view raw text
NEW BLOOD A NECESSITY 1 Prince James Rise to Ranks of Handicap Horses Welcomed. Rejuvenation of Xncky ilonr Also Hailed With Delight Jamaica Offers Some Excellent Sport. BY C. J. FITZ GERALD. NEW YORK, N. Y., October 5. The scarcity of handicap material in our racing is one of the most perplexing problems in connection with the turf of today. For this reason the advent of new blood from the ranks of supposed platers like Prince Jame, winner of the Aqueduct Handicap of 0,000, or the rejuvenation of Lucky Hour, the conqueror of Bunting in the Potomac Handicap recently, is welcomed. The good form of these Tiorses is a guarantee of stronger contention in the events to which they may be eligible for the remainder of the season, and the new elements may upset the calculations and predictions of the talent which likes to speculate on the class of the various divisions,- matching their skill with that of Mr. Vosburgh, whose cleverness is demonstrated almost daily during the year. The absence of Prince James from all but the Aqueduct Handicap at the meeting of the Queens County Jockey Club was deplorable, just as it was the oversight in not naming him for anything at Jamaica, but it is a safe prediction that he and Lucky Hour will be found in all of the big fixtures for 1923 in which case there will be additional food for gossip, argument and speculation through the coming winter. I The public has not seen the last of Prince James, however, this year as there will bo abundant opportunities at Jamaica in the overnight races for his exploitation. The development of Prince James into a horse of handicap class is the best sort of encouragement to the man who likes the sport an is not content to be a mere spectator. Mr. Theriot is of this type. Related to the Ox-nard family by marriage, he fancied the colt by King James Lacona on one of his visits to the Blue Ridge Stud in Virginia and became his owner when the yearlings were led into the auction ring at Durlands on a bid of ,000. When the colt failed to show anything at two and three and was a maiden this year at four he never lost heart. Mr. Theriot said he would make good some day, and this he has done this fall with a vengeance, running some of the best of the older horses off their legs and displaying form that makes him a dangerous customer in any company. A perusal of the blood lines of successful horses generally reveals a reason for their excellence. It is so in the case of Prince James, whose sire. King James, was one of the bulldogs of the turf and Avon more than 00,000 in stakes and purses. His dam, Lacona, was by Potomac, by St. Blaise, the best two and three-year-old of his day, which the next dam, imported Viola, by Kis-ber, had produced the good stake winner Victory, by Brag, which William Lakeland bought as a yearling at the dispersal sale of the Nursery Stud. Back of that is the great mare Parma, by Parmesan, which was the grand dam of the noted English race horse and sire St. Frusquin. LUCKY HOUR MUCH IMPROVED. Lucky Hours was no case of late development, though he did not appear early in the year of 1921. He was as precocious a two-year-old as we had and ran through the autumn in a way to warrant the belief that he would be a good three-year-old. His one fault was an apparent delicacy of outline, which seemed to indicate a lack of constitution. The same to a lesser degree was a characteristic last spring when he was electrifying racegoers by his speed. It has disappeared entirely, however, in the period covered by his retirement for the last few months, due to the injury he received by being gicked in the head by his stable companion Southern Cross. The Lucky Hour which will be seen in the Montague and Interborough Handicaps at Jamaica within the next two weeks is a big, rakish colt, with power in every line of his makeup. Saturday, October 8, will be a gala day at the popular Long Island course as the Pierre-pont and Montague Handicaps are down for decision on that date. The former, carrying an added value of ,000, is a test of a mile and a quarter. The entire Rancocas galaxy of stars, including Grey Lay, Kai-Sang, Mad Hatter, Cirrus and Flying Cloud are named for this event. Other eligibles include Bunt-ing.Prudery, Blazes, Bon Homme, Paul Jones, Snob II., Emotion, Paragon, Missionary, Pillory, Bon Homme, John Paul Jones, Devastation and Horologue. The best of the three-year-olds in the Montague, which is at three-quarters mile, are Kai-Sang, Lucky Hour, Missionary, Calamity Jane, Prudish, Southern i Cross, Irish Brigadier, Snob II.. Emotion, Modo, Morvich, My Reverie and Bigheart. i With Indian summer spreading its haze over land and sea the closing days of Jamaica should furnish some of the most attractive sport of the year.
