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Weighing In I By By an Shipman Eiffel Blue Home Again on Off Strip Distaff Sprinters Return in Correction Slow Derby Pace Not to Needles Liking JAMAICA, L. I., N. Y., May 8.— Danny Arnsteins Eiffel Blue, a colt who romped last winter in Hialeahs Bahamas Cap when he found off going, confirmed his fondness for that type of footing here yesterday when he defeated an excellent field of three-year-old stake candidates in the afternoons best offering, a mile and a sixteenth affair with allowance conditions. This trim, tid., model, a bay son of Eiffel Tower from the Stimulus mare, Caribbean Miss, never left the issue in a moments doubt, sprinting off to a commanding lead at the drop of the flag, and then splashing his way through the slop as if he were alone on the track, the others hardly, within hailing distance. The surprise of the race — and of the day, for that matter — was the showing of the French importation, Corax, a colt who had done well last summer in his native land but was permitted to start here at the fantastic odds of 113 to 1. It was never any question of Corax catching the winging Eiffel Tower, but in the tussle for the place, the French colt, gifted with a pleasing action outgamed the rest of the field, rewarding those few. who had backed him in the second slot with 1956.sh3.50 for the usual investment, sUch well considered rivals as the gray Will of Allah and the hard-hitting Son of Erin having to be content with third and fourth money. When theT Winding Way Farms Golf Ace finished in front in the recent Wood Memorial renewal, we were quite aware that he had not maintained any straight line in the drive, but, for all that, we doubted whether he had bothered the favored Head Man enough to justify the stewards reversal of the order of finish. Returning to competition yesterday in Eiffel Blues race, Golf Ace was sent to the post a prohibitive choice on the strength of that Wood Memorial showing. Although the half dozen contemporaries he was meeting included some highly considered members of the generation, the crowd had eyes for nothing but this unlucky Escadru colt, finally sending him off a top-heavy three to five. This time, Golf Aces unfortunate tendency to rove declared itself a lot sooner than it had in the Wood Memorial. He was trying to run out on the first turn, all the way down the backstretch, and again at the far turn, while in addition, his action implied a marked distaste for the slop. Myrtles Jet Must Carry the Burden So often during the past five weeks of metropolitan circuit racing have we seen the filly and mare division occupied with six-furlong dashes that we confess to being thoroughly fed up with that type of task. Tomorrow, the valuable Correction Handicap will see these ladies at it again, but we beg leave to doubt that the race will tell us anything we do not alieady know about them, save establishing the status of current form. Myrtles Jet, thanks to her sparkling score in Garden States Colonial, will be high weight here with 124 pounds, four more than Jimmy Kilroe has assigned Searching and High Voltage; five more than Brook-meades speedy • Gandharva and seven more than George D. Wideners plucky Stymie filly, Rare Treat. As for advice on this subject, Myrtles Jet is at least as good as her Camden showing; Searching may still have been a little short for that engagement, but this one, we understand, is fast rounding to her best form. Immediately following the running of the final race on the program last Saturday, we made post-haste for the jocks room and a look at the Kentucky Derby on television. For most of the mile and a quarter trip, we could follow the calls, and, as the big field swung for home, it looked dollars to doughnuts that Calumet would do it again, the Citation colt, Fabius, seeming to be in complete command. And then pandemonium broke loose; we could hear nothing for the noise, and see less, with jockeys jumping up and down in front of us. The little men had spotted the popularDave Erb /making his powerful run with"Needles, and they were one and all cheering for Erb to get up! On cold figures, this Derby renewal .may not have been too much of a race, but nobody can deny that it was a dramatic, thrilling race, as well as well-earned victory for the honest, strong finishing Needles. Early Leaders Were Too Moderate While the slow time registered in this Derby is a reflection on the merit of the rest of the field— everybody agrees that the Churchill Downs strip, rolled the night before for fear of rain, was lightning fast— we do not believe that Needles, the winner, should suffer in the general indictment. The early pace, set by Ter-rang and Fabius, was moderate, probably no more than that, and a moderate or slow early pace was certainly not in favor of a one run colt like Needles. Had the field gone at it hammer and tongs from the opening of the doors, Needles, lying well to the rear, would have been in an ideal situation to pick them up, once Erb really set him down at the three-eighths pole. That did not hf f ren. Instead, Fabius and the others proved incapable f a final quarter in :26%, two panels that Needles, individually timed, must have run himself-in about :25 seconds flat. This Ponder colt may be far from a true champion, but at least hes a thoroughly good one, and in this lean season, that is saying a lot.
