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Weighing In By EVAN SHIPMAN Withers Should Be Easy for Dancer Tahitian King Suited by Conditions Oedipus Re-Entry Eagerly Awaited BELMONT PARK, Elmont, L. I., N. Y., May 13. — Native Dancer, for whom the mile Withers this Saturday should prove | i just a nice, stiff work, will certainly not have to worry about competition from anything we saw in the renewal of the seven-furlong Swift Stakes raced here on Monday. Tahitian King, looking better than he has at any time this spring to our eyes, won the Swift with authority and with plenty in re- I I | i I I ! • • I ! i I ■ ■ • ! I » • . . . 1 a , I 5 i r serve, judging from jockey Hedley Wood-houses obvious confidence through the stretch. But, frankly, it was a poor lot that followed the classy, game, but not too sound or robust Polynesian colt to the wire. Prior to the running of the Swift, we had urged our readers, and also made the suggestion to Bill Winfrey, trainer of Native Dancer, | to pay special attention to Greentrees i handsome bay Devil Diver colt, Lotus Eater. j Bills reply was, "Im only paying atten-I tion to one colt this spring." Nor did he have to specify that the "one colt" referred to the gray champion in his own barn. Well, Lotus Eater does not figure to cause the Vanderbilt -Winfrey combination any loss of sleep. If Greentree intends him as a substitute for Straight Face, now on the sidelines with "a knee," Lotus Eater simply wont do. Looking class all over against second or third rate three -year -olds in a previous Jamaica race, the Greentree colorbearer flattened out badly the moment Ted Atkinson asked for a serious effort in the Swift. Rounding the final bend, Lotus Eater was perfectly placed near the rail, then found an opening wide as a barn door, an opening of which he was utterly unable to take advantage. Our only reason for expanding on this inconspicuous performance is that we led you to expect something altogether different. It was a wrong steer. Although the Belmont strip was excep-i tionally glib on that occasion, the Swift was not a fast race, but it is certainly not Tahitian Kings fault that he was not required to beat 1:26 for the seven panels. There was enough foot in the early stages, and then, through the stretch, there was nobody to carry the winner, Woodhouse playing with his competition in what passed for a drive. Finishing well enough along the rail, Brookfield Farms Isa-r smoothie may have given the impression that here was a threat looming for Tahi-l tian King. Not at all. All but left at the start, Isasmoothie was merely running over weary horses through the final quar-i ter mile, and Woodhouse parried this at-I tack with indulgence. As far as Tahitian King is concerned, we imagine that the conditions of the Withers suit him better than those of any of his important spring engage-I ments. He ought to show well, his gen-, erosity insuring that what he can do, he wiU do. As a foil for Native Dancer, Tahitian Kings presence in the Withers field is certainly welcome, but it would be asking too much to expect that champions persistent rival to do more than extend him comfortably on Saturday. You see, the conditions of the Withers suit Native Dancer, too. Unless an unlikely last minute scratch interferes, tomorrows Charles L. Appleton Memorial Steeplechase should be by far the most interesting contest offered this season "through the field." Only seven jumpers have declared in for this two-mile jaunt, but this seven includes four of the best in training. Oedipus leads the list. For several years now, Mrs. Phipps well-bred, brilliant and consistent chaser has placed himself at the top of the division, the ensemble of his performances earning him the assignment of 158 pounds that he must carry tomorrow. Withdrawn from the International Steeplechase last week, Oedi-- pus could conceivably have dodged that engagement because of the 162 pounds he would have had to carry in that stake. He is only slightly better off here, but once you get in the neighborhood of 160, every pound counts, and it is a long season. We understand that Mrs. Phipps colorbearer has been schooling well, and his seasonal debut is certain to be watched with close attention, influenc-x ing. as it well may, the local fate of this branch of the sport. With old Elkridge Continued on Poge Thirty-Six j t i 3 c t 1 I 1 1 £ a 1 1 1 j. r , * 1 | I i WEIGHING IN By EVAN SHOPMAN finally retired to "green pastures," and Rouge Dragon and Mercator only distant memories, steeplechasing finds itself desperate for an outstanding horse, one with real "crowd appeal." In many respects, Oedipus can fill the bill. Now at the commencement of his campaign, we wish Mrs. Phipps chaser a world of luck. Do not misunderstand and get the impression from our talk of Oedipus that we anticipate any parade in this renewal of the Appleton. The Mast, His Boots and Navy Gun are also starters tomorrow. Oedipus must concede 16 pounds to The Mast and 18 to the other two, nor, considering their quality, is this likely to be an easy task. The Mast, a good third in last weeks International, now has a race under his belt. He is certain to look even better tomorrow, but it was quite conceivable that he could have captured the International with a little better luck. Well rated, the mistake of horse in front of him caused a distinct hesitation on The Masts part just as he was making his run at the leaders. Ground lost there could have cost him the race. As it was, Mrs. E. duPont Weirs horse closed with determination giving evidence, that he, like everything else from that barn, enjoys rare condition. Not always as safe over his obstacles as he could be, The Mast partly compensates for that serious drawback by unquestioned class. Brookmeades His Boots also was a starter in the International, but this one was not ready. That start will have helped. As for Billy Jones Navy Gun, he too will or will not be a factor in the Appleton dependent on his present condtion. Navy Gun has been absent from the wars for some time, but it does not require to long a memory to recall some brilliant efforts on the part of the Virginia-trained fencer. Last Monday, when a large field of hurdle horses was galloping across the Belmont turf to the post, a racing friend, who, unlike us, can either take the infield sport or let it alone, remarked that "steeplechasing is all very well, but I have little use for these hurdlers. And whats more, " he concluded, "I cannot remember a single top steeplechase horse ever developed by first racing over the little fences." Thats a point of view, we suppose, and one that, not so long ago, we may have shared. In the interval, our observation has been that the class of horse trained for hurdle racing has been improved to such an extent that what was once a bore is now a valuable part of the racing spectacle. Such harses as Titien II., Hyvania, Star of India have done a great deal to raise the status of hurdle racing, while the very field our friend was looking at contained several horses who had already revealed real quality in flat competition. At present we are ready to accept hurdle racing for its own sake, but we do not dismiss the possibility that a fine steeplechase horse will graduate from the ranks. This has not happened in the past because hurdle racing was then a refuge for misfits and incompetents among our thoroughbreds. The remarkable improvement in the quality of competition has altered the situation.
