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Here and There on the Turf Lucky Hours Doubtful Parentage. Sennings Park to Be Considered. Steeplechasing in New York. Lucky Hour is a magnificent appearing colt, but it is truly unfortunate that he has that double pedigree by Ferole or Hourless-Lucky Catch. All agree that he is undoubtedly an Hourless, but the doubt on his sire side is a Berious drawback for stock purposes. There have been many good horses handicapped in the same manner and one of the truly good brood mares of this country was Cinderella, by Blue Ruin or Tomahawk Manna. She figures in some of the best of American blood lines, but disputed parentage is a serious bar to a stallion for stock purposes. Lucky Hour is a grand individual and just the type that should go on to no end of greatness in the stud, . when he is through with racing, but the doubt that is cast on his mala line in advance is a bar sinister for breeding purposes. The return of Sennings Park to racing is a valuable addition to the ranks of the high class handicap horses. When he was started in the Edgemere Handicap Saturday at Aqueduct it marked his first appearance under silks since June 24. He came back with much of the dash that was his early in the year and ought to be a thoroughly good horse this fall. In both the Excelsior and the Long Beach Handicaps in the early months of the racing season Sennings Park took the measure of the Rancocas Stables "Mad Hatter and at that time the notional Mad Hatter was on his good behavior and racing in his best form. In the Excelsior Handicap, Mad Hatter carried 129 pounds and Sennings Park had only to shoulder 115. But in the Long Beach Handicap they were much closer together when Sennings Park carried 121 pounds to Mad Hatters 128. There are still many opportunities for Sennings Park and he is coming back a fresh and good horse, able to keep the best of them busy. To return to Lucky Hour and his brilliant victory in the Edgemere Handicap, it is worth while to remember that while he was, racing under 117 pounds to beat as good a horse as Mad Hatter, Bunting was taking the Havre de Grace Handicap at a mile and an eighth in a field of older horses under 120 pounds. Both of these three-year-olds belong right up in the front division, but the victories of Bunting just add to the greatness of Lucky Hour. He is probably the master of Bunting and, if he is, he is the master of a good colt when it is seen that the son of Pennant and Frillery won so easily at Havre de "Grace. Of course, outside of Nedna, which finished second in the Havre de Grace Handicap, and with which he was coupled, Bunting did not have much of a task, but 120 pounds is a big burden for a three- year-old, when meeting older horses, particularly over such a distance, and his was a truly good race. Steeplechasing is over for the year, as far as New York is concerned. There are still many important cross-country races to be decided in Maryland and each year the fall racing at both Laurel and Pimlico is the best of the year in that state. But New York has temporarily seen the last of the jumpers. While this branch of the sport has not yet come back to where it properly belongs, there has been some improvement, the number of green jumpers that have been shown recently speaks well for the 1923 jumping racing. It is true that at Saratoga some of the races through the field were declared off by reason of the scant interest that was shown by the steeplechase stables, but it improved at both Belmont Park and Aqueduct. Now is the time for the associations to lay their plans for next year in regard to this style of racing. Canada will make a stronger call than ever for the cross-country horses and, if New York is to hold the best of them, it must in some measure meet Canada in the value of its offerings. It is-hot the occasional rich stake race that will keep steeplechasing going. What is wanted more than anything else is to have a general raise in the overnight purses. Have a greater number of cross-country races and make them so attractive that sportsmen will be induced to patronize that line of the sport. There are only three New York tracks that are equipped with steeplechase fields Belmont, Aqueduct and Saratoga and there should be horses enough to have a steeplechase nearly every day of these three meetings. There doubtless would be horses enough for such programs, if the inducement offered was more liberal.
