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Belmont Belmont Lures Lures Record Record Field; Field; Eight Eight in in Miss Miss America America Stakes Stakes List Fourteen for 26,100 Mile and One - Half Classic High Gun, Correlation Will Vie for Favoritism Today; Filly Riverina Goes to Post By BOB HORWOOD Staff Correspondent BELMONT PARK, Elmont, L. I., N. Y., June 11. rThe largest field in the long history of the Belmont Stakes, which was inaugurated at Jerome Park in 1867, is slated-to go postward in the eighty-sixth running of this 26,100 mile and a half Saturday. No less than 14 three-year-olds, including one filly and two sets of couplings, has been named for the. classic event, which is known as the "Test of the Champion." Back in 1875, H. P. McGraths Calvin led home a field of the same size, but no other Belmont before or since has approached this number of starters, with about half that many being standard. The size of Saturdays field is obviously due to the lack of any standout candidate. the absence from the field of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winners, Determine and Hasty Road, and the recent disappointing races of Robert S. Lytles Correlation and Llangollen Farms Porterhouse. Corerlation and Porterhouse are both slated to be in the line-up Saturday and the former will command considerable support from the anticipated crowd of some 45,000 and is likely to wind up the favorite. He will have the popular services of Eddie Aracro, who will be in quest of his sixth Belmont Stakes victory, while Bill Boland, his regular rider, will be on Porterhouse. Vying for favoritism with Correlation will be Robert J. Klebergs King Ranch entry of High Gun and Riverina. The rapidly improving High Gun fin- 1 ished third to War of Roses and Red Han-nigan in the Jersey Stakes, closing strongly after being knocked back at the start by 1 Correlation, then won last Saturdays Peter Pan Handicap by three lengths with C. V. Whitneys Fisherman, C. T. Chenerys i Prince Hill and the 1953 juvenile champion, Eorterhouse, behind him. This was an ex- ceptionally slowly run race and the strap- : ping son of- Heliopolis trailed a slow pace to the head of the stretch, then swept past : his six rivals to score with authority. Riverina, the only filly in the field and i Continued ijn Page fiVo Record Field of Fourteen Slated to Go In 26,100 Belmont Stakes Renewal High Gun, Correlation Will Vie for Favoritism Today; Filly Riyerina Goes to Post Continued from Page One only the fifth of her sex to compete in the Belmont since Tanya won the first Belmont Park edition of the stake in 1905, finished a close third in the Coaching Club American Oaks at a mile and three furlongs, and before that gained a deadheat with Happy Mood in the Acorn Stakes. The daughter of Princequillo Bee Mac is bred to run all day and has raced at a longer distance than any of her masculine rivals. In the CCA Oaks, she made a powerful bid in the upper stretch, then hung right on the money, possibly tiring as a result of making her move in the deep going along the rail, and finished lapped on Cherokee Rose and Open Sesame. Both High Gun and Riverina have been drilled extensively this week, after his race in the Peter aPn, the colt went a fast half on Tuesday and a mile and a half in 2:36 on Wednesday. Riverina worked a mile and a half in 2:34 impressively yesterday morning. Eric Guerin will again ride High Gun, while Hank Moreno will be astride Riverina. The Belmont field is completed by C. T. Chenerys Prince Hill and Permian, C. V. Whitneys Fisherman, Mrs. J. R. H. Thourons War of Roses, Foxcatcher Farms Chevation, Greentree Stables Palm Tree, John Barry Ryans Buttevant, Rancho Casitas Limelight, Hal Price Headleys Pinetum and W. Goadby Loews Kilimanjaro. The only surprise in this group is the presence Of Kilimanjaro and the ab-, sence of For Free, neither of whom seems to belong. Correlation won the Florida Derby and Wood Memorial and was favored in the Kentucky Derby, but could finish no better than sixth, immediately followed by Fisherman. The Derby was not a true measure i of the ability of either colt, however. Correlation was then lightly fired for a blind splint and won the Preakness Prep and finished a close second to Hasty Road in the Preakness itself. The California-owned son of Free America then finished sixth at odds-on in the Jersey Stakes. Correlation has lugged in as though something was hurting him in most of his recent races and did this throughout the Garden State Park stake. After that race he was sent to Belmont Park, where Dr. William O. Reed says that he administered five X-ray treatments. While he has galloped two miles daily on the deep training track, his actual works have been a slow half mile last Sunday and a brisk five furlongs yesterday, easing up another eighth. Porterhouse was voted juvenile champion of 1953 and rated equal with Turn-to in John Blanks Campbells Experimental Free Handicap. The son of Endeavour n. won the National Stallion, Christiana and Futurity Stakes and was disqualified after beating Turn-to in the Saratoga Special. His final last year was in the Pimlico Futurity in which he played no part after wrenching his back at the start. - : : This year, Porterhouse won sprints at Santa Anita and Belmont Park in brilliant style, beating older horses with a tremendous stretch run here. He then came out for the Peter Pan and was beaten a little more than seven lengths by High Gun. In that mile and a furlong, Porterhouse was literally thrown down for six furlongs while racing behind a sluggish pace, then refused j to go from a pull to a drive when called on in the stretch. He had been sullen in several works before this race and trainer Charley Whittingham explained that his back was again sore, presumably because of the strain of racing and training on a deep track. Porterhouse Responding to Treatment Whittingham says that Porterhouses sore back has responded nicely to treatment, while the track is now appreciably faster than last week. His trainer has evidently regained his full confidence in the colt for, when told yesterday that 14 were expected to go postward, he remarked, "It just means more money for us." Each additional starter adds ,000 to the pot. From this corner, War of Roses and Fisherman loom the chief rivals to the King Ranch pair, and to Correlation and Porterhouse, Saturday, War of Roses, who has been pointing for this classic since last winter, followed his Jersey stakes victory by finishing third in. the. Kent Stakes at Delaware Park, far behind Chevation, but was giving that improved colt 15 pounds. They meet at level weights Saturday. War of Roses is an English colt and hunch players might recall that an American-bred won this years English Derby for the first time since 1881. There would be some poetic justice in a victory by Jim Ryans charge. Jack Westrope will ride. Fisherman won the Gotham Stakes at Jamaica, then finished second with no apparent excuse behind .Correlation in the Wood and was again behind that colt in the Derby, with both having excuses. When he finished second to High Gun, after getting the lead in the upper stretch in the Peter Pan, the little son of Phalanx was making his first start since the Derby and may have been a bit "short." Hedley Woodhouse will be in the saddle. Chevation, who will be ridden by Willie Passmore, preceded his surprising, but impressive, score in the Kent by beating Dream of Glory in an overnight event here at Belmont. He is asked to pick up considerable extra weight, but is bred on classic lines, being by Alibhai sire of Determine from the stakes-winning Fairy Chant. Limelight has won several overnight events this year, but was unplaced in his two races at Belmont Park, finishing fourth in a sprint on Tuesday. Recently purchased from Arthur B. Hancock by Mr. and Mrs. Walter Hoffman, Jr., he is a fashionably and classically bred son of Nasrullah from Nova Puppis, by Hyperion. Pete Anderson will ride. Of the others, Palm Tree was a brilliant winner at a mile and a furlong here, but failed in the Withers and Kent Stakes. He will be ridden by Ted Atkinson and is training well. Permian, Prince Hill, Buttevant, Pinetum and Kilimanjaro appear outclassed.
