The New York herald., 1921-09-06
CROCUS VICTOR IN
/ STAKE AT BELMONT
Gives Krewer and Step Lightly
Weight and a Beating in
I Fall Handicap.
TWO FOR G.. D. WIDENER
Lytlc Wins Chase After JOY
full Gives a Disgraceful
Exhibition.
TWO FOR G. D. WIDENER
BY HENRY ". KING.

nv HENRI W AAN0s
Harry Payne Whitney's Crocus, the
three-year-old daughter of Broomstick
and Inaugural. is unquestlonably the
best filly of her age. and It may be that
she Is as good as any sprinter In train
Ing. At Saratoga Jimmy Rowe. the
veteran trainer, who developed her and
all of the Whitney horses. said she was
as good as If not better than Prudery at
any distance up to mile. Yesterday
afternoon at Belmont Park she proved
she was a great racing mare.
In the Fall lightweight Handicap she
gave two pounds to Harry Sinclair's
Krewer and fifteen pounds to Walter
J. Salrron's Step, Lightly and beat
them ovse the six furlong route without
extending herself at any stage OF the
Journey Her 122 pounds seemed like a.
feather on her and she stepped 10 the
front as soon as the barrier went up
and remained there to the end to win
easily by three lengths. Krewer followed
his opponents until the head OF the
stretch, where Step Lightly quit and he
went into second place. The trackxTas
lightning fast and Crocus stepped yer
the six furlong main course in II
good time of l IL 1-5.
Despite the counter attractioh.v
as the important baseball games. into
national tennis match. the Wilson-Dow
ney boxing bout there were at least
25, 900 persons present to see the contests.
The giant plant wasn't filled to over
flowing as 1t was on Memorial Day. but
the grand stand was crowded and there
were few vacant seats in the clubhouse
enclosure and the lawns were jammed.
Card Marred by Pencil.
For some unknown reason the blue
pencil marred the sport. There We're
scratches balore in all Of the events. and
the fields were narrowed down to less
than half their original size.
The sport began with a sprint for
three year-old and resulted In a VIC
tory for George ID. Widener's fast but
unsound Ultimus filly, Last Straw. She
was ridden by Sande. and running up 70
her best form beat Max Hirsch's Tody.
the favorite, easily, by length and
half. Curfcw was third.
Last Straw was cut out for great
racing mare. but she Is afflicted with
navicular trouble. and usually stops
from pain after travelling about rive
and half furlongs. Yesterday AFTER
noon Jack Joyner. her veteran trainer,
said she wouldn't stop. He said she
had come up to the race nicely and had
pulled up sound in all of her trials.
Opposing her were some exceptionally
fast three-year-olds. including j. IL.
Rosseter's Valley Of the Moon and Tody.
The start was good one, ana tne
nine contestants left the barrier aligned.
Last Straw showed In front In the first
drive for position, but she was quickly
out run by Valley OF the Moon ana
Tody. When Sande saw that his mount
couldn't keep step with the leaders he
took her back gently and waited until
the homestretch was reached. There
Valley of the Moon stopped as II shot
and Last Straw went after Tody. Al
the final furong pole. Last Straw went
to the front, and from then 10 the
judges 1t was easy, and she earned the
purse by a length and half. Tody
hung on well and took second place
three lengths in front Of Curfew.
Valleys Last Race.
When Valley of the Moon quit. 1t was
because she had broken down. She gave
way in the left ankle, and will never
race again. She is by Friar Rock out
OF Masquerade by Disguise.
Mr., Widener and Jack Joyner made
It double in the third event when
their bay hlly Bellatrix by Wrack and
Blazing Star led home a cheap field OF
juveniles. Fator had the leg up on this
filly. He got her away well, and she
and then went on and won by length
and a half. Bayonne was second
head in front of Lucky Girl.
The BroadholIow Steeplechase resulted
in a victory for ]. +. Flanagan. Jr.s.
Lytle with Joseph Z. widener's Frank
B.. second. and his Joyful. third.
The race of Joyful was disgraceful.
She didn't run nor jump like she had
done in all of her recent races. and was
II t~ta NJ n
There might have been some good rea-
son for it. but Mr.. Widener owes 1t TO
the public to have his trainer. ]. II.
Lewis, explain 1t. In her last race on
Friday she beat Lytle by half n length.
On that occasion there was difference
in the weight. Joyful carried 145 and
Lytle 147. Yesterday Joyful shouldered
144 and Lytle 1873. But this difference
didn't decide the contest. There was
Widener mare.
Heating Rode Good Race.
with Frank b. This faint hearted son
Of Sir John Johnson had plenty OF foot
and before one round Of the field had
been made he was a sixteenth of mile
in front. But Jockey Heating. who rode
Lytle, knew Frank Il. was a rank quit
ter and paid no attention to him. lie
rated his mount along just In front OF
Joyful. In his opinion this was the
horse he had to beat. But half a mile
from home he found out that Joyful
wasn't herself and that all he had to do
was to catch Frank Il. To the crowd
this seemed almost impossible. But
I.ytle increased his speed with every
bound, while Frank B. was backing
up" At the last obstacle Lytlc ranged
alongside of the leader and the race was
over. From there 10 the judges Lytle
merely romped, to win by four lengths.
There was much severe criticism
heaped on Joyful and her trainer after
the race, and the only excuse offered for
doesn't do her best unless she runs In
front. But her past performances show
differently. She led all the way In her
last effort and wor, but In her four pre-
yious starts she didn't run In front :
neither did she win, but she ran a good
race eect Zine, 100 per cent. better than
she did yesterday. and seldom. IL ever,
Old she jump as badly as yesterday.
Sunnyland led home small field Of
platers In the fifth race and ]. II. Mad
den's Harridan beat Yankee Star, Cherry
Tree and Rib Grass in the final
After Sunnyland won the fifth Billy
Garth bought him In for j. s. Cosden for
$4,000.
Ice Palace Opening.
Skaters In the metropolitan district
viii have their FIRST chance to don