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Epsom Derby Pattern for Belmont JAMES FITZSIMMONS Has best Belmont record of any living trainer, haying sent five winners of the stake to the post. Roster of Winners Contains Many of Americas Greatest Ruthless Scored in Initial Running, Man o War in 20, Citation, 48, Dancer in 53 By BYRON SCHOEMAN Staff Correspondent Long ago, we promised ourselves to figure out, and we still are figuring but not out, why our fellow Boswellian typewriter termites and faithful fans seem to command only a superficial knowledge of the 00,000 Belmont Stakes scope, spirit and background. So, without further ado, heres about the Belmont Park spring meetings annual piece de resistance third and "must" leg of the so-called sophomore "Triple Crown," which will unfold for the eighty-sixth time today: The Belmont Stakes was brought to Belmont from Morris Park, the original home of the Westchester Association. It was instituted in 1867 at Jerome Park which opened in 1866 by the old New York Jockey Club, and transferred to Morris Park in 1890 after the disbanding of the New York Jockey Club and the turning over to the City of New York of the Jerome property at Fordham, Westchester County, by Jerome Parks American Jockey Club. Jerome Park now is the site of a reservoir. Spacious homes now cover the acreage formerly occupied by Morris Park. The Bristol Derby is the prototype of the Belmont Stakes. The first Epsom The Bristol Derby Epsom is the prototype of the Belmont Stakes. The first Epsom Derby winner Diomed was imported more than a century ago to found Americas first thoroughbred dynasty in that it is a gallop of one and a half miles for three-year-olds from which geldings are excluded, all starters packing scale weight colts, 126 pounds; fillies, 121. The Kentucky Derby and other so-called derbies of American racing are unorthodox as to distance and stipulated weights. It?s true that starters must shoulder scale weight in the Kentucky Derby, but it is a run of only one mile and a quarter in which geldings may compete. Only older annual of American racing than the Belmont is the TraVers, a mile and a quarter gallop of the Saratoga program, which was inaugurated in 1864 while the armies of Lee and Grant still were at death grips in the Tidewater of Virginia. Kentuckys Derby goes back to 1875; the other "Triple Crown" event, the Preakness, to 1873. Many of Greatest on Roster Brightly illuminated is the Belmont winners roster, coruscated by the names of many of Americas greatest thoroughbreds. Many astute turf personages insist that the Belmont, known synonymously as the "Test of the Champion," is Americas greatest horse race, while other events have been better publicized. On June 19, 1867, Ruthless, F. Morris filly ridden with great judgment by J. Gil-patrick, disposed of De Courcey and Rivoli in the deep stretch and won by a trifle more than half a length in the inaugural Belmont at Jerome Park. The fourth starter was Monday. That was a mile and five-furlong affair; 00 entrance fee each, half forfeit, and with ,500 added by the club; the second horse, De Courcey, receiving 00 and an English racing saddle made by Merry of St. James Street, London, and presented by Mr. Duncan. Ruthless earned ,850. August Belmonts colors werent long in flashing first over the finish line of the Belmont Stakes. In fact, they were one-two as early as the third running in 1869 when Fenian bested his better stablemate, Glenelg, who became the premier sire four times, 1884 and 1886-88. Hanover, son of Hindoo, won the 1887 Belmont, led the sire list brigade four straight seasons, 1895-98, and his son Hamburg sired Burgomaster, winner of the 1906 Belmont, and Prince Eugene, 1913 victor, while another son, Yankee, sired -Joe Madden, 1909 winner. Diomeds great-great grandson, Lexington, was the first to sire four Belmont winners General Duke, 1868; Kingfisher, 1870; Harry Bassett, 1871, and Duke of Magenta, 1878. D. Swigerts Kingfisher, by Lexington out of the imported Eltham Lass, and