New-York tribune., 1920-09-03
Sweep
Card ON Return
TOLocal Track
Disqualification Helps Keep
Slate Clean at Belmont:
Naturalist Wins Feature
By w. ]. Macbeth

A bumper crowd welcomed the bang
tails back to the metropolitan circuit
at the opening Of the autumn meeting
OF the Westchester Racing Association
at Belmont Park yesterday afternoon.
1t is safe to say that all who were on
hand will be back to-day. They will
come II for nothing but to collect. for
the talent had Roman holiday. Fa-
voritas swept the card.
The horses Of late have been rum
nlng to form in q fashion seldom seen
anywhere. Six favorites won at Sara
toga last Tuesday. Five or six won at
the. Spa the day previously. This makes
seventeen winning favortes in the last
eieneeen races, percentage which
DOUBTLESS approxinates a record for
any locality.
1t required a disqualification to keen
the talents batting average perfect for
the afternoon. M. l.. Schwartz's Care
Free, a lo-to~1 shot, was disqualified
sIter eeating the odds-on favorite, st.
Michael: ny half length in the second
race, dash OF FIVE and half furlongs
ior maiden two-yehr-olds. There was
40 doubt the disqualification was ponu-
lar with the masses. 1t was greeted
win hand elapping and lusty cheers,
DuS tnefe is . great question whether
the verdict Of the stewards was lust.
st. Michael Also at Fault
1t is true that Care Free. which had
en- the speed and which stood a hard
drlve gamely, bore over on St. Michael
IN the last furlong, interfering SEINE
what with the favorite. But Il ia
equally true that outside the furlonp
pole st. Michael rushed up onto the
nee!s OF Care Free, forcing Buddy En-
sor to take up sharply. 30 that St. Mi
onael was at fault quite as much as
Care Free 90
1t is we'll to remember that hereto
fore rough riding Of the most start]ino
variety in the two-year-old chute races
mad veen condoned by the ofihials,
however, as it was the second disoua]i-
hcation of the season, it seems out of
place to ceAsure the stewards perhsns
!t is to be hoped such initiative and
dispatch are to be accelerated rather
than retarded
The inaugural of fall racing here
measured up to the highest stand
sa1a. sad IN every respect but one. The
nelds were light and a number Of
the best horses named in the entries
were scratched. This, 1t was explained.
was no fault of the association, but due
TO congestion OF railway traffic, which
prevented shipment from Saratoga
in time. The fields are likely to be
light the next couple Of days.
j. E.. Widener's reliable old geldine
naturalist, the chief bread winner Of
the stable, won the Manhattan Handi-
cap at mile, the feature of the onen-
ing day card. This condition handican
With $2,b00 added, which was worth
$3.50 to the winner, was never left in
doubt. Naturalist stepped out into the
lead at the start, and, running kindly
for Kummer, who displayed excellent
Judgment Of pace, the old gedins held
the race safe every inch of the way.
Fine Race by Old Gelding
1t was one. Of the very best races of
the season for Naturalist, which has
five victories to his credit. The geld
ing stood hard drive gamcly and COW
cred the mile in the excellent time Of
1885. Only one horse ever before
raced faster for the distance at Bel
mont: That was Man O. War, which in
IN 1895 As. Up ia the time of Man O.
Wars record breaking performance the
track record was l :3s S-5 made by Au-
gust Belmont's three-year-eld Strom-
boil on September Z. 1914 Man o.
War. three-year- carried 11s
pounds in the Withers Naturalist
raced under 120 pounds in the Man
NATHAN.
Yesterdays running of the Manhat.
tan Handicap was beautiful race
among the four good horses that an
swered the bugle. Naturalist took the
lead at the start, and in the first quar-
ter opened gap of two lengths on
Mad Halter. Sam Hildreth's colt was
length in front of M. L. Schwartzs
Aadacious, with Theo Cooks imported
Jack Stuart three lengths in the ruck.
On the far turn Buddy Ensor sent
Mad Halter. after the pacemaker. The
Hildreth colt made up length of his
disadvantage, but right there Natu-
raliet held him. Half way round the
bend Callahan went out to challenge
with Jack Stuart, which had been rated
off the killing pace. Jack Stuart
raced past Audaaious and seon Joined
issue with Mad Halter.
The four were well punched as they