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New York By Bob Horwood Comely Stakes Provided Excellent Contest Bally Ache Performed Like a Topnotch Colt Toboggan Handicap Looms as Exciting Sprint JAMAICA, L. I., N. Y., May 7.— Yesterdays Comely Stakes was the first edition of this fixture as a two-yeaj-old race, it having formerly been an event for fillies and mares. This years Comely replaces the Youthful Stakes on the Jamaica stakes agenda, but its future is uncertain as all of the early spring stakes will undergo some revision with the shift of operations to Belmont Park next March. The Youthful has provided the first stakes triumph for some very fine horses, indeed, in the last decade, with such as Native Dancer, Summer Tan and Bold Ruler among the recent winners. Battlefield won the 1950 edition, but had earlier won the Hialeah Juvenile, while the young sire, Primate, won it in 1951. Bolero U. and Royal Anthem won the last two renewals of the Youthful. The Comely was run at 1 1-16 miles for fillies and mares from 1945 through 1953, during which time it was won by such good distaff runners as Moon Maiden, Bonnie Beryl, Elpis, Conniver, lithe, Siama and Bed o Roses. With the exception of Bed o Roses, who died at seven, these mares became excellent producers. Eight of the nine colts in the newest Comely had run 5 furlongs at Jamaica in :59 or better, which indicates that the track was deep and tiring as Leonard D. Fruchtmans Bally Ache required :59% to win .the. stake. Bally Ache, a remarkably determined son of Ballydam — Celestial Blue, by Supremus, had set the track record of :57% last week. Hevfinished the Comely in the style of a genuine colt, forcing his way between horses at the quarter pole, then finishing with his head low in a relentless rush. Pebblebrook Farms Royal Charger colt Tufanhai ran an even race to be second, while the race of Wheatley Stables Progressing, who finished third, was decidedly promising. This Bimelech colt lacked any early speed, but finished fastest of all. The first three colts are all well-made youngsters, with Progressing perhaps the most eye-catching. Change Traditional Chute Fixture Mondays Toboggan Handicap, which opens the 54-day Belmont Park spring meeting, promises to be a thrilling dash and will lose nothing in public interest from being disputed on the main course, rather than Widener straightaway. Though thought of as a traditionally straightaway dash, the Toboggan has actually been run on several different courses. It was inaugurated on the straightaway at Morris Park in 1890 and took its name from the fact that part of that course was downhill. In fact, for the first six runnings it was known as the Toboggan Slide Handicap. From 1905 through 1921, it was run over the old straight course, an extension of the front stretch, at Belmont Park. From 1922 through 1927, the Toboggan was run on the main course, shifting to the then new Widener course in 1928, where it stayed until this year, except for the 1941 renewal, which was on the main track. Brunetti and Piarullis Vertex has been given two pounds less in the Tobboggan than the 130 pounds he is asked to carry in Saturdays richer Grey Lag at lYa miles. Though a front-runner and liberally endowed with speed, the son of The Rhymer is not considered essentially a sprinter. Last -year, Wheatley Stables Bold Ruler, who could also get llU miles on his best days, carried 133 pounds in the Toboggan for his seasonal debut and turned back Clem 117 and Tick Tock 116. Tick Tock, who won his seasonal debut last week, is asked to carry 122 pounds on Saturday. This suggests that Vertex, though acknowledged the best _of the current handicap division in the East is still several pounds from being rated a top horse by racing secretary Jimmy Kilroe. The spread between Bold Ruler and Tick Tock was 17 pounds, that between Vertex and the son of Double Jay only six pounds, a difference of 11 pounds. Tfiese weights, of course, only represent Kilroes estimate of these horses at 6 furlongs. We doubt that he would rate Bold Ruler 11 pounds better than Vertex at 14 miles, or "even at iyB miles. Cohoes Has 125 Impost Greentree Stables Cohoes appears from this corner to be well treated with 125 pounds, which will probably be the starting topweight. Decimal won the 1957 Toboggan under 124 pounds, while Nances Lad took the 1956 edition with 126. Cohoes, though another not considered primarily a sprinter, displayed abundant speed in his return to action on Monday, when he was ridden by Manuel Ycaza in the absence of Johnny Ruane. He was better behaved at the gate before the race than he has been for the past two years and also appears to have filled out appreciably. At the weights, Nadir, 123 ; Bumpy Road, Isendu, Tick Tock and War-head, 122; Itobe, Jimmer and Yemen, 115; Viscount, 112, and Egotistical, 110 pounds, should be able to make one of the most exciting sprints of the season. Reginald N. Webster has a yearling half sister to Quill, by Crafty Admiral, who is reported to be one of the best looking young misses in Kentucky. According to Charley Cohens figures, his Crafty Admiral has sired eight winners at the Jamaica meeting. Despite this success, the Floridian overlooked Our Sweet Wendy a Crafty Admiral filly, in Wednesdays second race and asked to borrow this writers copy of the recently published "Natural Science of Stupidity."
