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Offer Longfellow in Two Divisions Enter Total of 25 In Monmouth Stake Kaster Meets Soldier Son, Going Away in Second Half; Closed Door Choice in First By WILLIAM C. PHILLIPS Staff Correspondent . MONMOUTH PARK, Oceanport, N. J., June 22.— The second .renewal of the 5,000 added Longfellow Handicap is the midweek highlight that will be presented here Wednesday. For the second time in its short history this lone grass stake of the Monmouth meeting has proven its popularity with the horsemen by attracting 23 overnight entries. Racing secretary John Turner, Jr., divided the group, with 11 to participate as the sixth race on the card, and 12 to engage as the seventh event. The second division of the mile test is by far the most attractive. Heading this unit is C. Mahlon Klines Kaster, a five-year-old Unbreakable gelding who earned the top impost of 120 pounds through triumphs in his last two races performed over the grass at Belmont Park. Pegged five pounds less are Irving Gush-ens Soldier Son, Charfran Stables Brown Booter and Raritan Stables Bakersfield. Jaclyn Stables Bobs Alibi, 112 pounds, is a local grass favorite, and from his good debut effort of the season over the turf last week it is likely that he will be the publics choice. Mrs. E. H. Augustus Euclid is kindly rigged with 108 pounds and he is eligible to repeat his surprise triumph of last season when he captured the second division of the Longfellow. Closed Door Second Last Year Jaclyn Stables Closed Door, who was second to Thasian Hero in the first half of the Longfellow last year, is the probable favorite to be successful in capturing those spoils Wednesday. He shares highweight honors of 111 pounds in this division with Henry H. Polks New Dream, while Roke-by Stables V-Two is weighted closest to them under 110 pounds. Returning to a discussion of the second and most interesting half of the Longfellow, it is at once obvious that Kasters last two winning efforts warrant his high rating. Both were overnight handicaps at one mile and three-eighths and in both instances he displayed equal speed and game-ness to score in track record time. Kaster has been beaten on more than one occasion on both the turf and skinned surfaces when he attempted invasions of New Jersey last year, however, and the localities will be looking more to Bobs Alibi. This fine fi-eyear-old son of Alibhai t was considered among the better turf spe- cialists last season, despite his being unable to win a race in six starts. Bobs Alibi finished fifth in the first division of the Longfellow in 1953, which, incidentally, was completed one and three-fifth seconds faster than the second portion. He led the field to the final stages of the Laurence Armour Handicap at Arlington Park last summer, and finished third, and he was holding a commanding lead in the Boardwalk Handicap at Atlantic City when he left the "course entering the stretch. Last week he finished second to Iceberg II., the champion grass runner of 1953, staving off Going Away by a nose. The latter Brookmeade performer is also a star grass racer and looms among several outside threats in this field. Soldier Son is a speed artist who was imported from New England for this race. Brown Booter raced successfully over the turf last winter at Hialeah and was shipped in from a light spring campaign at New York. Bakersfield, a hard hitting sprinter who won his last race here in 1:09 will be making his first start over the grass.
