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REFLECTIONS NiLSON DUNSTAN NEW YORK N Y June 12 The Run for the Roses at Louisville and then the BlackEyed Susans at Bal ¬ timore is followed tomorrow by the true test of the champion and not in years has that been such a fitting slogan for the Belmont Stakes In this one and onehalf miles event Al ¬ fred G Vanderbilts Native Dancer will face the most searching test of his career to date for it is the first time he is asked to negotiate this distance Early this year it was held by many that he was not bred for distance running but he has confounded the breeding experts even though he was beaten a neck in the Kentucky Derby After the Louisville race his stay ¬ ing powers were recognized and emphasized In the Preak ¬ ness it was not expected that Jamie K would give the gray colt the battle that he did but the fact remains that Native Dancer was the winner by the width of a thin dime These two Triple Crown races have added to the interest in tomorrows Belmont and although the field is small the race should draw one of the largest throngs of the spring season Edide Arcaro who rode Jamie K in the Preakness has made no outandout predictions regarding the Belmont but he has said Native Dancer will know he has been to the races Although both horses are finishline possibilities Royal Bay Gem can ¬ not be counted out for he appears perfectly suited by the one and onehalf miles distance They will probably have Native Dancer to catch Can they theyA A A A AWhen When we were in Toronto for the Queens Plate a Canadian fan who follows American racing asked What would be the outcome of a weightforage race at one and onequarter miles between Native Dancer and Tom Fool within the next month We ventured to say that Tom Fool would be the winner Later in Boston we ran into Native Dancer races Toughest Test Trainer of Royal Vale Has An Idea Why Not WeightforAge Race Now Rigan McKinney Great Credit to Racing Jim Ryan trainer of Royal Vale who was up there to saddle the colt for the Massachusetts Handicap Ryan said That was a goodquestion put to you by the Cana ¬ dian regarding a weightforage race between Native Dancer and Tom Fool In recent months George D Widener and others have advocated some weightfor age races The trouble with such events in this country is that we wait until the fall before we stage them and by that time many of our threeyearolds and older horses have gone to the sidelines for one reason or another We should do as they do in England and put one fine weight forage race with an adequate purse on in July or August It should of course be run after the Belmont Stakes Can you imagine the interest that would be created within the next month if there was a weightforage race en ¬ gaging Native Dancer Jamie K Tom Fool MarkYe Well Royal Vale and others who are prominent at this time Belmont Park or any other track would not be big enough to hold the throng that would turn out to see such a race raceA A A A AThere There is food for thought in what Ryan had to say regarding a weightforage race at this time of the year The trick of course would be to get the threeyearolds and older Worses for the purse would have to be a big one There is no doubt that weightforage races are the true test of horses in various divisions One can count on the fingers of one hand the number of such events that are staged in the fall and by that time as Ryan pointed out many of the topnotchers have been retired for the season or sent to the sidelines because of injuries and other reasons In England there is such a race about this time of the year and it always has been popular We feel sure it would be in the country If a race track were to announce an event that would bring Native Dancer and Tom Fool together at this time it would cause more excitement and more speculation than any race ahead of us With Royal Vale going to the West Coast for the Hollywood Gold Cup and then to Chicago for other events and Tom Fool remaining here for the Brooklyn Handicap it would be something of a feat to bring them together It also would be another feat with the threeyearold schedule what it is to attract Native Dancer Notwithstanding the idea is a good one It is interesting to speculate how the world money winning list will shape up at the end of this year At the moment Citation is firmly at the top with earnings of 1085760 To date MarkYeWell leads horses who are still active and could improve their positions He is credited with 467795 When Native Dancer won the Preakness he moved up to thirteenth position with a total of 440245 A victory tomorrow will send him above the 500000 mark and the only other horse still active among the top 20 is Tom Fool who with his Suburban victory is credited with 394990 Tom Fool has the 50000 Carter and the 50000 Brooklyn in the offing and during the fall there are many rich races which could boost his total considerably before the season ends The same can be said for Native Dancer for he has the 50000 Dwyer at Aqueduct and the 100000 Arlington Classic within the next month Records are made to be broken While Cita ¬ tion now appears to be firmly on the pedestal Native Dancer and Tom Fool coud threaten his position before beforeContinued Continued on Page FortyNine REFLECTIONS REFLECTIONSBy By NELSON DUNSTAN Continued from Page FiftyTwo FiftyTwothe the horses go South and West for the winter Never before has a horse with quality had so many opportunities to win so much money moneyA A A A AThe The strength of the horse market never was more obvious than it was at Belmont Park sales this week An interesting sidelight of the vendues was the appear ¬ ance of young John Finney a 20yearold student at Princeton who stepped in to work with George Swinebroad in the auc ¬ tioneers stand He acquitted himself with distinction and may be a chip off the old block The highlight of the sale was the dispersal of Rigan McKinney one of the finest amateur riders this country has ever known and a credit to the sport ever since he came into it He sold 10 horses for a total of 99000 and it is regretted that his health has caused him to withdraw from active participation in the sport These sales augur well for the Keeneland and Saratoga sales of yearling which are in the offing With the sport more pupular today than it has ever been before and with purse and stakes values what they are today it is natural that owners are seeking horses capable of winning races McKinney not only held his own with the best of the pro ¬ fessional riders but he knew how to con ¬ dition a horse for a top effort Mrs Ogden Phipps bought two of his offerings paying 20500 for Neji and Antagonizer
