Fleming Memorial Brings Out Nine; Porterhouse Heads Peter Pan Field: Totes 126, Spots Five to Fisherman, Daily Racing Form, 1954-06-05

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Fleming Fleming Memorial Memorial Brings Brings Out Out Nine; Nine; Porterhouse Porterhouse Heads Heads Peter Peter Pan Pan Field Field Totes 1 26, Spots Five to Fisherman Jet Action Gets Nine and Diving Board Ten in Route Preview for Belmont Stakes BELMONT PARK, Elmont, L. I., N. Y., June 4 Llangollen Farms Porterhouse, last years juvenile champion and potential king of the three-year-olds, faces his first major test of the season tomorrow when he is asked to carry topweight of 126 pounds in the 15th running of the Peter Pan Handicap at a mile and a furlong. The son of Endeavour n. is required to give from five to 17 pounds to his eight rivals and will be going a distance for the first time in his career. Porterhouse did attempt a mile and a sixteenth in the Pimlico Futurity last fall, but wrenched his back at the start and took no real part in the race. His longest race, apart from that misadventure, was his impressive score in the Belmont Futurity at six and a half furlongs last September. Trainer Charley Whittingham and owner Mrs. M. E. Person appear to have no doubts on the score of Porterhouses stamina, however, and the style in which he tore through the stretch to beat older sprinters in his local debut was highly impressive. Counterpoints Distinction C. V. Whitneys Fisherman, 121 pounds; Maine Chance Farms Jet Action, 117; Greentree Stables Diving Board and King Ranchs High Gun, 116 each, loom the chief threats to Porterhouse in the Peter Pan, which is a 5,000 added prep for next Saturdays classic 00,000 Belmont Stakes at a mile and one half. The only Peter Pan winner to repeat in the Belmont, however, was Whitneys Counterpoint in 1951, but Robert Morris, Ponded and Lights Up finished second in the classic after winning- the Peter Pan, and Andy K., Jeep, Tailspin, Escradru and Armageddon fol- Continucd on Page Five PORTERHOUSE Makes his first stake appearance of the season in the Peter Pan Handicap today at the Belmont Park course. Porterhouse Totes 726 in Peter Pan And Gives Five Pounds to Fisherman Jet Action Gets Nine and Diving Board Ten in Route Preview for Belmont Stakes Contuse J from Page One lowed Peter Pan victories by finishing third in the Belmont. Fisherman has not been seen in public since finishing seventh in the Kentucky Derby, but hsr been training cleverly for some weeks. Trainer Syl Veitch professes doubts as to the little son of Phalanx being able to carry scale weight over a distance, but seems confident that his charge will give a good account of himself in tomorrows handicap. Fisherman preceded his Derby debacle by placing second to Correlation in the Wood Memorial and winning the Gotham Stakes at Jamaica, while last year he won the Great American, East View, Cowdin and Champagne Stakes in a rather spotty campaign. Jet Action won an overnight event at seven furlongs then captured the Withers mile here at Belmont Park, winning both races impressively. -The son of Jet Pilot from the incomparable Busher then tired bady in the Preakness, stopping after six furlongs. Jet Action went into the Preakness without having raced or worked over the peculiar Pimlico track, which put him at a serious disadvantage, and there should not be too much surprise if he comes back with an improved effort tomorrow. High Gun and Diving Board both finished far behind Jet Action in the Withers, but have turned in excellent races since then. High Gun, who finished third behind Jet Action and Buttevant, beaten four lengths, finished somewhat closer when fourth in the Delaware Valley Stakes, then came back to be second to the improving War of Roses in last Saturdays Jersey Stakes at the Peter Pan distance. In the latter event, High Gun was knocked back at the start by Correlation, then finished with an impressive stretch charge. Diving Board, who finished far back in the Withers, in which he was coupled with Palm Tree, came back with two winning races here at Belmont. After easily winning a sprint in good time, he finished with a powerful run to win a mile event from such as Full Flight, Privacy and Catspaw without being fully extended. John Gavers charge blew out a handy half in :47M this morning. Bill Boland, his regular pilot, will be on Porterhouse, while Hedley Woodhouse will be back on Fisherman. Eric Guerin will guide High Gun with Ted Atkinson staying here to ride Diving Board while another rider " will go to Delaware Park to pilot Palm Tree in the Kent Stakes. The Peter Pan field is completed by C. T. Chenerys Prince .Hill, 112; A. J. Leeds Surmount and Ogden Phipps Privacy, 109 pounds each. Prince Hill and Surmount finished a neck apart in a mile race won by Dream of Glory last week, with the latter enjoying a weight shift of six pounds since that encounter. Prince Hill is a full brother to the illustrious Hill Prince, but has brought little credit to the family, while Surmount graduated from the maid- en ranks on May 12 and has failed in three subsequent races. Privacy was "life and death" to beat moderate three-year-olds in a 1:40 mile on Tuesday and finished so tired that he appeared lame to some observers. In his previous start, he was soundly beaten by Diving Board, to whom he was trying to give six pounds. No rider has been named for Surmount, while Hank Moreno will be on Prince Hill and Jess Higley will ride Privacy. All of the Peter Pan candidates, with the exception of Surmount, are eligible to the Belmont Stakes, in which they must carry level weights of 126 pounds. Two of the earlier Peter Pan highweights, Phalanx and Capot, came back from defeat in the mile and a furlong event to win the Belmont, while Bounding Home picked up an additional 16 pounds after finishing second to Lucky Draw in the 1944 Peter Pan to beat the Derby and Preakness winner, Pensive in the classic mile and a half. Lucky Draw, a gelding, was not eligible to the Belmont that year. The Peter Pan will be tomorrows sixth race and is preceded by the six-furlong Stromboli Handicap which has attracted a shifty field of six, representing five interests. Mrs. Jan Burkes Squared Away, who stopped badly, finishing last, in the Rose-ben won by White Skies, is topweight in the Stromboli with 126 pounds and ,will probably be favored on his over-all record. His chief rivals may be the Wheatley-Belair entry of Hilarious, 120, and Game Chance, 105. Jet Master, 112; War King, 106, and Ruthred, 105, complete a well-matched field.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1950s/drf1954060501/drf1954060501_1_2
Local Identifier: drf1954060501_1_2
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800