ridden by W. Dick, took the third renewal of the Belmont at Jerome Park on June 4, 1870, under 110 pounds. The value of the stakes then was ,700 and Kingfishers victory was worth ,750. Harry Bassett, with W. Miller aboard, "picked up" ,450 when he turned back Stockwood and By-The-Sea the following year. Moves to Morris Park In the first Belmont at Morris Park, June 10, 1890, nine started. Hough Bros. Burlington, with S. Barnes up, defeated Devotee Snapper Garrison astride and Pa- : ; dishah, respectively, to earn ,560. The distance was a mile and a quarter. When Barnes stopped punishing Burlington in the stretch, he went on to win despite Garrisons splendid display of horsemanship and typical Garrison finish. August Belmont added a ,000 plate to the winner of the inaugural Belmont Stakes at Belmont on May 24, 1905. This thirty-ninth edition went to a mare for the first time since its inception in 1867, Harry Payne Whitneys son of William C. Tanya, with Eddie Hildebrand in the irons, and running on the outside, scoring by a neck over Blandy, with Hot Shot, between the two of them, third. It was a cleanly run race among the seven starters, and all agreed that Tanya indubitably was the best animal- and fully entitled to the capital award of 7,240. No filly subsequently has won the Belmont. Prince Eugene won the Belmont in 1913 when racing was revived in New York after a two-year lapse. In 1919 came Sir Barton, first of the eight "Triple Crown" winners to date. The others-have been Gallant Fox, 1930; Omaha, 1935; War Admiral, 1937; Whirlaway, 1941; Count Fleet, 1943; Assault, 1946, and Citation, 1948. Grey Lag, with inimitable Earl Sande up, became the second son of Star Shoot to win the Belmont in 1921 Sir Barton was his other offspring. But between Sir Barton and Grey Lag, the greatest racer of all time Man o War carved his name on the Belmont roster at the shortest odd? 1 to 25, in the stakes history. Big Red Sets World Mark Man o Wars reward for rompi nome 40 or 50 lengths not the official 20 in the fifty-second Belmont, doing one mile and three furlongs over the S-shaped Belmont course of the day in 2:14, which time still is a world record, was a beggardly ,950. Man o War hopped over the route like a frog on a hot grill to shake off his sole competitor. The fifty-eighth and sixty-ninth Bel-monfcs gave Man o -Wars sons, Crusader and War Admiral, 8,550 and 8,020, respectively. Chance Shot, a son of Fair Play Man o Wars dad, earned 0,910 in the fifty-ninth; Vito, who beat Genie, one of Big Reds contributions to the game, 3,-430 in the sixtieth; Gallant Fox 6,040 in the sixty-second. Man o War, the "super" horse, wasnt long in asserting himself, either. His first son to win the Belmont, American Flag 1925, came a year before Crusaders success, and when War Admiral came through in 1937, he duplicated the feats of Australian and his sire, Fair Play, in the siring of three Belmont Stakes winners. Fair Play, following Man o War, sent Mad Play, 1924, and Chance Shot, 1927, to the Belmont winners ring. Chance Shot- in turn, sired Peace Chance, 1934 victor, while Chatterton, still ariotheiv-son of Fair Play; added another score for the line with the victory of Fair-eno in 1932. Following Grey Lags ,650 score in 1921, the Belmont moved into the big-money class in 1922 when Pillory "pocketed" 9,-200, Zev won 9,000 in 1923 and Mad Play earned 2,880 the next year. Most richly dowered Belmont was Native Dancers, which netted Alfred G. Vanderbilt 2,500 last season: . " In 1926 Crusader, the Belmont distance was set at one mile and a half, at which it has remained to this day, and in the merry month of June. Gallant Fox Beats Whichone Also in that year of 1926, the late William Woodward mated the famed French horse, Sir Gallahad m. whom he and three other U. S. turfmen Marshall Field, Arthur B. Hancock and Robert A. Fair-bairn had imported for 25,000 the year before, with his rugged broodmare, Marguerite, bought as a yearling at Saratoga in 1921. Their foal was a bay colt named Gallant Fox, who