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■- — ■ im New Jersey — By William C. Phillips Iron Liege Surrenders Under High Weight Calumet-Bred Sharpsburg Shows His Mettle Best Performance of Year for Tick Tock GARDEN STATE PARK, Camden, N. J., May 5. — Calumet Farms Iron Liege one year ago last Saturday stood tense and tired while the horseshoe of American ■- — ■ Beauties Beauties were were draped draped over over his his Beauties Beauties were were draped draped over over his his sweated shoulders as the 83rd winner of the Kentucky Derby. Last Saturday, it was Tim Tam under the same, famed devils red and blue banner of the Mrs. Gene Markeys Calumet who proudly arched his neck in response to the plaudits and adulation of the nation as the 84th victor of the "Run for the Roses," while an older and, supposedly wiser. Iron Liege, Ljege fought fought on on with with the the courage courage im Liege, Ljege fought fought on on with with the the courage courage befitting a former Kentucky Derby winner in the Valley Forge Handicap. The inaugural highlight of the Garden State Park meeting and the New Jersey racing season was, however, not the Kentucky or any other type of derby. It was a handicap and, as such. Iron Liege was carrying the derby weight of 126 pounds, but all of his six rivals were receiving a socialistic redress. The burden ultimately proved too great and Iron Liege, although proud and game, surrendered to the onslaught. Tribute to Sheas Judgment Before an enthusiastic inaugural, crowd of 33,384, it was another Calumet-bred horse who came through the misty haze to grasp the prize of the day. Sharpsburg, flaunting the silks of Roy.E. Faircloths Fairlawn Farm, furiously rushed into command to win the 8,-450 Valley Forge Handicap by a neck from Howell E. Jacksons Tick Tock. Mrs, Adele L. Rands Clem, an established and bitter foe to Iron Liege, had battled last years Derby hero into forced submission and he held on valiantly to be just another nose behind .-while relegating Iron Liege to fourth place, behind another length. As a handicap race, it was a thrilling, resounding success, and a tribute to the judgment of Racing Secretary M. C. "Ty" Shea, who engineered the weights to bring four of the eight horses to the end of the sloppy mile and70 yards within the span of one length and a quarter. As a true test of the thoroughbred, it should be conceded that Iron Liege retained his superiority as a stalwart who simply was not quite able to concede seven pounds to Sharpsburg, nine pounds to Clem and 11 pounds to Tick Tock. Young jockey Howard Grant, who rede a remarkably fine race astride Sharpsburg, reported after the event that he didnt think he had it won: "I just put my head down and hit him, and he did the rest." It was only in the last, crucial yards that Sharpsburg overhauled and pushed past the bitterly dueling top trio, but he was running much the strongest at the end and would have rapidly increased his advantage had the race been longer. The triumph was a tribute to Sharpsburg, a five-year-old horse by Alibhai— Nina Bruja, by Embrujo who has lost only one race since leaving the Calumet .Farm at Lexington last fall to campaign for his new owner. The horse was wearing bar-shoes in front as a protection against a recurrence of quarter-crack troubles, with conventional aluminum plates behind. The rear shoes had stickers for the sloppy, slippery condition of the "track, but the fronts were slick and an obvious handicap to .his stride. Grant " stated that Sharpsburg had trouble with the going in the early stages and that, after making a move on the stretch turn, he thought the horse was "through," but a touch of the whip called out new reserves from Sharpsburg and he ground it out through the last sixteenth. Lester Thought He Had It We encountered Willie Lester later in the evening and the intelligent young gentleman admitted that he thought he probably had the race won when his mount. Tick Tock. made his move in the stretch, but that the Double Jay gelding indulged in a previous bad habit of hanging on the money. Lester recalled that he thinks he would have won had he been able to slip through on the inside of the two leaders rounding into the stretch, but that Eric Guerin astride Clem shouted a warning to Charlie Burr on Iron Liege to "watch the rain" and he Lester decided it prudent to come around. It was Clem, entirely, who defeated Iron Liege. Guerin made no less than three moves on Clem in forcing the Calumet runner on the pace. Passing the half-mile, again at the three-eighths pole and his final, successful bid swinging past the quarter-pole. It was the same Clem, the horse who loves the mud, but looks to be too little to become a champion, who last year raced Iron Liege to a thrilling nose finish in the. Jersey Stakes after the Calumet Farm colt had just completed winning the Derby and finishing second in the Preakness. This was the fifth start of the season for Clem and by far Jiis best race, promising some future sharp efforts The fourth performance by Tick Tock and also his best. The sixth for Iron Liege and. if not his tops, game enough to show he is still in excellent form. Sharpsburg was winning his sixth race under the Fairlawn Farm silks, his third of the year and the second stakes of his dareer. He won Laurels Capitol Handicap this spring and was beaten a nose by One-Eyed King in the Lincoln Special, the only defeat he has turned in for his new owner. The groom, who was plastering cooling mud into Sharpsburgs front hoofs Continued on Page Fifty-One I NEW JERSEY j By VHXIAMX;. PniLLITS Continued from Poge Seven at the busy days end, stated that the handsome runner was going* "sound as a dollar, is a sensible horse, arid always cools out well." It appears that Faircloth has managed to obtain from Calumet Farm another horse the. calibre of the, consistent Alerted, a—former Calumet cast-off who won almost a half-million dollars a few seasons ago for the H-mpton Stable of Frank Stout. Last fail ;in Lexington, we were speaking socially with Margaret Glass, the attractive and intelligent young lady .who heads the secretarial forces: at Calumet As -we recollect the conversation, she explained how-Mrs. Markey was not anxious to sell Sharpsburg.- but that Faircloth persuasively explained a-desire to- "buy something of the best, and that he wanted it to be Calumet, because Calumet was the best." Sharpsburg had been one of the stables reserve hopefuls as a three-year-old, but he had been troubled off and i on by general leg trouble in front, and at the time was recuperating- from quarter - cracks at the farm. Faircloth purchased, him ia a package deal with liberty-Sun and, within two weeks, had him winning-his first race. The Red-Board: If Brookfield Farms Ive Got Rhythm. can race as well next Saturday in theDelaware Valley Stakes as he did winning the Southwark: Purse on opening day, he will -be tough to beat. He won by four lengths, being eased in the final yards; making-- Li*l Fella look very much like his name. The latter, who is not nominated to the Delaware Valley, ran, a better race than.indicated,. however. It appeared, that he could not handle the sloppy going down the backstretch and into the turn, Lut closed well-when Grant pulled his whip entering the home lane. Deack .Duncan could have done- a little better without losing-so-much-groundr also, and Balmacara showed some good foot before tiring. . . . Larry GilHgan, -who earned his fortune with "Tennessee" Wright, is on hand to free lance through the meeting. . . . Max Hirsch,..the shrewd veteran of King Ranch,-, has a capable division here and will shift his runners back and forth from New York; . . . Walter Blum, who was shooting for five stakes victories in succession last week; reports that Dorchester Farms Stay Smoochie gave her all in the Kentucky Oaks, but he believes the distance was just*. too much. . . . Al Torre, guitar man for tre popular Vagabonds who have amused-:and delighted racing folk on many occasions; .paid jhis respects to Garden State on -Monday before leaving for the next engagementat the Three Rivers Club, Syracuse, N." He was hosted by Don Battle, empresario of Philadelphias RDA Club, with -the Miss-Barbara Wright of skeet-shooting: fame along for protection.
