Monday, Jun. 14, 1943

How Fleet?

At Long Island's Belmont Park, Count Fleet romped off with the Belmont Stakes for a clean sweep of America's five spring specials for three-year-olds. Just as in the Wood Memorial, Derby, Preakness and Withers, there was no one to press the colt that started his racing career last summer as the fastest two-year-old of all time.

The Count has already won 16 races, earned $250,300, made a runaway farce of top 1943 three-year-old events. The final test of ability will come when he is entered in races against older horses like Whirlaway, Alsab, Market Wise and Don Bingo, the four-year-old Argentine colt that ruined Bob Hope's radio scripts when he won the Suburban Handicap for Bing Crosby earlier in the week.

On Suburban Day at Belmont, New York racing fans wagered $2,699,153, a world's record. On Belmont Day, they bet only $1,731,155. One reason: Count Fleet went to the post at odds of about 1-to-200. To pay off the legal pari-mutuel minimum of 1-to-20 ($2.10 for $2), the track had to shell out $15,912.

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