developed, after a mediocre season as a two-year-old, into one of the great race horses of all time. Gallant Fox won nine of his 10 races in 1930. Ridden by the smart Sande, and trained by Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons, Gallant Fox earned the scarlet-spotted silks of Belair 08,275 to become the first horse to win more than 00,000 in one year. The Belair Bullet vanquished H. P. Whitneys Whichone by three lengths, with Questionnaire third in the 1930 Belmont. Sandes score aboard Gallant Fox marked his fifth winning ride in the famous event, a mark since tied by Eddie Arcaro, but still one behind the Belmont riding record of six within a seven-year period, too held by Jimmy McLaughlin, whose nerves, they say, were cast in chilled steel and irrigated with, ice water. McLaughlin won three in a Continued on Page Fifty-Four Epsom Derby Is Belmont Prototype Many of Americas Greatest Have Won Stake; Man oWar, Citation, Dancer on Roster Continued from Page Nine row from 1882-84 on Forester, George Kinney and Panique, then came back for another consecutive "triple" astride Inspector B., Hanover and Sir Dixon in 1886-88. Five Woodward horses have captured the Belmont, considered by breeders, because of its longer, testing distance of one and one-half miles, far more important than the Kentucky Derby or Preakness. In addition to Gallant Fox, they were: Faireno, 1932; Omaha, 1935; Granville, 1936, and Johnstown, 1939. Omaha and Granville were sons of Gallant Fox. The Dwyer brothers also successfully sent five Belmont winners to the post. However, James R. Keene, arch enemy of William C. Whitney, holds the honor of having won the Belmont Stakes the most times six. His winners were Spendthrift; 1879; Commando, 1901; Delhi, 1904; Peter Pan, 1907; the great Colin, 1908, and Sweep in 1910. Elder Rowe Top Trainer Jimmy Rowe, Sr., who conditioned the fleet flyers of the Dwyers, Keene and Harry Payne Whitney, tops the trainers in the matter of saddling the most Belmont winnerseight. The late Sam C. Hildreth, who conditioned em for August Belmont and Harry S. Sinclair, stands second with seven to his credit, and the venerable Fitzsim-mons is third with his quintet of Belair beauties. - " Not so incidentally, Hildreth sent one of his own postward and triumphant in 1909. That would be Joe Madden, bred by John E. Madden, who -conquered Wise Mason and Don MacDonald, in rotation. Fastest current distance time recorded in the Belmont is shared by Count Fleet 1943 and Citation 1948 at 2:28. Among those of modern times who couldnt win, but did, were Hurryoff , Pasteurized and Bounding Home. While the Belmont fields have been small as regularly as the swallows return to Capistrano, a shift in emphasis from quantity to quality never hurt anyone or anything, any time. Native Dancer faced only five last year; so did One Count, 1952 Horse of the Year. There were only two starters in 1887 Hanover, 1888 Sir Dixon, 1892 Patron, 1910 Sweep, 1920 Man o War, and just three on several other occasions, most recent of which were in 1931 and 1943, Twenty Grands and Count Fleets respective years. Matter of fact, the largest fields of the last three decades were the 11 that answered the bugle in 1924 Mad Play, 1932 Faireno , and the 10 that went postward when Granville won in 1936. The biggest Belmont Stakes parades were away back in 1875 when 13 ran a losing cause against Calvin and in 1877 when 12 met defeat at the heels of Cloverbrook. But the element of luck good luck seldom influences and odds against a horse rarely discourage an owner who feels he has" the slightest chance in Americas true "Test of the Champion," which the Belmont Stakes has come to be known the world over. All owners want to see their silks in the famed race. Biggest thrill, of course, is to see those colors "flying" in the charmed circle, where 85 Belmont Stakes winners already have stood, and to cherish, for a year, the August Belmont Memorial Club, which to some is more treasured than would be the keepers key to Fort Knox.
