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— — — . — — — Photo From Oil Painting by Richard Stone Reeves. At a luncheon in the Turf and Field Club enclosure at Belmont Park today, J. Samuel Perlman, publisher of this newspaper, will present to Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney an oil painting of Counterpoint hy Richard Stone Reeves. The portrait symbolizes Counterpoints designation as the 1951 Horse of the Year in the annugl poll conducted by Triangle Publications, Inc. Count Trim Decidedly Best in Colin Supplementing artist Richard Stone Reeves portrayal of Counterpoint on canvas, a word picture of the colt, as written by Charles Hatton, columnist of this newspaper, and published in The American Racing Manual, is offered below. Reeves and Hatton bring Counterpoint to life. Between them, in oil and printers ink, they present Counterpoint in a light that is all-revealing. Here is Hatton s graphic description of the 1951 Horse of the Year: Counterpoint, individually, is unimpressive. He must be seen in action to be appreciated. He is 15.3, hardly weighs 1,000 pounds in racing fettle, and what muscular equipment there is about his sparse frame is long and lean. Veitch Trainer Sylvester Veitch estimates that "he hardly measures 18 inches across the hips." His barrel was rather thin. But it was clear he has a big heart, and his trainer says: "His pure action enables him to run on tirelessly under big weights. When he breezes or runs toward you, he tracks perfectly true, without any trace of lost motion." Counterpoint looks delicate. This is deceptive. He is a light golden chestnut, fading out about the points, and with some almost white -hair in his tail and mane. His only mark is a small star and connected stripe, or "lanter*" extending to a point just above his muzzle. His head is not unattractive, being lean, bony and of almost a cameo quality, with a fine muzzle and pricked ears. He has a mild, intelligent eye and a broad forehead, along with the quiet disposition one associates with these physical characteristics. He has good rein-length and, though his neck is not crested, it is carried well and runs smoothly into thin sloping withers. He is a closely coupled horse, appearing a trifle taller than long. The shoulder is of medium length and at the oblique angle affording freedom of action the scapula sheathed in flat, rather than bulging muscles. The forearm is long and not heavily muscled. He is just a trifle over at the knee, has short, flat cannons, clean ankles and pasterns of medium length set at the correct angle. His hoofs are of a light, color, may be thinner than is usual, and certainly are smaller, as he wears a size 3 plate. If Counterpoints barrel is neither as round nor deep as the connoisseurs might wish, he does not have a light, weak flank, and is a reasonably good dooer, though he does not make- weight rapidly. Counterpoint has the hind quarters of the distance runner, with no pronounced muscling about the stifle and gaskin,a a tail set high, a flat croup and a fine, straight hind leg of the sort for galloping big distances. Examining him, one thinks of the ancient advice to pick "a lean horse for a long race." Counterpoints action is a study, as he has a long, bold, elastic way of going, seeming scarcely to get off the ground. He is the last to flounder in close quarters or tire from exertions. And it seems probable, as his trainer suggests, that the precision of his racing stroke accounts for much of his excellence. The Horse of the Year is not unlike his sire, Count Fleet, in that the latter also was rather clipper-rigged in training. However, Count Fleet had a precipitous, pell-mell manner of going. Counterpoint is more deliberate. Nor does he have any of Jabots headstrong behavior. He is quiet and controlled at all times, swinging along like -a pony oh the track in the morning, perfectly composed in the paddock and on parade, and cheerfully responding as best he can to riding orders, in his duels with Hill Prince he revealed a mine of courage. Romping Repeater At Belmont Park Mac Donalds Juvenile Son Of Count Fleet Potential Leader of Colts in East BELMONT PARK, Elmont, L. I., N. Y.. June 5. — W. B. MacDonald, Jr.s, Count Trim stamped himself a potential leader of the younger generation when he skipped down five furlongs of the Widener straight course in :56% to win the featured Colin Purse with his ears pricked. SanfordStud Farms Marsh Tiger was three lengthsback of the son of Count Fleet — Decor, by Ariel, at the end of the brief encounter, while Edward Potter, Jr.s, Belfaster was another length in arrears. Belair Studs Game Chance was a length and a half out of the money. Ray York rode Count Trim, replacing the ailing Eddie Arcaro, and the colt paid .10. Ben F. jWhitakers Tahitian King, who beat Count Trim a length in an earlier race, won the National Stallion in the same time todays winner required, but was put to a much harder drive and aided by a tail wind. Both the straight and main courses were sloppy today, but, as is often the case, were actually faster than they often are when officially "fast." That was made evident when Bois DArc, who could have been claimed for ,000 not long .ago, stepped a mile and a sixteenth in 1:43% in the fifth race. A crowd of 18,955 witnessed the sport under overcast skies. Count Trim has iow won three of his six starts and his only defeat since coming north from Florida was that by Tahitian King. The chestnut colt was bred by Victor Emanuel and sold privately to MacDonald. He is trained by J. P. "Sammy the Well-Dressed Man" Smith, who has also been Emanuels trainer for many years. Game Chance Swerves Slightly at Start Game Chance appeared to swerve in slightly at the start of the Colin, while Marsh Tiger shot into command, followed, by Upstroke. As the field neared the stands, Belfaster surged up on the outside to take a brief lead, while Count Trim, who was racing down on the rail, was closing rapidly. Count Trim sailed past his rivals as though they were rooted, getting to the front above the furlong pole and merely coasting the rest of the way. Marsh Tiger continued steadily down the middle, while Belfaster and Game Chance both tired. The latter, F. H. Bontecous Bois DArc, an Irish importation by Denturius, scored an upset in the fifth event, outfinishing M. H. Nadlers Standee to triumph by a half length. A. L. Fralingers favored Deep River was another four lengths away and two lengths before Lottie Wolfs Harlem Maid, the second choice. R. C. Schneiders Dans Chance, who survived a foul claim in winning the last race on Memorial Day, survived another after beating Sanford Stud Farms Oneida in todays hurdle race. Evan Jackson rode the winner, who came slightly wide after the final hedge, but Jason Eabys claim of foul was not allowed. The winner was directly behind Vera S. Braggs Bow who fell and broke his neck early in the race, but was not impeded. Later on, he was blocked when C. M. Paternos Swing Cheer fell in the backstretch, then was in close quarters coming to the last hedge, but finished strongly when finally clear. Scott Riles, who rode Row, suffered a broken right clavicle and injuries of his left leg. He was taken to Physicians Hospital in Jackson Heights. Dans Chance paid 9.10.
