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| . oik tii hki:-v i:. ij-oi.ns. A glance at the three-year-old situation is ap- palling to those of U6 who believe in the progress of breeding and raising thoroughbred race bones. Lieutenant Gibson, the erstwhile Western champion, has gone down in ignominious defeat. It was all right for stout-hearted Sidney Lucas to beat him through that rough going, but for James to so easily take the place from the son of G. W. Johnson is an indication that the Smith-Hughes horse has been rated higher than he deserved. CONTINUED ON SECOND PAGE. OUR THREE-YEAR-OLDS. Continued from First Page. In the east Kilmarnock looks a little the best, while Mesmerist, Missionary, Maribfrt, Ma rk Cheek, Gulden, David Garrick and many others have failed In the matter of improving on their two-year-old form. Ildrim is an improving horse, as also is Pe-truchio, and to this pair and Kilmarnock must we turn to get a first-class three-year-old. In point of racing the others have done very little or nothing to substantiate a claim to being hij*h-class three-year-olds. But it is a sad commentary on our second-year division that two of the three best of their year in the east went through their two-year-old form in competent hands without wiuning — for Ildrim was trained and raced last year by Gene Leigh and Pe-truchio received his preparation from Jimmy Rowe. As to Kilmarnock, probably the best three-year-old in America, he was raced only fourteen times as a two-year-old; and while he was un-disputably a colt of high class, he did not quite belong in the first division. But this year he has claimed the top place among colts of his age, and until defeat on even terms has been administered, he will sustain his title among his numerous adversaries. Whether it is too much racing with high weight in their two-year-old form, or whether they are temporarily t miss we do not know, — one thing is sure and that is that the stars of last year have been dimmed to such an extent-that some have gone out forever. The champion of last year. Mesmerist, has not earned brackets this year; nor has his nearest rival, Chacornac, due no doubt to the deplorable accident in the Withers Stakes. Maril ert, Montanic, Pupil and Modrine have failed to make good their pretensions to high-class three-year-old3. Thus premiership in the three-year old division seems to belong to Kilmarnock, with Petruchio, Ildrim, Sidney Lucas, Lieutenant Gibson and James as the only likely candidates to displace the son of Sir Dixon going over a route of ground. But as compared with previous years, there is a great dearth of first-class three-year-olds. There is yet a hope that the once mighty Mesmerist will come into such form as to argue the case with Kilmarnock and the others, and that the fault of Lieutenant Gibsons defeat lies not in the horse, but in the fault of the training or riding before and during the American Derby. Any way we must hope for brighter things, for at present the outlook for great three-year-olds is most dismal.— Thoroughbred Record.
