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I Weighing In By Evan Shipman Fulton Rewards Trainer Hughes Patience, Bunnys Babe Back at Top Form for Shevlin Jamies Comes From Behind to Win Rich Trot AQUEDUCT, L. I., N. Y., June 17. Holly Hughes trainer these many years for the Sanford family, has a long and distinguished professional record, but fortune has not favored the familiar upstate colors of late, and we hate to think how long it is since Hughes developed chasers, as Tourist n. and the "Hi-Ho Sil-horse," Golden Meadow, delighted enthusiasts of through-the-field sport. Yesterday, the lightly weighted chestnut jumper, Fulton, led the pack from end to end in the featured two-mile Hitchcock Steeplechase Handicap, repelling the ultimate bids of Mont- peliers Shipboard and Mrs. Mickey Walshs Rythm-inhim like the good horse many close followers of .this specialty have always believed him to be. Confidently ridden by Dooly Adams, Fulton behaved like a perfectly schooled veteran, and he would have looked even better had he been able to come off a smart early pace instead of making all the running himself. Back four years ago, at the Saratoga meeting, this same Fulton made a distinct impression, both oyer hurdles and in a winning race over the larger obstacles. At that time, Dooly Adams had the choice of riding either Fulton or Mrs. Ogden Phipps grand little chaser, Oedipus, in the important Fall Steeplechase Stakes at Belmont Park. After giving the matter the careful consideration it deserved, Adams elected to ride Fulton. In his very next start, the Sanford Farms interesting prospect went amiss, while Oedipus as we all know went on to great things. Disagree With Weight Assignments Patience has, after this long interval, earned its reward, and when Hughes saddled Fulton in an overnight chase at Belmont Park toward the close of that meeting, we all saw a thoroughly "made" performer, even though he was a little short in that initial outing. Impressed by that race, we disagreed strongly with the weights assigned for yesterdays Hitchcock by handi-cappepr Jack Cooper, cur view being that neither Shipboard nor Coveted could hope to concede Sanford Farms chestnut Head Play gelding 31 and 16 pounds, respectively. They each made a brave try at this formidable task, but Coveted had had enough shortly after rounding the far turn of the infield course, while Shipboard was anchored in jockey Albert Foots well-timed drive, unable to cut down the pacemakers two- or three -length advantage in the stretch. Fulton, we believe, will benefit from this race, improving about as much for his next as he did between the Belmont re-en try and yesterdays stake. Saturdays featured Shevlin Stakes is one of the Metropolitan circuits secondary events for three-year-olds, although it occasionally attracts colts who, for one reason or another, have been forced to pass up what we term the classic engagements and yet, alfcHhe end of the season, are numbered among the generations leaders. Victorian, Jack High, Faireno, Good Advice, By Jimminy, My Request and Battlefield all have a Shevlin to their credit, and that need we say is a thoroughly respectable roster. Originally, raced" at a mile,- the distance was advanced to a mile and a sixteenth in 1940, and has now, since 53, been reduced to seven furlongs. We do not pretend to understand the reasoning behind these shifts, but we do know that the present route admirably suits the 11 likely colts who have been named overnight, Five Have Displayed Recent Good Form Among the Shevlin candidates, "we are paying special attention to Bunnys Babe, Westward Ho, Ever Best, Informant and Georgian, every one of this quintet having shown recent excellent form that may be relevant to other stakes as well-as to Saturdays good sprint. In this space, we called your attention to the comeback achieved by the gray Attention colt, Bunnys Babe, after a long spell on the sidelines. Ever since the running of Summer Tans Cowdin last September, we have thought Bunnys Babe possessed an admirable potential, going so far as to rank him very little below Nashua, Summer Tan and Royal Coinage. To all appearances, the rangy New Jersey-bred is sound again now, and the conditions of the Shevlin allow him to start here with the feather of 111 pounds aboard in contrast to the 120 that must be shouldered by the Maryland campaigner, Westward Ho, and the 116 on Hal Price Headleys speedy, but none too stout-hearted Georgian. Victim of bad racing luck on his previous visits to Roosevelt Raceway, Brightside Farms handsome black trotter, Jamie, finally showed local harness fans his true quality when he came from far back in last nights American championsip trot to outfinish the favored Faber Hanover, last years winner; Royal Pastime and a large field of nationally known performers. With the Maryland mare, Lady Dunn, setting a torrid pace, this mile and a quarter invitational free-for-all was a hotly disputed contest for every step of the journey, Lady Dunn still in the lead at the end of an initial mile in 2:02. Faber Hanover, well nursed by driver Billy Haughton, took over in the homestretch from the weary mare, but Jamie, closing powerfully on the outside of bunched horses, had a final quarter in considerably better than 30 seconds on tap, and that was plenty good enough to earn him first money.
