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Here and There on the Turf New Yorks Racing. Additions to Our Blood Stock. Our Riders in France. Should Borrow Western Conveniences. Aqueduct as a Wintering Track. Only twelve more days of racing in New York and the tracks will close their gates until next spring. The Empire City meeting promises to fittingly close what has been one of the most successful racing seasons since the passage of the Agnew-Hart law that for a time worked such havoc with the New York tracks. The racing has long since been brought back to a firm footing, but for some years the tracks were operated at a loss and it is only recently that the sportsmen who compose the various associations have reaped any financial reward for their loyalty to the turf. These rewards have been constantly growing in recent years until 1922 shows a most satisfying condition. Before there was legislation hostile to racing, the New York season opened April 15 and was continued without interruption until November 15. This term was seriously cut for several years, but of late there have been, days added both spring and fall, until this year there will have been 152 days of racing. Of course when the New York racing began April 15 and continued until November 15 the sport in Maryland had not reached the importance it now enjoys. That racing field is bo adjacent to Nsw York that it forms a strong competitor both spring and fall, so it is doubtful if New York will ever come back to the April 15 opening or the November 15 closing. What is of importance is that the turf is coming back to a sound foundation and the 1922 success leaves no doubt of its present condition. 1 The announcement that five richly-bred marai are on their way to these shores, con- I signed to Joseph E. Widener and. Kenneth Gilpin, is of great interest to the breeding industry. Presumptively the best of them is the 0,000 Reine des Peches, the gray daughter of Roi Herode and Perfect Peach, by Persim- non. This mare is in foal to Gay Crusader j and her influence on the American blood stock may prove important. The other importations , are all of the stoutest lines and should not fail to be valuable additions to the thorough- bred brood mares of America. i r American riders continue to make their mark t on the French turf, according to the latest statistics, and at the rate they have been going they promise to continue in the first flight, f Frankie ONeil long since has become an in- Btitution over there and Garner, McGee, Wink- field and Everett Haynes are making good ade- s quately on the French courses. ONeil now d enjoys a big lead, with 121 winning mounts j to his credit, while Bellhouse, his nearest com- of ti nt of ,f . - - - g D D s 1 ! : 1 I petitor, has 72. At this rate ONeil seems to be in a fair way to take down the champion- ship, as was confidently expected all through the racing season. From time to time it has been suggested that the New York racing associations would do well to follow the lead of the Kentucky Jockey Club in the printing of programs that would show post positions and riders as well as the starters. Not only do Kentuckys pro-j grams give this information, but they also show the equipment the horses are to carry, as to whip, blinkers, bandages and spurs. Equipment is an important matter in the sending out of most horses to race and it is information that means much to the race goers. But the Kenutcky programs go even farther than that. One page is devoted to information of the weight carried, jockey who rode and the equipment of each starter in its last previous race. This is of .,great value and it could readily be a part of the New York programs. That is merely a question of keeping a record of races past and, even should it be found not feasible to give the advance information as to rider, post position and the equipment, there does not 1 seem to be any good reason why the last previous "rigging" of the horse could not be shown. Of course, all of these things are ; shown in the 3 published Rast performances, but to have it on the program puts it in a con- 4 5 cise way that would surely be greatly appreciated by the race goers. 7 It is promised that Aqueduct will, in a measure, rival big Belmont Park as winter I 1 2 quarters this year. Superintendent Brennan 1 3 has been inclosing stables and making many 4 4 alterations for the accommodation of the 5 5 horsemen who will remain on Long Island until 6 6 next spring. Time was when both Gravesend 7 7 and Sheepshead Bay had big winter colonies and there was a great rivalry between "the two tracks when it came to sending horses to the races in the spring. With the closing of r Sheepshead Bay and the building of beautiful j Belmont Park many of the Sheepshead Bay 1 1 2 2 contingent moved to the Nassau County track, 3 s but the Gravesend colony remained loyal to 5 4 the old racing ground of the Brooklyn Jockey 6 6 Club, until it finally was sold to a land development company and some of the horses 1-had 1 to be disposed of before they would seek 2-other 2 quarters. Just as Aqueduct took over 3. 3 many of the Gravesend stakes the winter col- . 4- 1 ony will be taken over. In the palmy days 3 of the Brooklyn Jockey Club its Gravesend 5 course was more popular as winter quarters 1 than Aqueduct and, for that reason, the Queens County Jockey Club had no good reason to bid for that patronage. But when Gravesend 1 was torn up the old timers insisted on Aque- duct and now it is to blossom forth, just as Gravesend did in the old days. And in the ti meantime Jamaica will have its little colony. y It was there that Burlew wintered Morvich last hl winter and when he sent him out to win the tli Kentucky Derby it was a big bit of advertis- u, ing for that track. Altogether the horses that eAr end A are to be thrown out of training for the winter in S will find excellent quarters at any one of the se three Long Island courses. lost had He II
