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. ----- V I Weighing In I — ; ; By Evan Shipman Coast Horses Hold Outside Derby Chance Summer Tan Best When Races Are Spaced Canadiana Disappoints With Dull Effort BELMONT PARK, Elmont, L. I., TN". Y., April 30.— Now that both Nashua and Summer Tan jire safely at Louisville, awaiting next Saturdays running of the Kentucky Derby, the few days remaining will see a scrupulous examination of their rivals credentials, the possibility of. an upset in the "Run for the Roses" being always present. Among those colts familiar to this observer, only the Californians, Swaps and Jeans Joe, appear .to have what used to be termed a "Chinamans chance," and, even in their case,-it is difficult or impossible to assemble any tangible evidence to encourage their pretensions. Swaps, the Santa Anita Derby winner, and Jeans Joe, his runner-up in a close race, both impressed us last winter as "good colts," but neither their showing in that local Derby nor in any of their other engagements suggested the kind of class it will certainly take to -threaten or extend the champions from Long Island. - Last May, Tuesdays mile Derby Trial, bitterly disputed by Hasty Road and Determine, offered more than a hint of what was to transpire a little later on the big day. The year before that, Cain Hoys Dark-Star gave warning in the trial that he would be the most serious kind of factor in the more important race. This time, Nashua and Summer Tan are going to pass -up the trial. -After the recent Wood Memorial, neither colt has any need of a "conditioner." Rough, tough Nashua is as fit now as hands can make him, while it was apparent last season that Summer Tan appreciates a considerable interval between his starts. In fact the usual schedule for a classic campaign- is probably too severe for Summer Tan, and we will not be at all surprised if his patient, careful trainer, Sherrill Ward, * makes very sparing use of his charge all spring, no matter what the inducements will be to do "otherwise. ! Many Rich American Sophomore Stakes So many rich stakes for three-year-oIdand dot our American racing calendar that the single objective is not as fmportant now as it used to be. In the case of Summer Tan however, his owner," Mrs. John Galbreath, and his trainer have probably made up their minds concerning the features on which they intend to concentrate. In England and France at this season, everything is subordinate to a stables chance?, in the Epsom Derby, The Prix du Jockey Club and the Grand Prix de Paris, the St. Leger in early fair at Doncaster being still far distant. Despite his being sired by Nasrullah, Nashua is very much the American type, built to stand the wear and tear. Summer Tan on the other hand reminds us of those European colts whose brilliant form is carefully nursed. Last year, .we believed that C. V. Whitneys Goya U. colt, Pyrenees, belonged even more definitely to this type, but .unfortunately Pyrenees was not campaigned with the same prudence that has distinguished Wards work with Summer Tan. Canadiana, a perennial stake winner for Edward P. Taylor, made her first public appearance of the young season on Long Island yesterday in a sprint featuring a dull program, rendered even less agreeable by the continued bad weather, nor did this favorites performance brighten the afternoon for the form players. On a strip supposed to be exactly to her liking and at a distance calculated to throw her not inconsiderable merits into relief , Canadiana never looked like catching the front-running Miss Weesie, winding up far back in the pack. Miss Weesie splashed her way to a half dozen lengths score over Murphs Deb and something with the ignominious name,- Nose Trouble, and this mare will be recalled as having given Earl Sande his winning mount in that horsemans brave 1953 attempt at a comeback. She is a useful sort, but even on yesterdays evidence we cannot consider Miss Weesie as within many, many pounds of the speedy Canadiana with whom we have hitherto been familiar. Fresh Meadow Returns to Racing. If Canadianas dismal showing represented an inexplicable decline in form, the„-next race on the card — a mile event for high class platers — had a much more cheerful aspect in the vastly improved effort of Isidor Biebers Fresh Meadow, a big, rugged homebred by Basileus n. who, up to now, has experienced about every misfortune in -the catalogue. Several years ago, Fresh Meadow — then a two-year-old — ran up a string of victories at the fall Bowie meeting, these so convincing that the late John Blanks Campbell regarded the colt as a fine Kentucky Derby prospect. Campaigned that winter at Hialeah, Fresh Meadow was victim of a distressing accident during the running of a race, his blinkers slipping over his eye, and the colt crashing blind into the outside rail. For a time, trainer Hirsch Jacobs despaired of saving the colts life, but he responded to treatment, and, late the next fall, was back under colors. After showing good form, Fresh Meadow went lame and was returned to the farm for another long rest. Now he is back again, and yesterday he was beaten less than two lengths for it all in a performance that should have a rewarding sequel before long.
