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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 Invigorator were still on almost even terms, 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.
