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♦ I Weighing In By EVAN SHIPMAN Top Two-Year-Olds Yet to Race Revolt, Evening Out Impressive Lotus Eater Is Promising Colt BELMONT PARK, Elmont, L. I., N. Y., May 9. — So far, we have seen few two-year-olds this season concerning whom we expect to be writing this time next spring. The best prospects have probably not been uncovered as yet, and we may have to wait until Saratoga before the, leading stables start shooting with their big guns. In the meanwhile, one col t — Hal Price Headleys Revolt, winner of the Youthful at Jamaica — and one ! J ; . j I filly — Mrs. George D. Wideners Evening Out, who scampered to a handy score in yesterdays renewal of the Fashion here at Belmont— impress us as possessing stake quality, nor will it come as any surprise if this pair continues to dominate in the juvenile fixtures for at least as long as the thoroughbreds remain on Long Island. Revolt is not only a "quick colt," but the attractive son of Revoked — Pet, by Phara-mond n., is also a handy race tool, well able to take care of himself in a large field and with an instint for competition that serves him in good stead in the final furlong of his dashes. As for Evening Out, it ., may be premature to commit ourselves on the basis of a single start, but this homebred daughter of Shut Out — Evening Belle, by Eight Thirty did all that was asked of her with such style yesterday afternoon that she all but commands our enthusiasm. Making his debut in the Fashion, Evening Out was perfectly at home in this field of fUiles, many of whom had considerable racing experience behind them. She was alert at the gate, and then ran straight down the chute, responding immediately when jockey Ovie Scurlock "turned her loose" about a quarter of a mile from home. The boy continued to ride her with some vigor right to the end, but it was more to keep her occupied than to stave off Any challenge as Wolf Gal, the runner-up, and Alfred Vanderbilts Sitting Duck, the strong choice for the Fashion and who wound up third, were both clearly beaten with an eighth of a mile still to go. Breaking from a post position almost in the middle of the field of 10, Evening Out may have been fortunate in that there was some bunching up both to her left and to her right, thus leaving Mrs. Wideners col-orbearer an absolutely clear path. Be that as it may, she looked much the best, and had already made the best impression when seen in the walking ring before the start. There is considerable scope to this brown daughter of Shut Out, and she moves with a large, pleasing action. Considering the way Evening Out is gaited, it came as something of a surprise to find her so quickly collected, but there again one must thank Wilbert Mulholland for his thorough schooling. When he sends one out, you may be sure that the colt or filly knows the rudiments and is ready to run. This is not the last we will hear from Evening Out, or we are much mistaken. Native Dancers return to Long Island racing in next Saturdays Withers will be, of course, the "event of the week," while Mondays renewal of the seven-furlong Swift Stakes will probably point out the quarter from which whatever competition develops for the gray champion will come in the traditional mile, the equivalent on our calendar of the English Two Thousand Guineas. The Swift has attracted a large field and a good one. Tahitian King, on the strength of his game effort in the Wood Memorial behind "The Dancer," is almost certain to rule a strong choice, but, while readily admitting this colts class and courage, we entertain strong doubts concerning both his actual condition and soundness. As we have remarked repeatedly in this column, Tahitian King did not develop as he should have over the winter. There is little more to him now than there was last fall, while the Polynesian colt shows unmistakably the results of an attempt to fit him for a stiff campaign. As both a Swift and a Withers candidate, we are much more intrigued by the presence among the entries of Greentrees Devil Diver colt, Lotus Eater, than we are by that of Tahitian King, for all the latter s well deserved reputation. Lotus Eater, perhaps the best, and certainly the best looking, son of his sire yet to come to the races, has all the earmarks of a good one. The way in which this handsome bay put away his opposition Continued on Page Forty -Four WEIGHING IN By EVAN SHIPMAN Continued from Page Two with one sharp run in the stretch recently at Jamaica gave us more than a hint that trainer John Gaver has a worthy substitute for the unfortunate Straight Face in his barn. Now it is true that Lotus Eater did not have much behind him in the Jamaica dash that impressed us so strongly, and we can only guess as to his behavior when he tangles, as he will in the Swift, with colts of some calibre. Nevertheless, that score was achieved with an ease that was almost insolent, he making up at least four lengths through the final furlong on a leader whose time for the last quarter of this six-furlong race was :25Vs. While we did not split our watch on Lotus Eater, it may not be too far out of the way to give him credit for a final panel in :11, nor did we think that Ted Atkinson, who had the mount, was overly busy. You do not need to remind us that catching Belfaster and delivering a lacing to these Swift candidates are two very different kettles of fish, but we will see what we will see. And by the way, we have by no means given up on Dictar, the strapping, rough and ready Maedic colt whose robust conformation and fighting finishes have earned general applause from horsemen this spring. Victim of atrocious racing luck in his last, Dictar should never have been beaten by the filly, Milspal, but you can toss that one right out the window. Dictar can be a keen factor in Mondays Swift, while this race should determine whether or not class is to be added to his other interesting attributes. Always present, the undercurrent of antagonism to steeplechasing is particularly noticeable this spring. We can only hope that stakes and overnight events for the chasers on this Belmont program do their part toward refuting the outspoken hostility to this branch of the sport that is encountered now on almost every hand. If we ever needed a "top horse" to rekindle waning: enthusiasm, now is the time, and we are awaiting the seasonal debut of Mrs. Phipps Oedipus with an eagerness not unmixed with trepidation. Back in the mid-twenties, when we first broke into the sport, steeplechasing already had its enemies, but if anyone had suggested a quarter of a century ago that the fate of steeplechasing at the major tracks might conceivably hinge on the performances of one horse, he would have been dismissed as a lunatic. Such a supposition, however, is not too far-fetched today, and that is a measure of the pass in which the National Seeplechase and Hunt Association now finds itself. If trainer Pete Bostwick saddles his sisters fine jumper for Wednesdays renewal of the Charles L. Appleton Memorial, may Oedipus run fast and fence clean. He is steeplechasing s lone claimant to the title of champion, and how we need a champion.
