The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-05-07
GOSSIP or THE RACETUACE.
HcAL SPORr BEoIvS ~ BfLMONT
rams ~ fHt RSDtf
Sserop6sitan Handicsp wm Aitfsc' eoon
Iteid Johnson nrt ~ y 90 Rose
hen IN fNceisior iutn"ifs STORY W =
1atea4It ate nie Hntihg IN Eneland

While the sport ~ Auucdnr' ana IamHlca
hae been much lhove Pho ordinary ne N class,
Whist Ia known ls Tho te1l r1oing season
Wllt besIn M nolmor' Park noyi Thursday,
eheb Inc Vsstrhos'rr N1,'ne Association
btflns Its annual srr ne meeflna AZ nus
bfsf session me millionaire tnrfnen WIN
btgln The NJ mpqirr in o1tne7' Win racers
royalty brad. who will run for some NJ me
richest stakes ON tho American calendar
Baifnont Park has alrcadr oyt1hllshed rs
claim upon the support Of the public, ana "
has been pronounced the finest r~aoecourse
IN tho world with ira ImmenseFtand s'ande'
broad lawns. cavernous betting ring, stump
tuouA clubhouse nd a track that is tho fastest
10 existence Belmont Park can well he called
q monument Illustrating the prosperity ana
integrity ~ the sport NJ kings under Jockey
Club fuls.
Several new worlds records we're made
81 the ma anincent track In Queens last iall
and there are moro IN follow II VIII not be
et ell sur prlsinE II Dick Nelles's record for a
mile, N as, which was equ0llrd by hlainesha
as Belmont Park last fall. viii be lowered
this spring, as there seems IN he a predoml-
nance OF fast performances Just now even
&C the Jamaica track. During the Belmont
Park session. which, by tho way, VIII No
divided into two meetings. some important
events will be decided, including the Metro
p6litan Handicap. the Juvenile, the whitney
MomOrlal III nH Sc IlF Nlli''lldl 'aiA'''
the Withers, the Ladies, the Eclipse and the
historic Belmont stakes. These events will
bring some crack two-year-olds and horses
OF the older division 10 the post. which means
that the class ~ racing will probably reach
the top notch,
The Metropolitan. a $4,000 affair, at a mile,
VIII be run on the opening dav and there u
much speculation az 10 the winner. II IL not
yes definitely known whether II. P. Wh.tncy's
R.-nSrnaa3nr r;li Gfnrf hlt ~ Ia generally
believed that this great Hamburg three
year-old Will be reserved for future events
The whitney cast of ISRAELI, by Meddler.
who won the Kings County Handicap IN a
roEap on Saturday. at n mile and a sixteenth,
will start In the Metropolitan and he Will have
o following, too. Essentially a front runner
and a good one, he will he hard to beat, IL is
thought, with a comparative feather on his
back. Then we have Merry Lark, winner OF
the Ex celsior, who is ht and ready; Roseb en-
the champion Splinter, who will get another
test In the Montague Stakes at Jamaica
tomorrow; Delhi. who blew up in the hlngs
County; Tokalon, the Western mare: OXFORD,
Tiptoe, Aeronaut, Red knight, Colonial Glrl
and last, but not least, Hamburg Belle. who
has been showing some fast time trials lately,
Or1nonde's Right will also go u the post
together with others that have not yet been
uncovered. In all probability ISRAELI will be
enc OF the choices, as the Meddler colt made
an army of friends by the way he tin canned
In Saturdays race-hS first start over n
distance of ground,
What of Roseben? Since his defeat in the
Excelsior he has lost the grip he had on the
racing public before that event was run.
Persons not in the know have been inclined
to predict a sure Improvement in Roseben's
performance in the Metropolitan. because
OF the belief that he did not run his race
In the Excelsior for some unknown reason.
Il has even been limited by sceptics that
Dave johnson, the owner Of Roseben, did
not bet much on the big horse In the Ex-
oelsior and consequently did not feel very
much cut up when the Ben Strome gelding
came home in the ruck. But THE Sun has
tndisputable evidence that johnson did bet
on Roseben and. what Is more, that he lost
eYactly sss 900 in wagers made on his famous
horse, johnson placed this amount on Rose
ban through the medium OF several commls-
sioners, at the same time betting a large
amount In the ring himself. Many OF MS
friends, includipg some OF the hest known
city politicians, also bet on Roseben. at the
instieation of johnson. while Trainer Frank
Weir, usually a light Spectator, wagered
$500 on the big horse. These are facts which
can be proved IL necessary, and which go to
show that Roseben was run In the Excelsior
strictly on the level. johnson and Weir have
not been able to account for his defeat. but
they have not lost confidence and Roseoen.
after a prep" In the Montague, one mile ana a
sixteenth, tomorrow, will go to the post on
Thursday carrying the moral and financial
support OF the stable and its connections,
Boots Durnell, who IL persona non grata
"A far as the Jockey Club tracks are con-
oerned Just now. Is quietly working for a re-
tnstatement at the instance OF the Pacific
Coast turf governors. Durnell entertained
some turfmen the other day with a story
which seems hardly probable. but which
Boots declares Is absolutely true. Durnel
says that John ". Gates and John A DRAKE
while conducting their turf campaign In
m GLAND nut through one OF the famous
ooups which netted them ss.ooo.ooo. no,
100000.
l.Thsy so arranged it, says Durnell. thai
they, covered every commission ONCE ano
handbook maker In the United Kingdom
They went to a well known banking house IL
London, hired all the clerks for a certain
afternoon, liked the time for betting on theil
horse to a minute and then handed out the
ready cash. The clerks hired other clerks
until there were 100 betting agents who were
hurried even to Dublin and Glasgow to ge'
the coin down. The horse won and the rinl
at the track, where Gates and Drake LOADER
the money on In thousands, was burned up,
So were the commission officers and the
handbook men, and the killing netted s5.0oo.o 0
all told. Much OF TINS was COueCteQ, Oh
there In still an outstanding amount. which
Gates and Drake will probably never get"
There is still much faulthndins with Starte'
CassIdy's work. Last week by an unfortunate
combination Of circumstances several heavily
backed favorites got the worst Of the breal
atthe post and the public suffered accordingly
In the cases of Diamond. Mary Morris ane
Tiptoe, all beaten by the start, there was 81
much grumbling that some OF 1t reached
tie ears Of the turf governors who were ir
the clubhouse. The trouble seems to be du'
10 the fact that Cassidy cannot do 80 vel
with the standing start as with the walk VI
system, which he used all winter at New Or
leans. The Jockey Club stewards hav
shown no sign Of permitting Cassidy to us,
his W system, so that the starter will hav'
10 bear the brunt Of public criticism for wha
may happen at the post.
There are rumors Of dissatisfaction in tn,
ranks of the Nets over the present inabilit!
OF the board of governors to secure conces
sions from the track owners in the way o
special privileges in the betting ring. Whel
the Nets put new governors in power las
fall IL was with the understanding that tn
governors would be able 70 exert a pull of
political nature with at least one Of the locke
Club tracks. But in spite OF promises tn
governors have found it impossible to delive
the goods. Hence the dissatisfaction amonl