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W E IGHING I N EVAN SHIPMAN AQUEDUCT, L. I., N. Y., June 14. Stout-finishing and well-trained High Gun, and game little Fisherman, made the finish of last Saturdays Belmont Stakes as close as it had been last year for the brilliant renewal disputed by the great Native Dancer and the now all but forgotten Jamie K. In both races, the excite ment generated in spectators was intense, but there the superficial similarity ends abruptly. Native Dancer, in winning the 53 Belmont, confirmed the general estimate of him as an altogether unusual thoroughbred; High Gun won a race that, from the professional point of view, was distinctly run-of-the-mill. The King Ranchs large, good-looking son of the Hyperion stallion, Heliopolis, from a Brazado dam, gave evidence on the week end of real staying ability. High Gun, who has enjoyed the confidence all season of his astute trainer, Max Hirsch, showed himself on the occasion of his most important engagement not only a fit colt, but one who is not found wanting by classic standards. And yet, to a horseman, this Belmont renewal was certainly something less than impressive, while it is our guess that High Gun owes his victory at least as much to Eric Guerins patient ride as he does to his own inherent quality. As for those who finished behind High Gun, Fisherman and the surprising Limelight in this mile and a half test, we are obliged to believe that several in the large field notably the warm favorite, Correlation, and last years champion, Porterhouse were unable to give their true measure, the race, for one reason or another, being quite false as far as they were concerned. AAA Repeating an error previously made this spring at Churchill Downs, Baltimore and Camden,, the stubborn High Gun, Fisherman in Thrilling Finish Belmont Lacked Top Quality This Season Woodhouse May Have Erred With Early Move Determined Effort Overshadows Localites public insisted on sending the California colt, Correlation, to the post a strong choice. Once again, the tendency to lug in, that must be due to latent unsoundness, fatally compromised the handsome son of Free Americas chances. Porterhouse, a deceptively strong factor in the running of this Belmont until the head of the stretch, was obviously "short" as far as a gruelling mile and a half race was concerned, recent trouble with his back preventing trainer Charley Whittingham from giving him the necessary preliminary drills. As for Mrs. J. R. H. Thourons imported English colt, War of Roses, and Fox-catchers chestnut son of Alibhai, Chevation, this pair achieving a certain prominence because of victories in the Jersey Stakes and the Kent at Delaware, they simply revealed what their breeding might have suggested, namely, that a mile and a half is about four furlongs more than they care to travel. Emphasis on either War of Roses or Chevation was desperate business to begin with, most of it stemming from dissatisfaction with the present conditions of those whose earlier records would warrant their being taken seriously here. AAA Brave, sturdy little Fisherman showed us the race of his life Saturday, and the C. V. Whitney colt, sent post-ward by Syl Veitch in resplendent condition, may well have been unlucky not to repeat his sire, Phalanx triumph in the Belmont. Two jumps from the wire, High Gun caught Fisherman, going on to score by a neck, but our feeling is that Hedley Woodhouse, the Whitney color-bearers pilot, had made a fatal mistake in moving prematurely with his charge. Had Fisherman only been waited until the quarter pole, instead of making a bold bid for the lead after passing the far turn, it is our belief that he would have won, and won with something to spare. Fisherman possesses undeniable stamina, but "his run" will carry him only a certain distance, and, again, that run is at his jockeys disposal. Time after time, we have watched Fisherman launch his challenge, seen this challenge succeed and seen it fail. In this case, it was essential to nurse the little colts resources as long as possible, that task facilitated by the excellent position Fisherman attained early in the running. Woodhouse is unquestionably one of our best riders, but this is not the first time we have considered him in error in the "rating of a long-distance race. On the other hand, Guerins coolness in timing his bid with High Gun, together with the patient hand ride he gave the winner all through the home stretch, cannot be praised too warmly. It is always easy to laud the victor at the direct expense of the runner-up, but in this particular instance, Guerins contribution actually merits all the admiration it has received. AAA Overshadowing any performance seen in the Belmont was the magnificent effort shown by the Kentucky Derby winner, Determine, on the same afternoon at Hollywood Park. Andy Crevolins wonderful little gray, conceding chunks of weight to everything else in the excellent field, ran a bang-up second to his stablemate, the older Imbros, in time that tied Count Speeds world record for a mile nad a sixteenth. If High Guns Belmont elicits no hosannahs from horsemen, Determines effort, even in defeat, is one that stamps him as far and away the best Continued on Page Forty -Four WEIGHING IN By EVAN SHIPMAN Continued from Page Fifty-Two of our current three-year-olds, the almost inevitable choice as "three-year-old of the year," and also a strong candidate for Horse of the Year honors. Experience teaches us that, no matter what they may accomplish in the fall, colts are at a marked disadvantage in spring and early summer in competition with their elders, those who have won all-age handicaps at anything like equality of weight being rare indeed. In finishing a mere length off Imbros, Determine carried scale weight of. 115 pounds; this represented a concession of eight to the winner and 12 to High Scud, Berseem, Pet Bully and Fleet Bird, who finished in that order behind the gray three-year-old. Easterners are not familiar with these names except for Pet Bully; those who have seen Mrs. Ada.L. Rices horse race this season know that Pet Bully is one of the leaders of his division, no matter where he starts. AAA Late Friday night, hours before the running of the rich Calif ornian, Andy Crevb-lin told us on the telephone that he intended to "declare to win" with Imbros, but that he believed that, even at the weights, the three-year-old would prove the best if both were ridden out to their limit. He said this even while conceding that Johnny Longden fitted Imbros better than any other jockey, his mount moving the always redoubtable Polynesian horse up considerably. Crevolin affirmed that he had not the slightest anxiety about their ability to run "one-two," and his accurate prediction included the prophecy that the track record would be broken. Now we have not talked to Andy since the running, but a study of the chart for the Calif ornian suggests that Imbros actually won on his merits. Apparently, High Scud gave both Longden, on Imbros, and Ray York, on Determine, a scare as they passed the quarter pole, and, from there in, everybody went to a real drive. Our own estimate of Determines performance .is based on the high regard in which we hold Imbros, it being our considered opinion that at the Calif ornian distance of a mile and a sixteenth, Imbros is all but inseparable from Native Dancer.
