Weighing In: The Dancers Youthful Recalled; Showed Great Promise in Victory; Gallant Fox Looms Exciting Race, Daily Racing Form, 1953-05-01

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! ■[W«ghi„gln] By EVAN SHIPMAN The Dancers Youthful Recalled Showed Great Promise in Victory Gallant Fox Looms Exciting Race JAMAICA, L. I., N. Y., April 30.— Just about a year ago, Native Dancer, by winning the Youthful here at Jamaica had J , ] i , | 1 ; crossed the threshold of his astonishing career. With Bob Hor-wood playing truant in Kentucky, that meeting was covered by Fred Galiani, while this column also carried a Jamaica dateline. So much water has gone under the bridge since that afternoon of 52, so many horses have flashed ; , | I ■ I ; ■ I I . I . , across the lenses of our binoculars, that we were curious to re-discover Freds and our reactions to Alfred Vanderbilts great gray colt, frankly forgetful of whether or not we had been properly impressed. A trip to the files reveals that Freds Jamaica "lead-all following the running of that Youthful began: "It looks like Alfred Vanderbilt has a mighty good two-year-old in Native Dancer, who just exploded at the top of the stretch today inthe Youthful Stakes and loped on to a six-length victory." Later in his story, one reads: "---Although it is a bit early to say he is the best, the Polynesian colt has all the earmarks of a champion," and then Fred, strongly tempted ones senses, almost risked a prophecy, concluding with: "The Youthful has marked the starting point of many of the turfs best horses, including none other than Man o War. This is not to say that Native Dancer is up to Big Red, but he did turn it on today." Describing how the colt ran. Fred wrote, "rounding the stretch turn, Native Dancer went to Retrouve and it was all over. With Eric Guerin sitting like the sphinx, Native Dancer showed some of his daddys vaunted speed and just bounded away from his rivals." Our own comment was: "Native Dancer, Alfred Vanderbilts homebred son of Polynesian — Geisha, by Discovery, had an easy time in the Youthful, first of the stakes for two-year-old colts on the Metropolitan circuit. This gray, scoring his second victory in as many starts, never left the issue in doubt. At the finish, Native Dancer was a half length to the good of Tribe, and Mrs. Braggs son of Apache was never able to threaten the winner seriously in the drive. Native Dancers time of :595 had been matched during the current meeting, but he was running so easily at the end of this trip that it in safe to conclude this was hardly his full measure. Tribe, who chased Native Dancer out, has already convinced us that he is a good one, but it is quite possible that the winner of the Youthful possesses real class, and will eventually prove an even better campaigner for the stable than the talented but temperamental Cousin." This was about a week before that temperament of Cousins forced trainer Bill Winfrey to scratch the colt from his Kentucky Derby engagement. Yesterdays fortieth renewal of the Youthful found no Native Dancer in the field, you may be perfectly sure, but the five-furlong dash did go to a nice juvenile when the strongly favored Revolt from Hal Price Headleys barn scored by two open lengths from C. V. Whitneys Catspaw, F. P. Ryans Terrebonne — the latter just in from Kentucky — and a large field. Revolt, who is a shapely, well mannered and good sailed gelding by Revoked from the familiar Headley mare, Pet by Pharamond II., went to the top early, nor did the others ever force him to a drive, his time a couple of ticks slower than he had previously shown at this oval. It was a rough race. Several of those finishing back of Revolt, such as Terrebonne and the Wheatley Stables Full Flight, were knocked around, while the winner, for his part, found clear sailing all the way. But this was not pure luck, mind you. Revolt escaped the trouble because he had the foot to get clear of any jam. Terrebonne, second recently in a swiftly run stake at the Keeneland meeting, was the greatest sufferer from crowding in this Youthful. Pinched back shortly after the start, Ter- rebone saved ground at the rail for jockey Hedley Woodhouse and loomed a serious factor again at the top of the stretch. In the drive, Catspaw blocked Terrebonnes path, and in spite of finishing stoutly, the latter "had no place to go." Terrebone will Continued on Poge Thirty -Five |. 1 r ! ! ! , : ! : j 1 WEIGHING IN I I By EVAN SHIPMAN Continued from Page Two look better down the Widener chute at Bel- 1 mont than he did at Jamaica. While it may be a question of sour ] grapes, we tend to believe that the Gallant Fox Handicap here at Jamaica on 1 Saturday will prove a better, closer horse race than the Kentucky Derby scheduled for the same afternoon. Oh yes, we would have enjoyed making the trip to Louisville just to see "The Dancer in his greatest test so far, but that event may well turn out to be an exhibition where the great gray is concerned. Here, on the other hand, the handicap seems certain to be a keenly disputed race, secretary John B. Campbells nice assignment of weights promising to bring the stars, such as One Count and Ace Admiral, together with the merely "good" ones in a large, well-balanced field. One Count returned to competition in fine style recently, and he will be even j sharper this week-end because of that winning race. Ace Admiral, we understand, retains his excellent Florida form, but we wonder if this horse, for all his brilliance, can compare in class with the Count Fleet four-year-old. Last years Jockey Club Gold Cup would seem to furnish an answer in the negative, but the mile and three-sixteenths distance of the Gallant Fox is certainly better suited to Ace Admirals talents than the grueling two miles of the Belmont Park race. Apart from these two , highweights, there will be lively interest in the Saturday performance of C. V. Whitneys Cold Command, a four-year-old War Admiral colt who appears well placed in the Gallant Fox under 115 pounds. Syl Veitch, Cold Commands .trainer, was a little surprised when his charge recently bested the fleet sprinter Hyphasis in a five and a half furlong dash here at Jamaica. It was not Cold Commands form that had been in doubt, but rather his aptitude for the abbreviated distance. Veitch knew that this son of War Admiral from the fine Mahmoud mare, Monsoon, was actually better than ; at any time in his career, and he says the colt would have been one of the top three-year-olds last season if his Kentucky Derby preparation had not been a little too precipitate. This time, Cold Command has been brought up to his peak with greater patience, and it remains to be seen whether One Count and Ace Admiral can safely concede him 14 pounds. It is not so long ago that Monsoon was right at the top of her division, and we vividly recall a renewal of the Santa Anita Handicap that this mare might have captured had it not been for serious interference just as she was called on for a decisive move in the homestretch. The Mahmoud influence is so strong that many colts from Mahmoud dams show his con-i formation and type rather than that of their own sires, but Cold Command is an exception, he definitely breeding after War Admiral. Inheriting speed and stamina from both sides of his pedigree, and an extremely pleasing individual in his own right, Cold Command should place himself among the leaders of our handicap division long before the end of this season.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1950s/drf1953050101/drf1953050101_2_7
Local Identifier: drf1953050101_2_7
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800