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Here and There on the Turf Lucky Hour Expected. Three -Year-Old Failures. Young Rider Merimees Promise. California Enterprise. Tlie three-year-old division will gain a new interest as the result of the promised early .return of the Lexington Stables Lucky Hour to the races. Last fall at Yonkers, when the colt began his sensational series of victories, there were many turfmen and. race followers who freely predicted a glorious future for him. Nothing that has happened "this year has tended to reflect on the soundness of that prediction. In a year when sickness and misfortune have been the rule, rather than the exception, in the thoroughbred world Lucky Hour appears to have had more than his share. Following two early victories and a defeat by Bunting the colt fell victim to the epidemic and was thrown out of training. Then when he was taking regular exercise again and his early return to the racing picture began to be heralded abroad his playful Btablemate, Southern Cross, kicked him in the head one morning. But now he has recovered from that "most unkindest cut of all," and reports from Saratoga Tuesday were that when displayed in the paddock he appeared in the pink of condition. Some of the other late juvenile sensations of 1921 have faded one by one before the onrush of three-year-old competition. Horologe and Hephaistos, expected in many quarters to cut an important figure in this years racing, have taken their places among the third-raters. Letterman has been transferred to the jumping brigade and Galantman, his stable-mate, is hardly considered up to stake racing any longer. The roster might be continued, but these are sufficiently striking examples of the trend in the division. Lucky Hour may or not be the topnotcher which he was considered to be by many wise turfmen, but the process of proving or disproving that estimate of his ability is bound to be interesting. The fall stakes on New York tracks which will bring the three-year-olds together will give him an opportunity to try his speed against the best, and the public, loving a good race, whatever wins, will benefit. The transaction whereby H. C. Fisher obtained second call on the promising young apprentice, J. Merimee, should work out to the mutual benefit of the parties concerned. Merimee, displaying a judge of pace and a skill in arousing his mounts to do their best worthy of a veteran, has been winning his way into the good graces of trainers and. the racing public through the New York racing season. His opportunities to obtain good mounts have been limited, but his riding has not suffered. The new arrangement will give him opportunity to ride horses which are in form and ready to win. The Fisher horses have met with conspicuous success at Saratoga and the addition of this youngster to the riding list of the stable may help the establishments chances in coming races. J. W. Marchbank, the California breeder, on the strength of the Tanforan project, made large yearling purchases at Saratoga and also acquired several two-year-olds, which he intends to turn to breading purposes when their racing days arc over. The thoroughbred blood in his state may be benefited materially by his enterprise, since many of the blood lines represented in the Saratoga purchases are entirely lacking in that portion of the country.
