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■» ■ ■ ■ , ■;" ■ flBL-JtL—JHI reflections I — By Nelson Dunstan Where Is Opposition for Spartan Valor? Handicap Ranks in Need of Name Horses County Delight, Uncle Miltie, To Market Win Many Rich July Races for Older Horses NEW YORK, N. Y, June 13. We can go that line, "Theres nothing so rare as a day in June," one better. It is unusual and rare that tomorrow there is only one major stake in the East or Midwest for older horses, and that that is is the the Lincoln Lincoln Handicap Handicap at at Chicago. Chicago. ■» ■ ■ ■ , ■;" ■ that that is is the the Lincoln Lincoln Handicap Handicap at at Chicago. Chicago. That being the case, this as as good a time as any to sum up the happenings in the handicap ranks, a division that is very short of "Name Horses." During the current week, three who came back into the picture were Uncle Miltie, To Market and County Delight, and it could be that all of them will make their presence felt in future events. Last fall the three horses who were voted best in the older division were Hill Prince, Citation and Counterpoint and with the first two retired, tired, and and Counterpoint Counterpoint on on the the sidelines, sidelines, tired, and and Counterpoint Counterpoint on on the the sidelines, sidelines, flBL-JtL—JHI there isnt an oldster capable of matching strides with Spartan Valor. Although it was at first thought the longer distances and higher weights would eventually prove the undoing of the Helis champion, he has continued his winning ways to the point where he is in a class by himself. Not in years can this writer recall a handicap division which has lacked one or more horses to challenge the leader. Spartan Valor started his string of victories at Hialeah and now is at Arlington Park, undefeated to. date since running second to Woodchuck on January 1. Counterpoint is now in training and will probably be seen at Saratoga. Should Spartan Valor continue his winning ways in the Midwest and Counterpoint regains his form of old, their meeting could be one of the naturals of the season. In the meantime, County Delight is one of the older horses who will have many opportunities, along with Uncle Miltie, To Market and others here in the East. County Delights victory in the Queens County Handicap at Aqueduct yesterday was his first since the running of the Manhattan Handicap at Belmont last October. In the intervening months, this five-year-old son of Count Fleet has been a fairly steady horse and, although he was no match for Spartan Valor in the Excelsior Handicap at Jamaica in April, he is undoubtedly much nearer his peak now than he was then. There was some talk of Jim Ryan taking the Rokeby colorbearer to England for the rich Ascot Gold Cup in July and it was somewhat ironic that the very day Ryan said, "County Delight has not yet reproduced his last years form," he should come out and score an impressive victory over Quiet Step and Auditing in the Queens County Handicap. It is well that Ryan has decided to keep County Delight in this country, for our handicap division needs every good horse it can muster. Like Uncle Miltie, To Market was a promising two-year-old. He won the Arlington and Washington Park Futurities and, at the end of the season, John B. Campbell quite properly gave him fourth ranking to Uncle Miltie, Battlefield and Big Stretch in the Experimental Handicap for three-year-olds in 1951. Every year, Campbell and Charlie McLennan name horses who were the biggest disappointments of the season past, and those most likely to succeed in the year ahead. McLennan stamped To Market as the one most likely to succeed, but, as matters turned out, the son of Market Wise was more of less forgotten when he won but three of his 11 starts and earned only 1,575 for the season. He was a striking colt, but very large. At Santa Anita last winter, To Market raced as if he had suddenly found himself. After winning an allowance race at six furlongs he came back a week later to wm the San Carlos Handicap from Bryan Q. and Gold Note, with seven in the beaten field, including Be Fleet, Northern Star and Admiral Drake. But he disappointed his followers by running fourth in the Santa Anita Maturity and then made the worse showing of his entire career when he was last in the 11 -horse field for the San Antonio Handicap. From Santa Anita, To Market was shipped east and at Belmont ran two unimpressive races. For the Massachusetts Handicap, racing secretary Eb Pons assigned him 110 pounds, but even that did not encourage those at Suffolk Downs to back him. At the break, Little Step went to the front, followed by To Market. But at the three-quarters, Boland sent the son of Market Wise out to make the pace * and, from that point on, he was never headed, defeating Tio Ciro by two and a half lengths, with the good One Hitter, Alerted and Mameluke following the South American five-year-old. This was probably the most impressive race To Market has won since he was a two-year-old, for he was timed in 2:01%, creating a new track record. He is eligible for the Edgemere Handicap at Aqueduct a week from tomorrow, the Carter Handicap on July 4 and then the 0,000 Brooklyn Handicap, which will be run at the Long Island course on July 12. It will be interesting to see if, under higher weight, he maintains the form he displayed in Massachusetts, or whether he will revert to his showings after winning two consecutive races early this year. Tomorrows Lincoln Handicap at Hawthorne is one of the many events which will lead up to more important races in July for older horses. At the moment, Spartan Valor is likely to make his Chicago debut in the Equipoise Mile on June 28. His principal objectives in the Midwest, of course, are the 00,000 Arlington Handicap on July 26 and the 00,000 Washington Park Handicap on September 1. The 00,000 Hollywood Gold Cup will be run in California the same day, July 12, that the Brooklyn Handicap is staged at Aqueduct. So, it can be seen that our older stars will be fairly well scattered by the end of this month. The Brooklyn Handicap, long associated in tradition with the Metropolitan and the Suburban, is one of the most important for the division annually, but this year, it will have to depend upon Battlefield, County Delight, Bryan G., To Market, Greek Ship and others who have been campaigning in the East since the Paumonok was run at Jamaica. While our American horses remain in training longer than those in England, the American turf at present has a decided shortage of top horses in the handicap division.
