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Here and There on the Turf Mutuels Alone at Havana. Another Candidate Emerges. Misdeeds of Playfellow. The recent announcement of the Cuba-American Jockey and Auto Club of an "important change in connection with the method of betting operations, namely, that the wagering at Oriental Park in future will be done through the pari-mutuel machines only," is significant to say the least. It is, -however, the inevitable result where the two forms of wagering are used at the same track books and mutuels. Such was the case at Tijuana, where the iron men have taken the place of the bookmaker I to the great satisfaction of all concerned. The mutuels are no experiment. They have stood the test. They were not only the salvation of racing in Kentucky, Maryland and Canada, but through their immense popularity have enabled the racing organizations of the places mentioned to offer turf prizes of great monetary value, to encourage the breeding of thoroughbreds, to provide more substantial and commodious race tracks, thus sharing with horsemen, breeders and the public some of the revenue derived from the returns of this fairest and best method of turf speculation. Now there comes another aspirant for the three-year-old championship. He is none other than Samuel D. Riddles Oceanic, the fleet-footed son of The Finn and Veuve Cliquot. By his easy victory in the Glenburnie Handicap at Laurel Monday he demonstrated that Gwyn Tompkins has him back in racing form. Early in the year Louis Feustel had reason to believe that Oceanic was good enough for the Preakness Stakes. The colt was one of the many that was knocked out of that engagement by reason of illness. Oceanic made his first racing appearance of the jear on May 4 in the Richmond Handicap, in which he galloped away from a. band of oldsr horses with the greatest ease. Among those to finish behind him were such fast ones as Knobbie, Georgie, Elected II. and the like. That race was a part of his Preakness preparation, but shortly after its running Oceanic was stricken with the prevailing epidemic of the time and could not keep his Pimlico engagement. He did not appear in public again until June 30 at Aqueduct, where he was an easy winner of a mile race that was his final for the Dwyer Stakes. In the Dwyer Stakes he was beaten by Ray Jay and Letterman. That is the only defeat he has suffered and it suggested that Feustel might have hurried him more than he should after his sickness of the spring. He was plainly not himself and it wound up his racing until he won the Glenburnie Monday. When it was found Oceanic was so far from being fit in the Dwyer Stakes he was thrown out of training and it was decided that he would be permitted to grow robust and strong before being put into hard training. When Feustel turned the horses over to Tompkins Oceanic was galloping again, but Tompkins went along with him slowly and at Saratoga I in August the son of The Finn convinced him he was a remade colt. But Tompkins is patient and steadily built up his horse with the fall campaign in view. The Glenburnie Handicap was just a part of his preparation for better things and it would not be surprising if Oceanic proves a stumbling block to the aspirations of some of the best of his age. Oceanic is engaged in the Maryland Handicap, for three-year-olds at a mile and a quarter, to be run Saturday, and the present intention is to send him to the post for that race. He is in this 0,000 prize exceedingly well under 109 pounds. He does not carry any penalty for his recent victory and it was just the sort of a gallop to sharpen up his speed. He had a world of long, strong galloping while Tompkins was building him up for his falls campaign and there should be no doubt of his readiness to race a mile and a quarter. Tom-kins long since learned how to make his horses, run all the way and he has every blood reason to be a high-class stayer. The Finn, his sire, was a stayer and of staying stock, for he is a son of Ogden and the Star Shoot mare Livonia. On his maternal side there should be no question of his staying, for. his dam, Veuve Cliquot, is a daughter of McGee, sire of the cup champion Exterminator. Of course, McGee has considerable reputation for begetting speed, but Exterminator is. one that combines speed and extreme staying power. Oceanic is in a fair way to be one of the foremost three-year-olds before he goes into winter retirement and his pull in the weights in the Maryland Handicap makes him at least attractive in that race. He is at the same notch with Emotion and Moco and he is in receipt of a pound from such eligibles as Southern Cross, Nedna and Firm Friend. Missionary, Serenader and Star Jester each have to give him three pounds and he is in just six pounds better than Little Chief. Pillory and Snob II. each give him seven pounds and that works the handicap to the top-notchers. Kai-Sang, with his 127-pound burden, concedes eighteen pounds; Lucky Hour, seventeen; Bunting, sixteen, and Whiskaway, twelve. Of course, not all of these will be seen under silks in the race, but even should they be brought together it would appear that Oceanic is in exceedingly well. Playfellow has failed again. It is truly remarkable how this big four-year-old has fooled so many shrewd horsemen. The three-quarters of the Glenburnie Handicap was hardly the distance over which the son of Fair Play and Mahubah would show to his best advantage. He always showed best in a longer race. But Oceanic, the winner, was giving him a year and a pound. Bigheart, which finished second, gave him a year and six pounds, and Dexterous, the other one to beat him, is a four-year-old that took up 104 pounds to only 108 on Playfellow. Playfellow had frequently shown dazzling speed in private, but he just does not know how to use it with the colors up and in this contest, though the race was not a fast one, he was last for a considerable part of the way. Fitzsimmons has not given up hope for his big colt, but he is losing other admirers every time he is sent to the post.
