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Metropolitan Metropolitan Lures Lures High High Gun; Gun; Bashford Bashford Manor Manor Stakes Stakes Split Split ROBERT J. KLEBERG — High Gun will carry his King Ranch colors in todays renewal of the Metropolitan Handicap. Tops 14 Meeting In 7,900 Mile 1954 Sophomore Champion Must Give Fisherman Two Pounds in Seasonal Debut By BOB HORWOOD Staff Correspondent BELMONT PARK, Elmont, L. I., N. Y., May 13.— King Ranchs High Gun, three-year-old champion of 1954 and winner of his last five starts at Belmont, heads a field of 14 in Saturdays 62nd running of the Metropolitan Mile. The strapping son of Heliopolis, whose only defeats since he won the Peter Pan Handicap here last June 5 were in the Arlington Classic and American Derby at Chicago, is asked to carry 130 pounds for his first start of the year, conceding two pounds to C. V. Whitneys Fisherman, who has had the benefit of two races this spring. If all 14 go postward in the Metropolitan, which is not likely, the stake will gross 7,900 and net the winner 7,050, with these values being reduced 00 for each withdrawal. Dropped Close One in Campbell High Gun owes his impost to his victories in the Peter Pan, Belmont Stakes, Dwyer, Sysonby Mile, Manhattan Handicap and Jockey Club Gold Cup. In three a of these stakes, he beat Fisherman, taking J the Peter Pan when receiving five pounds M winning the Belmont by a neck at levej weights and drawing away at the end oM the two-mile Gold Cup to score by three™ lengths. Tony DeSpirito will ride Higr Gun tomorrow and the brown colt wil probably be favored, despite this being hi first outing of the year. He has been training in brilliant style for several weeks for the veteran Max Hirsch. Fisherman won five of his 15 starts last year, including the Travers, Lawrence Realization and Washington D. C. International. This spring, the little, though not quite as little as last year, son of Phalanx was beaten a nose by Social Outcast at level weights in the J. B. Campbell Memorial at Bowie, then beat Joe Jones almost a length in the Excelsior Handicap at Jamaica, edging away from his rival in the final yards of that mile and a sixteenth after taking the lead sooner than jockey Hedley Woodhouse wished. Fisherman has also been training well since that race and matched High Guns five furlongs in :59 yesterday morning. Woodhouse Continued on Page Seven ♦ - j J I I , o | FINISH OF THE 1954 METROPOLITAN— Native Dancer getting up to beat Straight Face a neck in the 1954 Metropolitan renewal at Belmont Park. The Polynesian-Geisha colt ran the mile in 1:354. This was his next-to-last l appearance in racing competition. , • j .t 7,900 Metropolitan Lures High Gun I ! lAnd Thirteen Others at Belmont Today i I I 1 j K | [ el _ I I 10 0 - " tl j n Fg at 4 5 !~ of f ■ »» - j : iy j. iy tn Is ly is »_ [d j_ eJ! in [L j_ m h the xe the ie at at *~ 11 ~~ . is 1- 5 E. ijf T. 1- *~ ar 11 7954 Sophomore Champion ♦ ? Must Give Fisherman Two Pounds in Seasonal Debut i |! i Continued from Page One i will again be in the saddle. He is expected to be a strong second choice. Ethel D. Jacobs Joe Jones will probably be third choice tomorrow. The son of Stymie, who will be ridden by Conn Mc-»t Creary, finished a little more than two lengths behind Fisherman in the Campbell, • getting four pounds and received seven in the Excelsior. In with 119 pounds tomorrow, . he is getting two more pounds from the Whitney colt for less than a length. ; Since the Excelsior, Joe Jones finished only a nose behind Helioscope in the Val-ie ley Forge Handicap at a mile and 70 yards at Garden State, carrying 119 to his rivals 130 and succumbing in the final stride. While High Gun, Fisherman and Joe ! Jones are the stars of this Metropolitan, the contention in this field, which has ; earned a total of approximately ,500,000 doesnt stop there. Among the lightweights, James Cox 5 Bradys Artismo, 115; Woodley Lane » Farms Red Hannigan, 114, and High Tide , Stables Fabulist, 111 pounds, appear particularly , dangerous. Artismo, who will be , ridden by George Glassner, was one of the I leading juveniles of 1953 and a disappointment , last year, but was beaten only a head I by Social Outcast in the McLennan at Hialeah last winter and succumbed by r the same margin to Red Hannigan in the seven -furlong Roseben Handicap here last I week. The son of Goya U. may have j needed that race, which was his first since March. The Roseben was the second start j of the season for Red Hannigan, who had been beaten inches by County Clare in i his previous start. Paul Bailey will again l ride this son of Heliopolis. Fabulist raced well at Santa Anita last b winter and won his first Eastern start at t Jamaica, then disappointed in three races » before beating a moderate field with the i greatest of ease on May 3 here. In that b race, the roan son of Mighty Story overcame - the disadvantage of racing on the i inside rail all the way. No rider has been » assigned as yet. Four Sets of Couplings There are four sets of couplings in the e Metropolitan. Fisherman will have Fly Wheel, 111 pounds as a running mate, though Woodhouse has been named for both horses, which may mean that only y one will start. Paper Tiger, 112, has been entered along with Joe Jones, and Mc- Creary has been named for both of Hirsch h Jacobs charges. Brookmeade Stable has ? entered Capeador, 116, and First Aid, 114 pounds, with no riders assigned to either ,r horse. Calumet Farm has named the ft former stars, Mark-Ye-Well. 115, and Fleet Bird, 113, with Bill Boland named for both. l j The field is completed by Clifford Mooers I Cyclotron, 110, and Edward M. OBriens S ♦ ? i |! i i • . ; ! ; 5 » , , , I , I r I j - ■ Gaidar, the lightweight of the field with b 104 pounds. Both the Calumet and Brookmeade entries m must be respected on their best form, a but both Mark-Ye-Well and Fleet Bird ap-; H pear to have lost their zest for competition. a First Aid finished second to Prince Hill in n* his seasonal bow, while Capeador, who usually races well when fresh, showed little le in his two starts on Long Island after racing ,_ very well at Hialeah, where he was narrowly beaten by Hasty Road in the ie Widener. The Metropolitan was inaugurated at Morris Park back in 1891 and was at a a mile and a furlong until 1897 when James es R. Keenes three-year-old Voter won under ;r 99 pounds. Ethelbert, Banastar and Irish jh Lad are other memorable Morris Park .jj winners. The Metropolitan was the inaugural fea- t. ture when Belmont Park opened its gates es on May 4, 1905 and resulted in one of the ie great races of all time when James R. R Keenes Sysonby and O. L. Richards Race King finished in a dead heat, the first re-, g. corded in a handicap stake up to that time ie in this country. Since then, the stake has as been won by such good ones as Whisk 5k Broom n., Mad Hatter, Grey Lag, Sting, g Sarazen, Questionnaire, Equipoise, Eight lg Thirty, Devil Diver, Stymie, Tom Fool and 1j Native Dancer. Equipoise and Devil Diver er each finished first three times in the ie "Met." but "Ekky" was disqualified after er beating Mr. Khayyam in 1934. Both Tom m Fool and Native Dancer carried 130 founds 3s to victories, scoring by narrow mar-t gins over Royal Vale and Straight Face, £ respectively. This years edition promises JJ to be fully as exciting a contest as the last two memorable runnings of the mile Je handicap.
