The sun., 1896-01-27
THE SPRING HANDICAPS.
yURFMEN ARE ALREADY TRYING
TO PICK THE WINNERS.

A Calculation OF tho Weights to Re Al.
lotted 20 Four-ycnr-oids~, Ncnry OF Ma
yarre. Ciinord. and Dorina Likely to
Head the I.ist-Fi Wager orthe Season
On next Saturday tho weights will be an
nounccd for tho Suburban. on the following
Monday tho weights for the Brooklyn Handi-
cap will be made public, and on Tuesday. Fob
T. the entries close for the Metropolitan. the
frst of the three great spring handlcaps to be
run this season. Tho announcements are the
first moves in tho active racing of 1896.
Tho amateur handicappers, including those
close students of form who persstently plug p"
tho bookmnkers. arc actively engaged In rating
tho horses In advance OF the official handicap
pers. and every owner and racegoer In the land
In also eagerly awaiting the weights.
Some predictions are even being made about
tho winners. Although the Metropolitan Is
still open, tho entries, with one or two addi-
tions, perhaps, will be about the same AS those
already named for the Brooklyn and Suburban.
1t 10 unique in racing to try to select a winner
before the entries have been made. yet there
arc some who are attempting the task. Dorian
and Clifford arc both fanced. and Ben Brush
also has friends AS NJ. F. Dwyer's three year
old is entered in the Brooklyn, the wiscacres
h9ure that he will naturally be in its pred
eoessor at Morris Park, tho Metropolitan
and II he starts they think the colt will win. Sir
Walter, Counter Tenor, and Lazzarone have
also been mentioned for the first important race
Of tho year. To 20 further. n stanch admirer
Of the Blemton Stable has selected Dorian for
tho Metropolitan. Henry of Navarro for the
Brooklyn. and Keenan, for the suburban. He
announced his opinion to n group OF horsemen
in an uptown hotel. and as n result Of the chatf
that greeted the remark tho Blemton advocate
wagered $500 even with well-known book
maker that one of the handicaps would be won
by Blemton horse. 1t was the first wager of
the season.
All agree that the top weights will be allotted
70 Henry Of Navarro Clifford. Domino. Lnzza-
rone. Saragossa, Sir Walter. Dorian. and Horn
pipe, in about the order named. The top
weights. perhaps. will be 1913 pounds in tho
Metropolitan. 13O in the Brooklyn. and 1872 In
the Suburban. and Henry of Navarro will likely
lead tho lists when the handicaps are all known
In the face OF the fact that the three-year-olds
surf critics think the older division viii
show the way, home to this years four;
she Iivs hue.,.ar:oids & and upward. PVT the Critics
fancy the three-year- old- Ben Brush has the
Be- q factor in tho two early handicaps. while
Handspring is fancied for the suburban. 1t is
spring handicap in the East. but it must be re-
membered that colts Of the highest class; in
sy.S s Of h h snlg sH an
length by DR.. Rice in the brooklyn Lam
dicap OF 1924. and with their pull In
the weights Ben Brush and Handspring should
be a. prominent in the handicap prizes they are
Handicap. Hanover. HardsprinE's sire, defeated
Dry Monopoe aDd field made up of other
starters in the great race. the three-year-old
winning with plenty to spare. Handspring has
developed into a horse of massive muscular pro-
portions during the winter. and it is probable
he will be in the same high class as a three
year old that his sire was.
In the doctrine of chance. however. the odds
should favor the four year, old. furnishing the
winners for the handcaps Under the modern
system of training for great speed at two and
three years the thorough breds are at ther prime
a. four-year-olds. Only the exceptions remain
at their best beyond that period. In the twelve
Suburbans the list of winners contains Gen.
Monroe. six-year-od: Elkwood, Loantaka,
and Lowlander. all fve-year-ods. and eight
four year-ods, Pontiac. 1rouLadour. Eurns.
Eaceland. Salvator. Montana Eamapo. and
I,azzarOne. The best Suburbans. from the time
standpoint and hotly contested struggles.
were won by four-year-ods. In cases, too. the
high class as threeyear-old: take Eurus. for
instance. 1t may happen. although none OF last
seasons three-year-"lds We're OF phenomenal
form. that courageous and fast handicap
horse will be developed among them. History
will simply repeat itself should this occur a
comparison of the estimated weights that the
four r-year. r.ods will have 20 carry will lend in
terest to ho calculations oi their chances A
table follows the scale of weights being purely
speculative. Of coarse. yet based on the known
form Of tho candidates for handicap honors. 1t
lyn and Suburban. with the exception Of Vino
ill he n the MetrODulitan ct