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Jabneh and Flying Fury Also In 22,800 Historic Stake Victor to Collect 6,700 4 If All Start; Arcaro and Mr. Fitz After Sixth Win By BOB HORWOOD Staff Correspondent BELMONT PARK, Elmont, L. I.. N. Y., June 10. — A surprisingly laige band of 11 was entered this morning to oppose Belair Studs eastern champion, Nashua, in tomorrows 87th running of the classic Belmont Stakes at a mile and one-half. If all 11 entered actually go postward, which is not likely, particularly as it costs nothing to pass the entry box, this Belmont Stakes will gross 22,800 and net the winner a tidy 6,700. The others named for this Belmont Stakes are Eugenia Bankheads Jabneh, Cain Hoy Stables Flying Fury and Rajput, Clearwater Stables Portersville, C. V. Whitneys Little Dell, Barclay Stables Blazing Count, King Ranchs Retamero, J. M. Seiders Uncle Gus, A. B. Gays Courtship and Howard "Hash" Weinsteins Mr. Al L. The Belmont, which has pointed out the three-year-old champion in eight of the last nine years, though only three of the winners in this period, Assault, Citation and Middleground, won the Kentucky Derby, while four, Phalanx, Capot, Counterpoint and Native Dancer were beaten at Churchill Downs and the other two, One Count and High Gun, didnt start at Louisville, will be run at 3:45 p. m. CST tomorrow and will be broadcast to the nation on Columbia Broadcasting Company CBS radio and television. Juvenile Champion of 1954 Regardless of how many oppose him at level weights of 126 pounds, Nashua will be a short-priced favorite, probably not more than 1 to 5, with Eddie Arcaro in the saddle. The son of Nasrullah from the fine mare, Segula, by the Belmont winner, Johnstown, was voted juvenile champion last year after triumphs in the Juvenile, Grand Union Hotel, Hopeful, Futurity and two other stakes.. This year, the big, proud colt has won an overnight race and the Flamingo at Hialeah, the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park, the Wood Memorial at Jamaica and the Preakness at Pimlico, suffering his only defeat at the flying heels of Swaps in the Kentucky Derby. Nashua has always been reluctant to "win off", several times giving Continued on Page Eight JAMES FITZSIMMONS — The favorite Nashua carries the veteran trainers hopes for his sixth success in the Belmont Stakes. ► n — ; ; ; ; — " ; " ~, FAMED BELMONT STAKES TROPHY Nashua Has Unexpected Ten Rivals In Classic 22,800 Belmont Stakes Enter Jabneh, Flying Fury; * Winner to Collect 6,700 If All Eleven Go Postward Continued from Page One Arcaro the impression that he could have won by many lengths, but insisting on drawing it fine, as was the case in the Preakness two weeks ago. Though Arcaro, who will be going after his sixth Belmont victory, as will Nashuas trainer, Jim Fitzsimmons, said after the Preakness that the big colt was "getting smarter," his habit of doing no more than is necessary may well make this a palpitating renewal of theancient stake, despite the apparent vast superiority of the colt. The "dark horse" of this Belmont appears to be the vastly improved Jabneh, who was sold yesterday by Laudy Lawrence, his breeder, to Mrs. Eugenia Bankhead, who purchased the colt on the spur of the moment for a large* but undisclosed sum. The son of Bimelech from the stakes-winning Bellesoeur, of Beau Pere, was prepared for the Belmont by G. P. "Maje" Odom, but will be saddled by Dr. J. M. Lee, who is precently at Delaware Park. Jabneh will run in the name of Mrs. Bankhead, a sister of the famous stage, screen and television star and baseball fa- #-» J- ? /-» "Prt 11 ill V T3nrtlrV»oo/l tttVi r line vo_ sumed her maiden name. While Jabneh has never met anything remotely resembling a reasonable facsimile of Nashua, the bay colt won his last two starts here with ridiculous ease and in style that convinced his trainer that he deserved a chance in the "Test of the Champion," which brings this brilliant meeting to a close. Hedley Woodhouse, who will ride Jabneh tomorrow, was in the saddle when the colt scored an easy mile victory over War and Peace for his last outing on May, 7, and* was also in the saddle when he trounced the older Alcibiades II. by eight lengths at a mile and a sixteenth on April 30. Though not particularly distinguished, several of the horses behind Jabneh in those races came back with impressive scores of their own, while the colt has been unplaced only once in a brief career that started at Hialeah last winter. On that occasion he was confided to Jack Westrope. In all of his other races, when ridden by Woodhouse and Ted Atkinson, he was "there or thereabouts." Though on the sidelines for more than a month, a prep race having failed to fill, Jabneh has been training well, though he- has not been drilled to the extent that appears necessary to hone a winner of this gruelling classic. Of the proposed starting field Flying Fury, Portersville and Little Dell have credentials of a sort. Last year, Flying Fury won the Champagne Stakes, and -two-: = *- overnight races, while finishing second in the Pimlico Futurity and third in the Garden State Stakes. This season, the son of Nasrullah from the stakes winner, Sicily, by Reaping Reward, narrowly beat Jeans Joe in the Derby Trial for his only victory, while turning in dull races in the Kentucky Derby and last weeks Peter Pan Handicap. He will have "blinkers off" and will be ridden by Hank Moreno, though that boy has also been named for his stablemate, Rajput, a maiden who has never been in the money in four starts. Morenos chief claim to fame is his triumph in the Kentucky Derby the afternoon that Capt. Guggenheims Dark Star beat Native Dancer. Portersville, who will be ridden by Ted, Atkinson, was beaten four and a half lengths by Nances Lad in the Peter Pan, losing ground in the last of those nine furlongs. Before that, he finished third to Traffic Judge and Nances Lad in the Withers. Nances Lad, who passed this race, was unable to cope with Nashua in Florida or Maryland, which hardly suggests that Portersville has much chance tomorrow. Atkinson, who won the 1949 Belmont Stakes on Capot, replaces Paul Bailey on Portersville, while that rider will pilot Little Dell. That gray son of Mahmoud was a = Pan, but finished daylight before Reta-mero, Courtship and Flying Fury. Little Dell had won his previous start in fast time at Delaware Park, but has given no indication of wanting to travel more than a mile. Blazing Count, a 9,000 son of Count Fleet, who will be ridden by Eric Guerin, who won the last two Belmonts on Native Dancer and High Gun, finished fourth in the Kent Stakes at Delaware last out, was a well-beaten third behind Little Dell and Fast and Far before that, up the track in a stake won by Dedicate at Garden State and won two modest allowance races at Laurel. Retamero haswon just one of his six starts this year, was never in the money at two and has only the skill of trainer Max Hirsch to recommend him. Hirsch has sent out Assault, Middleground and High Gun to win recent editions of the classic. Courtship, who has no rider as yet, scored in one of his five starts this season, was never close in three races last year. Uncle Gus was badly beaten while carrying a 0,000 claiming tag in a six furlong race won by Laugh on June 2. He will be steered by Angel Valenzuela. Mr. Al L. will be making his 13th start of the year, has won a single race in 1955 and has more than once "done tricks," such as lugging in through the stretch. He will be ridden by Dave Gorman, a close friend of owner-trainer Weinstein, who -woaithe ,1951 Belmont on. Counterpoint. " .. - _ - 1 i . . - 5
