Horses & Bucks

The U.S. horse-racing season reached its peak at Belmont Park last Saturday. There, in a fitting climax to the most successful meeting in its 37 years, 30,000 fans turned out for the $50,000 Belmont Stakes, third and last of America's classic races for three-year-olds.

This year's Belmont was a rubber race between the winners of the two earlier classics: Mrs. Payne Whitney's Shut Out (Kentucky Derby) and Mrs. Albert Sabath's Alsab (Preakness). The crowd made Alsab odds-on favorite. But Shut Out, son of the late great Equipoise and a dam named Goose Egg, proved a worthy son. With cagey Eddie Arcaro up, Shut Out took the lead from Alsab at the far turn, withstood the little colt's courageous challenge down the stretch, finished three lengths ahead at the wire. His time: 2 min. 29 1/5 sec., only 4/5 of a second behind the U.S. record for a mile and a half.

While Shut Out took his place alongside Twenty Grand, Gallant Fox, Man o' War and other historic Belmont winners, the Westchester Racing Association clicked off a new record for race-track betting. During its 24-day meeting, fans had wagered $27,773,297 for a world's record average of $1,157,221 a day. Profit ($97,327) for closing day was donated to the Army & Navy Relief and the U.S.O.

Though attendance and betting records have been shattered this spring at nearly every U.S. race meeting, this summer's meetings may prove nightmares for racing associations. Last week the Association of American Railroads voted to discontinue special race-track trains, starting June 15. The Office of Defense Transportation has abolished bus service to tracks.

Nevertheless, New Jersey's new million-dollar race track outside Camden (TIME, May 25) was rushed to completion last week before the WPB deadline on amusement-park construction, hopes to open July 18.

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