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R E F LECTIONS *y NELS0N wnstan NEW YORK, N. Y., June 18.— With Arlington and Monmouth Parks now in the picture, the next major shift comes with the switch from Belmont to Aqueduct on Friday. Before that takes place, however, two important races for fillies and mares are to be contested, the mid-week, feature at Belmont, the Top Flight Handicap, at one and one-sixteenth miles, and the same day the Cleopatra Stakes at six furlongs, the Arlington Park headliner". A. G. Vanderbilts Next Move, champion filly of the three-year-old ranks last year, has been assigned top weight of 126 pounds for the Top Flight, but now just rounding to form, she probably will await later races. Ogden Phipps* Busanda, surprise winner of the Suburban Handicap three weeks ago will be asked to carry 120 pounds and concede weight to opponents who now are as sharp as human hands can make them. Busanda is in her best form. In the Suburban, although she carries only 102 pounds, she defeated 10 of the best older horses campaigning in the East. There is a possibility that Herman Delmans How, winner of the Coaching Club American Oaks, and W. M. Jeffords Kiss Me Kate, winner of the Delaware Oaks, will be among those to oppose Busanda. In the Coaching Club, How won by four lengths from Kiss Me Kate and on the week end the Jeffords miss was a winner by" four lengths over Signal. For the Top Flight, How is assigned 113 pounds, where Kiss Me Kate is in with 110. w. AAA Racing in July may go far in pointing out those who have more than a slight claim to the various champion-_ ships. At the moment How is clearly entitled to the ~ three-year-old filly crown and, in winning the Belmont, Top Flight, Cleopatra Attract Top Fillies Counterpoint, How Have Championship Claims Important July Races May Change Picture Handicap Ranks Have Innings Next Month Counterpoint has a claim to the honors as the champion of the colts. Although Primate won the Juvenile Stakes from Jet Master, the latter came back so impressively to turn the tables in the National Stallion Stakes he must be regarded* as the top of his group even though the youngsters have the longer distances ahead of them. Returning to the three-year-olds, the status of Uncle Miltie, Bold, and, in the West, Roughn Tumble, to mention just three, have yet to be determined. As in the case of Hill Prince last year, some colt could come on late to lift the championship. Had a vote been taken after the running of the • Belmont of -1950, Middlegrbund undoubtedly would have had a wide margin over Hill Prince and the others. At Delaware Park this Saturday, the Kent Stakes will be run and Monmouth will offer the Select Handicap. They are exclusively for three-year-olds. A week later, Hollywood Park will stage the Westerner, and the same dayAqueduct will offer the Shevlin Stakes, both of which also are for the sophomores. In July, Aqueduct has the 0~,d00 Dwyer Stakes, and the 0,000 Arlington Classic will be run in the Midwest. . Both races will have a direct bearing on the championship. AAA While the three-year-olds have~been beating one another consistently they have actually come closer to asserting their form that the members of the handicap ranks, which as a group does not appear to be up to the quality of former seasons. On the coming week-end, the Equipoise Mile at Arlington, the Inglewood Handicap at Hollywood and the Queens County Handicap at Aqueduct may bring some clarification of the present situation. If not, the month of July should surely offer some solution as the 05000 American Handicap at Hollywood, the 00,000 Hollywood Gold Cup, the 0,000 Brooklyn Handicap, the 5,000 Questionnaire Handicap, the 5,000 Monmouth Handicap and the 00,000 Arlington Handicap are certain to bring forth the best older performers from coast to coast. Greek Ship was a three-year-old who was something of a giant killer a year ago and will be interesting now to see how the members of the sophomore ranks fare when they oppose older liorses as the season progresses. There are some who contend the filly How can hold her own against three-year-old colts. As the older division shapes up this year, there is a question of how Next Move, Businda_and other fillies will measure up when meeting those of the opposite sex. AAA Just before he planed east to attend a Thoroughbred Racing Associations meeting, and also witness the Belmont Stakes, Fred Purner, publicity director at Santa Anita, wrote us, "The Belmont Stakes holds more than the usual interest in southern California because some of the starters are among the eligibles for the next running of the Santa Anita Maturity, which is now the worlds richest race, and which has been tentatively set for February 2. The net-to-winner of the Maturity .last winter was more than 44,000. There were also four nominator awards of ,000, ,000, ,000 and ,000, respectively, for the one-two-three-four horses of finish, and this goes Continued on Page Forty-Four . REFLECTIONS 1 By NELSON DUNSTAN Continued from Page Forty-Eight for the ,supplementaries, as well "as the original nominations. This, by the way, will be the last year when supplementary conditions of this outstanding fixture for four-year-olds will be accepted. A supplementary nomination at 0,000 may be made five days before the race is run. The list of the current three-year-olds for the -Maturity has not been released, but I checked the records and found that C. V. Whitneys Counterpoint and also the Brookmeade Stables Bold, hero of the Preakness, are among the eligibles. I regret to Report, however, that I could not find the name of Count Turf, who was conceived out here, but foaled in Kentucky. We" are- all hoping that Jack Amiel will make him a supplementary entry. .AAA Purners letter continues, "Every one at Santa Anita is enthusiastic about prospects for the coming fifteenth season of winter racing. The added money stakes and set daily purses will give horsemen a definite assurance of what they will have to shoot at. Carleton: Burke, after conferring with racing secretary Webb Everett and in letters to Jimmy Kilroe in New York, has worked the new better purses for better horses program into final form. It will be submitted to the California Horse Racing Board for approval. Nothing but favorable comment and congratulations have been received from horsemen on the information already announced. Increasing the number of stakes from 12 to 29 is going *to mean more added money than ever before, and will effect a wider distribution. Dr. Charles Strub has revealed that the three hundred-granders — Santa Anita Handicap, Maturity and Derby — as well as two of the old 0,000 fixtures, will be retained. Then, there will be seven stakes at 5,000, seven- at 0,000, and 10 at 5,000. The daily purse program calls for one ,500 overnight feature, one purse of ,000, one of ,000, two of ,500. one at ,000, and two of ,500."
