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HORSES AT BENNING DOING WELL. Big Winter Colony at Old Washington Track Appears in Splendid Health and Condition. The matured horses at Benninc — and there are upward of 100 of them — generally are vvintei ■ inir satisfactorily, says an eastern turf writer. Some are further advanced than others, but it would ■lllffiMl and disconcert the horsemen at the ninth- • iii tracks, who iirohably are Hearing on i loaning an at Bowie. Havre do Grace and Iimlieo with their inter-seasoned campaigners, to see how for-.. ar.l tnm the most backward arc. It is hardly likely that they will cat as important a figure in April and May as will the two-year-olds wintering with them at the old Washington .loekey Club track, beeause the two-year-olds will not have to compote with anything from the south, hut they a ill hold their own just the same. The most prominent among these seasoned campaigners are King Neptune. Ielto. Carbide and Sea • Jull. of the stable of Dr. .1. S. Tyree: Samuel K m* three-year-olds lltimatum and rank, and William P. Hurons Alvord: «;. A. Mullers Flitter-■ali and Fenmouse; Michael Dalys Kingly; Wilfrid iaus Achievement. Skeer Face, Amalgamator and Trial by Jury; Richard W. Carman. .Ir.s Startling: 1 *. . Ml Foxs Top o" th Morning and Fels; Joseph E. Davis The Decision and Brooks, and 1eter Sheridans Hack Day and Vcnetia. A Washington man. Dr. Tyree. naturally likes to make a showing before his friends and neighliors. Accordingly I»r. It. ].. I.arrick. the trainer of his string, is making a special effort to put his best foot forward at l.owie. Larricks charges, perhaps are a trifle more forward than their neigh bors and they bear critical inspection well. King Neptune, the star of the barn, is developing into ■ s-dendid four-year-old. Long -barreled and loosely coupled. King Neptune does not, in the matter of conformation, measure up to the best standard, but he is fuller fleshed than he was at any time laal year and his new weight is of the hard, enduring kind. I.arrick has great faith in King Septane. Celto Looks Good. And it is beyond dispute that the brown son of Sea Wing did Bat have a fair chance last year. He trained off in early spring and was made to run three or four races over long distances and under high weight in Canada when he was light in flesh. six or seven weeks letup, and defeated the fleetest performers of the three-and-over class on the northern circuit. After some preliminary racing in Tf lljisaj in April and May he will go back to Canada, and I.arrick will he disappointed if he does not show his real merit by winning the Toronto Cup. the banner lonj;-distance event of the Woodbine spring meeting. King Neptunes older half-sister Celto has gained fifty odd pounds since she wjs put away, and she will be the stables representatn e in the early handicaps at Dowie. She has always been an early Stare. Hut the real dark hope of the stable is neither King Neptune nor Celto. but a younger half brother of Celto and brother of the King — the brown colt. Sea Gull. This colt, in stature, is • vorything King Neptune is not. He is short backed, strong ribbed and robust, with the slanting -I eahtere, medium quarters ami straight admirably muscled legs. He weighs 1.100 lbs. as he stands loday. and no three-year-old at Denning has anything on him as regards looks. Kxcept in the particular of color he bears a close resemblance to his sire. Thomas Fortune Ryans stallion Sea King, a sou if l*»ll Simmon — Sea Air .she a daughter of Isonomyt. which is a stallion destined to eon-tribute his full share toward the improvement of tiie American thoroughbred. Sea King sent smart two -year -olds to the races last year in HntTCSt king and Sea Wave, and next year John E. Madden will bring twenty odd colts and fillies claiming him for sire to the eastern tracks. These youngsters are the produce of twenty odd of the best mares at Hamburg Place, where Sea King made the season of 1915. Blind Splint Spoils Chances. Sea Gull was the fastest two-year-old. barring lltimntum. that trained :-.t Denning last spring, and. before liis failures at Havre le Grace and Iimlieo in April and May. he appeared all of a 20,000 colt. It took time to develop the fact that a blind tpliat was responsible for Sea Gulls failure to race to his early promise, but such causes of lameness are seldom serJeaa and Sea Gull had been so successfully treated, as long as last November, he might have won in good -class company before the finish of the l.owie fall meeting. If he docs not go on Sea Gull will belie his breeding. His pedigree is stout and no colt at Dowie has a smoother way of running. The lreakness. Iimlicos best three-year-old special. will likely be Sea Gulls first important race, and. if he does not disappoint again, he will try later on in the Derbys in Cr. nada. Nothing bothered tltimatum. Sea Mills Denning rival of last spring, and he made good from the iarr lltimatum scored his most noteworthy triumph in the Adirondack Handicap at Saratoga, when he shouldered 114 pounds and defeated Wood-trap. Tragedy. Dasil and Hemlock on a track ankle deap in mud. and he finished the year at Dam It by beating Waukeag. Manokin and some others in a race of six and a half furlongs. This swift footed chestnut, the soundest horse by ntiinatum that has come to the races, will surely train on. He is a heavy topped colt of compact build, short of back, but si lading over a lot of ground. He has muscled out conspicuously since the beginning of the winter and gained considerably in weight. Has Speed and Courage. William P. Durch. who is training ITtimatum for Mr. Ross, believes the colt to be the best three-. ear-old prospect in America. If the Kentucky Derby was not to be run so early in the year lltimatuni would be trained for it. As it is the colt will seek his fortune in the east. If he comes to hand early he will start in the lreakness. If he proves backward he will wait for the Withers at Belmont Park. In any event he will be pointed for the valuable stakes for three-year-olds and three-year-Olds and over at the Saratoga meeting. rUimntum is a son of the most successful stallion by Commando, barring Celt, at stud service in America. And his sire. Cltimus. is an intensely inbred horse of the Domino line. Commando was a son of Domino Bnai C. Banning Stream, the dam of Cltimus. was a daughter of Domino — Dancing Water. 