New-York tribune., 1921-06-17
Rancocas Entry
Made Favorite
I'm RicI, Stake
Grey Lag and Mad Halter
in Field of Fourteen on
Aquedtct Opening Card
By w. |. Macbeth

The Brooklyn Handicap, one Of the
richest Of Eastern stakes both in ira
dltion and prize money for thorough
breds of the older divisions, will fea
ture to-day's opening OF the summer
meeting of the Queens County Jockey
Club at the popular Aqueduct race
track The Brooklyn Handicap, which
was inaugurated at Gravesend away
back in 1887, is now q gallop of mile
and furlong, the distance having
been cut from mile and a quarter in
1915.
Fourteen of the very best horses in
training have been named overnight
for this rich event and if the weather
remains clear it is almost certain ti4at
practically all of them will answer
the bugle. Handicapper Vosburgh has
adjusted the weights so judiciously
that every owner feels he has better
than al outside look-in for the priced
stake. Certainly to-day's classic should
prove by far the finest and most in
terestIng test for three-year-oIds and
upward that has been seen SO far this
season.
IN the Belmont Stakes, at mile and
three furlongs, last Saturday the Ran
eocas Stables three-year-old Grey Lag
stamped himself the most formidable
OF that division seen about the New
York tracks: Grey Lag proved himself
very shifty colt and one that can
pack weight over distance of ground
1t Is asking lot Of any three-year-old
to win from such formidable older
horses as will face the Rancocss
Stables star tomorrow afternoon.
Mad Halter in Form
Yet the Brooklyn Handicap has been
won by three -year-olds in the past no
fewer than five times. The last occasion
was the 1915 running, when Eternal,
which will probably go to the post as
tive-year- this afternoon. beat a
choice field in fast time, under los
pounds.
The victory in the Belmont entailed
en- penalty of five pounds for
Grey Lag. He will be asked to shoulder
ITO pounds, or two pounds more than
the great Friar Rock carried as three
year-old in winning the Brooklyn in
1907 1t is true that Grey Lag will
have some assistance, for Mad Halter
viii be running mate. This five-year-
old horse has been assigned the ton
weight of 1872 pounds, but he is right
at his best now and has proved his
ability to carry a burden over a long
flight
There are other good ones. too. Of
various ages. Leonardo H., three
year-old that took the measure of Grew
Lag in the Withers and which was
beaten, though not disgraced. by Grey
Lag in the Belmont, will doubtless COM
mand respect. For this race will be a
quarter mile shorter than was the Bel
mont, and at the shorter distance the
sprinter Leonardo II should have q
better chance against his three-year- old
rival.
Leonardo seems a sensational sprint
e. rather than a distance horse. though
he can carry his great speed under
weight up mile or better any time.
Besides, Leonardo II on this occasion
will have pull in the weights. And
as IN the case of Grey Lag, Leonardo II
viii have some stable help, too. He
will run coupled with the five-year- old
Eternal, which has q Brooklyn Handi-
cap TO his credit and which has come
back to the races in sensational fash
ion after an absence from the turf of
two years.
Exterminator to Start
The old, reliable Exterminator is an
other standby that will find great favor
with the public. 1t is not exactly his
best distance (Exterminator likes
longer route), but the Kilmer bread
winner is reported to be at his very
best. Exterminator proved a disap-
pointment in the Suburban Handicap
at Belmont Park, but there was every
excuse for him. Mad Halter kicked the
favorite and cut his leg badly while
the field was at the post. Extermi-
nator has fully recovered and for nearly
week has been galloping at his best.
And then there is Audacious, the
Foreign Stables five-year- that has
beaten the best handicap horses on his
last two outings and smashed Man
O. Wars record for the mile to boot,
Harry Whitney is bringing back John
P. Grier, which furnished Man o. War
such thrilling duel for mile and a