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Eleven Milers in Assault Handicap Grover B. Carries Top Weight of 118 Morgan Gelding Impressed in Last Outing; Old Ironsides And Sky Ship Seen Threats By BOB HORWOOD Staff Correspondent BELMONT PARK, Elmont, L. I. N. Y., May 19. — The 0,000 Assault Handicap, an overnight event for sophomores at one mile, is the feature attraction at Belmont Park tomorrow. Eleven have been named for this race, which is named for the King Ranchs Assault, "Triple Crown" winner of 1946 and handicap champion the following year when he won the Suburban with 130 and Butler with 135 pounds, among other fixtures. T. P. Morgans Grover B„ a" gelded son of Blue Swords, is topweight in the Assault, with a package of 118 pounds, which we earned by running the fastest mile and a sixteenth of the current meeting last week. Two of Grover B.s rivals tomorrow, J. M. Roeblings Old Ironsides and C. V. Whitneys Cold Command, finished behind him in that sizzling 1:43, test. They benefit by weight shifts of six and eight pounds, respectively. Two Are in 00,000 Belmont Grover B. has no stake engagements, but Old Ironsides and Cold Command are eligible to the 00,000 Belmont, third tier of the "Triple Crown," to be run at a mile and a half on June 7. Brookmeade Stables Sky Ship, 116: Apheim Stables Quiet Step, 111; CoL Isidor Biebers King Jolie, 108, and Ogden Phipps Ancestor, 105, are also eligible to the Classic Belmont. Tomorrows field is completed by Char-fran Stables Blenomar, 112; Cain Hoy Stables Top Bet, 109; King Ranchs Sufie, the only filly in the field, 108, and Mrs. M. F. Drinkhouses Air Service, 105. Grover B. was ridden by Eddie Arcaro when he ran down Old Ironsides to score by three and a half lengths last Thursday, but no rider has yet been assigned for tomorrow. Cold Command and Old Ironsides are also without pilots as yet, but Gerald Porch will probably be on the Whitney colt, who was making his first start since his obscure race in the Kentucky Derby, which followed some sparkling efforts at Keeneland. Old Ironside set a torrid pace on Thursday and had little left at the finish. He had also raced with the pace in his previous start and stopped badly in a test won easily by One Count from Brechin and Grover B. It is possible that different tactics will be employed tomorrow. Incidentally, both Cold Command and Old Ironside have engagements in the 0,000 Peter Pan Handicap at a mile and a furlong on May 31. Sky Ship Improving Sort Sky Ship appears to be a steadily improving sophomore, who first flashed to fame of a sort by winning the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park. He followed that race with a respectable third behind Blue Man and Master Fiddle in the Experimental Handicap No. 2, then turned in a dull effort in the Wood Memorial. The black son of Teddys Comet came back to score rather impressively in the second division of the Swift Stakes at seven furlongs. Dave Gorman will again be. in the saddle. Blenomar, King Jolie and Air Service won their last starts here. Blenomar scored cleverly at tomorrows distance with King Jolie almost three iengths away in third place. The latter came back to win a sprint on Friday. Air Service, who will be ridden by Conn McCreary, won a test at a mile and a sixteenth on May 3, with Blenomar finishing fourth. Ancestor finished behind King Jolie in that colts sprint triumph. Top Bet andQuiet Step finished fourth and sixth, respectively, in the Withers Mile last out, soundly beaten by Armegeddon. Top Bet, whose best previous race was a third in Blue Mans division of the Flamingo, from which he was disqualified, finished very fast in the Withers, which was won by a stablemate, while Quiet Step trned in a dull race. The Assault is preceded by an allowance race for juveniles which includes such potential stakes youngsters as Centime, Count Trim, Pomposity and Sugarfoot, while the third event brings together half a dozen of the better steeplechasers in the Manding-ham. Clive of India, Acefull, Cicas and Ocean Front appear well matched here.