1erhups it is because of this in-eeataoaa breeding of their sire that Luke McLuke. Last Com and Harry Kelly, three of the most successful of the sons of lltimus, have failed to liana1 np under hard campaigning. But. as already related, lltimatum has shown no evidence of inherited weakness. The only qualities he appears to hare got from his paternal grandsire through Cltimus are speed and courage. On his dams side lltimi.tiim is English. His maternal grandsire was Candlemas son of Hermit — Fussci. a brother of St. Blaise and sire of Irish l.ad. Crink. winner of the Grab Bag and Albany Handicaps at Saratoga last summer, is growing into a colt if power ami beauty and Mr. Burch is of the opinion that ho will come to hand ahead of lltima tnm. After Cranks victories at Saratoga most of the form sharps got the idea that he was a l etter colt than lltiiiiatuni. Burch says not, but he has a high opinion of the son of Celt — Clean WSJ I. Which he believes will carry his speed as far as hut HI are asked t-i travel, and he is devoting as mneh attention to ahn as he is to lltimatum. ri-I ha 1 1 iiiii failing, rank will be the Boss candidate iii the Prettkness. Crank will not find himself in unfamiliar environment at Ptmlieo. He won the Nurser;. Stasis at tie Maryland JockCJ Clubs pictures pie obi ci.uise MSl spring. Mr. Burch is modest in his predictions concerning Alvord. This California-bred son of Solitaire II.— Lily Gohling. fee thinks, will merely make a speedy sprinter. lrob-: lily he underrates the colt. Alvord i- a fetching • hunk of a horse, after the comely KoUtaire model, and the last time lit- raced at Bowie he ran from behind Lacina and Kentucky Boy ami beat them, ile bad previously beaten Wnnkeng and Kilkenny at .en eighth* et a mile. Solitaire has sent many a goad bsrae ta tin- races lines flrtolph Bpreckels brought him over from Great Britain fur service 1 1 the Napa Stud and thi-- celt app MIS 1" be one of his bent. Kingly Doubtful. Fenmouse. winner of the Queen .Mine Iurse at Bowie last siring, is the boras Michael Daly is K inting for the Bowie meeting next spring. She likes the 4nap Bowie going. She is net looking particularly well this winter, but she has never wintered well. In the past, however, she has improved with the approach of spring and Daly has .in fear that she will fail iiim this year. Flitter-gotd. Friar Racks half -brother and Fair Plays brother, will wait for Havre de Grace, lie is ready for hard training now, but l.owie is not his sort of truck. He must have hard going, and, if he shows anything at Havre de Grace and Pimlico. Daly will think well of his hand in the Metropolitan Handicap. Kingly, the hands, miest stallion in the district, or out of it. is a doubtful racing proposition. He has not been sound since the Metropolitan Handicap of last year, in which he fell lame. The Cnrmana are not preparing for much early racing. Wilfrid Viau. the millionaire of Montreal. who owns Achievement, the best horse in their stable, will be satisfied if they have the son of Hastings ready for the Earl Grey Cup. at Blue Bonnets. It is hardly likely, before the end of the Pimlico meeting. But the strapping chestnut will train without doubt. The tendon he bowed in the Hamilton Derby last summer has straightened and app ars to be as good as new. If the Carmaas permitted Achievement would be taking on weight, which would never do. He is another 1,JOO pound horse and a stallion in the bargain. May Be a Jumper. Skeerface. a high-priced disappointment last season, is a gelding now and improved in temper, lie is growing into a horse of great size and. if he fails to run on the flat as he is capable of running, the Carmaas will make a jumper of him. There is a place in the ste phrrhssr field for a horse of the type and class of Skeerface and money t be won. Crass-country snort will be better than ever in tin last next year. Trial by Jury will be ready early. This fast son of Fair Flay, which failed to win last year after his victory over the smartest sprinters in the East in the Carter Handicap at AcunedUCt, has picked up notably lines the Laurel meeting. He is sound of limb aid robust constitutional! and ready for training. Sprinting will be his game in the spring, and he will move on as be shows improvement. Pan has a three -year-old of promise in Amalgamator, which defeated Manokin. Brooklyn and Bondage at Bow ie in Novi niber. Amalgamator is a prepsa St serve son of Duke of Ormonde and Com peneate. Throughout last year he was a growing. awkward colt, never sure of himself. Already he is a M-hand horse and probably he will grow more. But he is maturing fast. He comes of long-distance running stock, and he will have his first publk trial in company of good class in the lreakness. Top o th Morning Will Be Ready. Matt Brady does not expect to train The Decision and Brooks for Hat racing again, notwithstanding they beat the swiftest sprinters in Maryland last tail at Iimlieo ami Bowie. Joseph K. D n is bought them for ste, plechnsing. the one feature of the sport that holds a special attraction for him, and he does not care to waste time racing them on the flat. Already 1 h Dedsh n and Brooks are schooling with the Harbor Hill Cup winners. Single Stick and Yifir. and The Decision is showing the steadiness of i v t- ran. Brooks, however, is still erratic, lb nsists an palling up at his fences and popping over them, depending on his speed between jumps to keep up. Top o th Morning, the weight-carrying sprinter Of the Canadian meetings hist year, was lame at Laurel, but William Shields had him galloping before the i ad of November and is not permitting him to fill up. Top o th Morning has always been an early horse, and it is a safe bet that he will be ready for the colors iu the inaugural at Uowie.
