than any other run in the country for the winners time for the mile and one-quarter was displayed as 2 : 00 flat. In later years it developed more horsemen, racing: followers and others timed Whisk Broown II.s race slower than the official timer Faretto, than could be accommodated at the track. The fact that Whisk Broom II. carried 139 pounds to beat Lahore and Meridian was seldom mentioned when the race was rehearsed. This burden has not been threatened by any other starter, although Devil Diver in his successful year carried 132. The Greentree colt, with Eddie Arcaro in the saddle, led home Stymie with 119 and the lightweight Olympic Zenith. The next year Armed, from Calumet Farm, was the winner with 130 over Reply Paid and Stymie. Assault, from the King Ranch as a four-year-old, shouldered 130 and proved the winner in 1947. Three-year-olds have proved successful in the race, although the last of that age to win was Glen Riddles Crusader in 1926. This years renewal closed with 47 nominations and when Jack Campbells weights are digested over the week-end the controversy will be fired again, but with less vehemence for Noor stepped the mile and one-quarter distance at Golden Gate Fields out California way in 1:58%, somewhat faster than the disputed time of Whisk Broom II., who Joe Notter said had an immense reserve of speed ready to be tapped when the occasion arose, Mrs. Lutza Smith, wife of the major domo of Rockingham Park, has forwarded the new brochure of the Crippled Childrens Non-Sectarian Fund of New Hampshire. Her efforts on behalf of this fund have been untiring and on a recent visit, to Kennedy Memorial Hospital, she was accompanied by her husband and Dave Wilson. She brought over to the 125 -orphans a goodly supply of cookies, ice cream .and two radios. She spent the better of the day at the institution and before leaving the sister superior expressed for herself and her associates heartfelt thanks for the help extended by Mrs. Smith and her associates. . .Barney Gimbel, of the famous New York store, braved the elements and witnessed the running of the Thursdays program. . .Trainer Jim Fitzsinlmons was among the absentees. The veteran came up with a lame knee and decided that the kitchen at Aqueduct would be more suitable for the afternoon. . .Trainer F. A. Bonsai shipped Jack the Great back to Garden State and his Withers starting was eliminated. . .Trainer Oscar Whyte reported that Walter M. Jeffords Yildiz is galloping steadily but that his Belmont status remains in doubt. Those old lines from Shakespeares Richard III that run something about a nail being lost a shoe was lost, a shoe being lost a horse was lost, etc., applied at Belmont during the running of the Acorn. Herman Delman spends his non-racing hours in the making of those petit things that women call shoes. He has a whole factory full of them. Wednesday his good filly How lost a shoe during the running of her race, and "me with a Continued on Page Thirty-Seven | . Connors Corner Continued from Page Five «whole raft of them" was his comment . . . Ted Husing, the aircaster, was a press box visitor during the afternoon. The commercialism surrounding the name of the Acorn winner Kiss Me Kate was solved easily by owner Walter Jeffords. He had claimed the name for the filly long before the theatrical production was opened on Broadway. .A note on the sires of the two Acorn winners, Count Fleet and Blue Swords. They were competitors during their three-year-old year with A. T. Simmons horse known as the shadow to Mrs. John Hertz "Triple Crown" winner. . .Jockey Warren Mehrtens will ride Kiss Me Kate in the Coaching Club AmericanOaks . . .Harry LaMontagne was an early arrival this morning and witnessed his Steel Blue school over a few fences. . .Trainer Willie Post reported that the two-year-olds in his menage, recovered from coughing, are back in training and would be ready for racing in another 10 days or two weeks. . .Trainer Jim Ryan will ship a draft of horses to Delaware Park for that meeting. . .Night prowlers found the hard way to break in a parked association station wagon at Belmont Park during the night. They removed the door from its hinges but found nothing . . .In case you are interested the ropes used to form the passage lane past the clubhouse entrance from the saddling paddock are from the Australian barrier that was imported by the late Joe E. Widener a decade back. The gate from Down Under did not prove popular with the jockeys arid was discarded after a few trials. . .Jockey Jim- my Nichols left for the Woodbine to ride in the Kings Plate and from that point will journey to Delaware for several engagements. The selections: ALL IS WELL in the third, BATTLEFIELD in the sixth and CIRCLED in the etehth. J -1
