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d. It It is is a a tempta- tempta- %». -JIB [WeighinglnJ By EVAN SHIPMAN » Dancers Great Withers Effort Ankles Enlarged Since Start of 53 Should Score Handily in Preakness BELMONT PARK, Elmont, L. I., N. Y., May 18. — What a pleasure it is to watch a really really good good thoroughbred thoroughbred. d. It It is is a a tempta- tempta- really really good good thoroughbred thoroughbred. tion to dismiss Native Dancers Withers last Saturday as just an exhibition, the price at which the gray colt went off and the authority with which he drew away from his two rivals in the stretch both appearing to favor such a conclusion. Actually, this renewal of the Withers was more than an ex- I | hibition. Invigorator, it should not be forgotten, had by no means disgraced himself by finishing a good third in the Kentucky Derby. As for Real Brother, while he may have been spmewhat out-classed in the Withers, still this speedy colt came out in better trim than at any time this season. There was nothing cynical in the participation here of either Invigorator or Real Brother; they were both out to make a race of it if they could. A generation ago, when Man o War captured the Withers from two others, "Big Red", we understand, might have been alone on the Belmont strip as far as any competition was concerned. Going back 11 years, Count Fleet, on a muddy track, simply ran away and hid from the pair who had the audacity to try the issue with the son of Reigh Count. Now this last renewal of the famous old mile stake was something else again, the difference residing, perhaps, not so much in any superiority of the older champions — although it is no large assumption to say that they were superior to anything the breed has since produced, with the exception of Citation — as in a difference of equine temperament. Native Dancer has his own way of going about his tasks. As Mer-cutio said of his wound, " Tis not so deep as a well, nor as wide as a church door, but twill serve." Native Dancers professional competence was never more evident than in this Withers. Alfred Vanderbilts fine colt knows his trade, knows what is required of him. And he does it. We have seen him this season in the Gotham, the Wood Memorial and now the Withers. Progressively sharper, as he has become, the net impression, nevertheless, remains exactly the same. Native Dancer may be termed a "cold" colt, but so sure is his attack, so deadly in execution, that the decision, when it comes, is a matter of a few strides at the most. There is no need of repeating our opinion, often expressed in this space, that the recent Kentucky Derby was far from a "true" race where Native Dancer was concerned. But we will say again that circumstances at Louisville compelled Native Dancer to give the effort in the third quarter that would, normally, have been reserved for the fifth quarter. The casual spectator was confused when the colts Derby race did not conform to expectations, but that spectator failed to take into account the instant improvisation required once Native Dancer had been knocked off stride on the first turn. In Saturdays Withers, plan and execution tallied perfectly. The final quarter in :24*and, final furlong in :12f-;, fitted as cleanly into the total design as a masters checkmate in a swift game of chess. Do you remember when Citation stumbled leaving the gate in the Belmont Stakes? The start of the Belmont, of course, took place right in front of the stands, and there was a general gasp as the Calumet colt almost lost Eddie Arcaro in the first couple of strides. On Saturday, Native Dancer made a misstep, but this time the start was on the backstretch, and we cannot tell whether or not Eric Guerin was in momentary danger of losing his seat. In his Belmont, Citation recovered instantly, and was already in front by the time the field had reached the first turn. So, too, did the gray, whose mistake may have been caused by eagerness, find his stride in the very next jump, running with the two others in a compact group from the start. Between the turns, the pace being still very moderate, Guerin allowed Native Dancer to take a slight advantage, bnt, looping for home, he came a little wide, wide enough to allow Real Brother and Continued on Page Thirty -Fiv 1 I I ; WEIGHING IN By EVAN SHIPMAN Continued from Page Two Invigorator to draw level again as they straightened out. There was no drive. At the eighth pole, the Gray and Invig-| orator were still on almost even terms, j Real Brother beaten but only a little to the rear. At the sixteenth pole, Guerin shook his stick at Native Dancer, the favorite at once drawing away. The crowd saw the gesture and the response. There was a roar from the stands. It was over. So it was not just an exhibition; this Withers was a race, but a race the issue of which could never have been in doubt. On the walking ring before the Withers, Native Dancer was closely examined, the object of this scrutiny being to determine whether or not the trip to and from Louisville and the race down there had "taken anything out of" the champion. As far as the eye could see, and as the race itself was soon to show, the Gray was his usual husky, robust self. He stripped in fine flesh, and there was the same evident condition that has marked all his public appearances this spring. Our first close look at Native Dancer this year was just before the Jamaica opening. He has "fined down" a little since then, as is only natural, but another change must be mentioned, and, frankly, it is not reassuring. There can be no doubt that Native Dancers ankles — always his weak spot — are larger now than they were. Both ankles, pin-fired last fall at Santa Anita, are now "puffy and enlarged, the near front being particularly noticeable. These ankles are blemishes, and the •freeze" that trainer Bill Winfrey must employ has bleached a large patch on the inside of the near ankle perfectly white. They are blemishes, but do they sting him? And will they sting him? It was plain that no ankle was stinging him at the finish of the Withers, the colt being full of play in the winners circle after the race. Just the same, we wonder how long the colt can continue to race in near record time on that underpinning, and we wonder, too, what will happen when he encounters a hard racing strip. Bel- I mont, changing from "good" to "fast" j during the course of Saturday afternoon, was a perfect strip for Native Dancer, but our three-year-olds cannot carry their racetrack with them. Crossing our bridges as we come to them, we will not venture any prediction as yet concerning the Belmont Stakes, those ankles being the sole reason for our caution. The Belmont Stakes is not down for decision until next month, but Native Dancer will go for the Preakness this coming Saturday. Regarding the big race at Pimlico, we are perfectly ready to commit ourselves, and we expect the gray to win at Baltimore with the same authority he showed here in the Withers, and this regardless of who starts against him. Native Dancer "lies over" anything this generation of three-year-olds has to offer, and as long as he stays "racing sound," we are certain that he will continue to dominate this division. This is a colt for whom one can feel genuine admiration and affection. We have been "in his corner" right from the start, and we only hope that Winfrey — a young man at the top of his profession — can keep the champion in condition to do himself justice. Native Dancer should never have been beaten, but his race at Pimlico will, we are confident, go far toward erasing the lone blot on his escutcheon.
