view raw text
EASTERN TURF TAJLK. "The local haunts of turfmen were practically deserted yesterday, as all the leading lights were either on their way to Washington or were getting ready to leave. Wherever the subject was discussed the opinion was expressed that the closing of Aqueduct on Saturday was in the nature of a blessing," said the Sun of last Monday. "While nobody seems to nold the Queens County Jockey Club responsible, the Aqueduct track just at present cannot be said to be in popular favor with the patrons of the sport, who have experienced the toughest game in years dnrhwr the past two weeks. On no day during the Aqueduct meeting did more than two favorites win. The defeat of the others was attributed to various causes. Some persons believed the starting had much to do with it ; others blamed the narrowness of the track at the turns, which caused public choices to be crowded out of all chances to get to the front, while many critics made no bones of openly accusing certain jockeys of rides that were either incompetent or crooked. As for inconsistent performances, tbe rank and file of racegoers pointed out one or two cases each day. They did not attempt to excuse owners of such horses, but simply wondered how the alleged offenders could get away with it. In other words, the Aqueduct meeting gave the sceptics a royal chance to croak, and it is needless to say that they will be croaking for some time to come. "At aDy rate, the Jockey Club stewards, it is understood, will see to it that before the Aqueduct track is opened again many improvements will be made. The track itself must be widened, especially at the turns, which must also be banked sufficiently to prevent horses from running to the outer rail as has frequently been the case there. A field stand is among the necessities, together with a new paddock, situated within easy access of the grandstand. The paddock is fully 2C0 yards from the club house and is so small and dirty that it was out of the question for women to visit it. The absence of a field stand deprived the poorer classes of a chance to see their favorite sport unless they were willing to pay Morris Park rates to see the races from the wooden grandstand. "It is a fact that with all the rumors of scandal at Aqueduct, the stewards of the meeting meted punishment out to nobody. They only took up the case of A. L. Aste after President Reilly of the Queens County Jockey Club had brought the matter to the attention of the public by illegally refusing Astes entries. But in Astes case the stewards saw nothing wrong any more than they did in the cases of numerous other owners whose horses did some acrobatic tricks. Whether there was wrongdoing or simply a combination of unfortunate circumstances, the fact remains that Aqueducts fall meeting of 1902 will go down in turf his tory as the limit. "Owners have shown their appreciation of President Engemans liberal policy by rolling up a record-breaking entry list for the Brighton stakes. These are the 0,000 Brighton Derby, the ,000 Neptune Stakes and the ,000 Venus Stakes, all for two-year-olds, to be run in 1903, and the 0,C03 Brighton Derby, the ,000 Iroquois Stakes and the ,000 Brighton Oaks, all for three-year-olds, to be run in 1934. All previous entry lists to each of these events were surpassed this year. In 1901 the total number of entries received to the six stakes named was 622. This year the total number of nominations is 778, an increase of 156 and an average increase of twenty-six in each stake. The following table shows the number of entries received for each event in 1901 and 1902 : 1901. 1902. Brighton Junior 113 131 Neptune 107 122 Venus 88 134 Derby 115 . 134 Iroquois 109 126 Oaks 90 131 Total .........i ..622 778 Increase 156 "Nominations have come in from all parts of the country from the coast, from New Orleans, from the middle west and south, and naturally in greater numbers from the east. Canada also is represented, The names of the best turfmen and stables in the country appear on the list of nominations, among them August Belmont, Capt. S. S. Brown, P. Loril-lard, H. M. Ziegler, Perry Belmont, J. A. Drake, P. J. Dwyer, J. G. Follansbee, Julius Fleischmann, Frank Farrell, J. E. Madden, David Gideon, Gough-acres Stable, Burns and Waterhouse, J. B. Haggin, J. R. and F. P. Koene, Sydney Paget, William- Jennings, Dr. J. G. Lyman, Pepper 8table, C. H. Mackay, E. D. Morgan, M. Murphy, G. B. Morris, Oneck Stable, J. W. Schorr, Lotos Stable, J. E. Seagram, the western owners M. H. Tichenor and Co., R. W. Walden and Sons, J. E. Widener, L. Waterbury. In all there are seventy individual nominators, which is a pretty good" showing. The entry of Capt. S, S. Brown discloses the interesting fact that the name of the irrepressible Mike Clancy is to be J perpetuated on the turf. The Mike Clancy nominated by Captain Brown is a gelding by Pessa ra Middy Morgan and the original Mike predicts that he will place the Clancy name high on the scroll of turf fame. Captain Brown paid ,000 for the gelding as a yearling. "Word comeB from Lexington, Ky., that Com- " mando, the noted son of the great Domino, has been mated this year to a great array of brood mares at J. R. and F. P. Keenes famous Castleton Stud. The only mare bred to Commando which is not known to racing or breeding fame is a three-year-old sister to Toboggan and a half-sister to Skate, by Kingston, dam by Glide, by Chippendale. She was not subjected to training because of blindness in one eye, but the elder Mr. Keene has all along pronounced her one of the best looking mares he has ever seen. These are the other mares from which Commandos first get will come : Lady Reel, dam of the 0,0CO Hamburg; Ben My Chree, dam of Cap and Bells; Citronella, dam of Compensation and Bessie McCarthy; St. Mildred, a daughter o St. Simon; Sandfly, dam of the highest priced yearling colt in England; Mavourneen, dam of Voter; Editha, sister to the Derby winner Melton and dam of Hurst Park; Mere Hill, dam of Unmasked and the stallion Ingoldsby; Rhodesia, dam of Delagoa ; Maid of Erin, half-sister to Voter and daughter of Amphion ; Vera, dam of Tragedian. With the exception of Lady Reel and Vera all of these mares were bred in England. "It has been figured up that Advance Guard, which won the Woodlawn Vase this year, has been victorious in forty-five races during his career on the turf and that he has earned a grand total of 7,45S in stakes and purses. Out of 159 races hs finished in the money 112 times."
