The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-14

| tries as the healthy showing made by the
| Brooklyn, Suburban, and Brighton hsndi-
! caps, which had their final closing on jan
uary 2 Mr.. Crckmore expects the gross
value of the Metropolitan to be something
| like $500 or 5000. The Metropolitan
will be run about the 4th or 5th of May
before the good Western horses have
started East, and ii will not attract as
many old horses as the Brooklyn, Subur-
: ban, and Brighton but in the three-year-
old division it viii be stronger than all
OF them put together. The victories of
Voter, Bowling Brook and Filigrane, in
1897, 1898, and 1899 demonstrated that
frst-class young horses could hold their
own at one mile against the toughest and
most thoroughly seasoned -sprinters, even
at so early date a the LIST of May. and
no owner OF good one is going to let
81 500 race slip by.
Wyndham Walden regards the Metro
politan as his particular property and
will bring up the best he mas in the three
year-old line to try for it. He may not
have any Bowling Brooks or FiligTanes at
his Maryland farm this year. but he has
two promising colts in Contend, Confess
tors full brother, and Smile, the best
two-year old St. Florian ever sent to the
Eastern races, not to mention the speedy
FLY AnecdOte, all of whom may have i'm
proved into top notchers over winter.
The Toboggan is a siX-furlong sprint
over the straight Eclipse chute. Straight
away races for three year-olds and over
are not usually popular with metropolitan
crowds. but the Toboggan has always been
more or less of a Westchester attraction.
1t has always called out the star per-
formers a the sprinting game, and there
Is no reason for supposing that this years
race is going to be an exception to the
general rule. Beside these races the
Westchester spring programme viii offer
many events of lesser Importance, such as
the Larchmont Stakes for three-year-
olds, the st. Nicholas Hurdle Handicap,
the Harlem lightweight Selling race for
three year-olds and over, the Fashion and
Bouquet Stakes for two-year-old FLIES,
the Laureate for colts and FLIES. the New
York Steeplechase the Baychester for
three-year- olds, the Knickerbocker Hur-
die Handicap. the Van Nest Selling race
for three-year-o and over. the Ladies'
Stakes for three-year- old fIlies the In
ternational Steeplechase, the Pocahontas
Handicap for three-year-o the ANA
teur Cup, Gaiety Stakes for two-year-old
FLIES, etc. Once or twice during the
meeting Mr. CriclSmore will have on
events for apprentice Jockeys races in
which no boy who has ever been up on a
winner is competent TO ride. These races
were designed by Mr. Crickmore to en-
courage and develop youthful talent
They are not popular with bcttors be-
cause the greenness Of the riders multi
plies the uncertainty about them but
they serve a useful purpose and could not
readily be dispensed with. The Amateur
Cup is the mile gallop over the Withers
course for three-year- olds and over. rid
den by nom professional Jockeys. II has
been Westchester feature for three or
four seasons now and is becoming more
and more DOuulaT every wear
The important specials for two and
three year-olds, like the s. coo Juvenile
the $4,000 Eclipse, the $4,000 National
Stallion. the 50 600 Withers. and the 49,
600 Belmont race have already had their
final clOsings. They are never on the lists
of stakes announced by Mr.. Crickmore in
the spring. OF these races the Belmont is
the most popular, because of its distance
one mile and three furlongs. 1t is the
only event over a distance of ground on
the Westchester spring programme and |
more nearly approXimates the English |
Derby, after which most of our great !
three year-old races have been modelled |
than any special decided on the American !
turf. The only point of difference be-
tween the Belmont and the English Derby |
is the distance.
The Belmont is one furlong shy of the !
Derby distance. This one furlong was /
Topped off because of the popular obiec |
ing their three-year- olds one mile and a |
half so early as the middle of May. As |
in the Derby the Belmont candidates car |
ry weight for age without penalties or al |
lowances, and they have to run over |