view raw text
Here and There on the Turf Pimlicos Coming Meeting. Trainer Howes Shrewdness. J Working Horses in Races. Oui Ouis Surprising Race. The program book for the Pinilico meeting of the Maryland Jockey Club, which opens at the old Baltimore course October 31, has just come from the printer. It gives promise of an exceedingly good fall meeting and the number of long-distance races that are down for decision make it doubly interesting. Of these an outstanding feature is the Pinilico Cup at two and a quarter miles, in which Exterminator has thus far been unbeaten. He won its first decision in 1919 over Royce Rools and in both 1920 and 1921 it furnished a rare battle between the Kilmer champion and his sturdy rival, Boniface. Then there is the Bowie Handicap at a mile and a half and the Pimlico Autumn Handicap at a mile and a quarter. Each of these races has attracted more and better nominations than ever before and the renewals are certain to be bright spots in racitig at this meeting. The Walden Stakes, which is a mile dash for the two-year-olds, which was first run in 1907, has 171 nominations for the coming meeting, while the Pimlico Futurity, the 0,-000 added two-year-old stake race over the same distance, has all of the best in its eligible list. This rich race had its first decision last fall, when it was won by Morvich. Another of the two-year-old offerings that is tremendously popular- with breeders is the Home Bred. This is a three-quarters race and its novel feature is that starters must be owned by the breeder and to have been his absolute property from the time of foaling. This race is one that seeks to attract the gentleman breeders and there are many of them who have patronized the race with nominations. The book provides for a 0 prize to the trainer of each winner and it is an innovation that has proved tremendously popular in the past. Then in the rules governing the sport there is an excelhnt one relating to the scratches. This rule reads: "In all overnight races and handicaps no scratches will be permitted after 8:30 a. m., except by consent of a steward, given in the form of a notice to the clerk of the scales." Such a rule to a great extent prevents the breaking up of fields and it also prevents the padding of races by trainers who may make several entries with no intention of starting in order to scare out the contention in favor of one particular horse. This has been an abuse that has been particularly hard to combat by the New York associations. This Pimlico rule should work excellently to correct that practice. When James Rowe kept Bunting at Laurel for the Maryland Handicap Saturday, he added ,325 to the total winnings of Harry Payne Whitneys son of Pennant and Frillery. And he did something more, he gave him a stiff J workout as a part of his preparation for the Latonia Championship Stakes, to be run next Saturday over the Latonia track. Bunting needed the work and there was no good reason why he should not be given it for a prize of ,325 rather than being galloped in the morning with no reward at the end of his trial. Frequently the arrangement of stake races of the various associations afford like opportunities and it is the shrewd trainers who avail themselves of the chances. Time and again other trainers have dodged engagement after engagement waiting for one goal and at the same time they drill their horses in the morning in a fashion that will take probably just as much out of them, with no chance of any return other than the reward that comes with properly fitting a horse. Almost any horse will race himself into condition and there is no better way to fit him if he stands up under such preparation. Exterminator was well beaten at Laurel in the Arundel Handicap at three-quarters. It was not just where he belonged after having been raced over long distances all through the year, but it was a useful part of his prepara-i tion for the long-distance engagements he has at Pimlico. Of course, Exterminator won a three-quarters dash as his first race of this year, but at that time Wayland had plenty of time to train him for speed alone. Since that he has been built up wonderfully and has not been subjected to the same speed tests. It may be that Wayland considered that the old fellow had a good chance to outsprint the sprinters in the Arundel Handicap; but whether he did or not he gave Exterminator a beneficial workout where there was a prize at the end of his race. It is an entirely legitimate and sensible way to fit a horse for his engagements. Some of the best horses have bsen notorious loafers when worked in the morning. It has been impossible to have them show a respectable gallop, but with the colors up they will exert themselves. Exterminator himself never has been a work horse and in his preparation for one of his best races this year the best he showed Wayland was a mile in 1 :45. Unless the trainer knows his horse a work would not hs encouraging, to say the least, but it convinced Wayland that his star was ready. And he was ready to win the Saratoga Cup at a mile and three-quarters from Mad Hatter. Montfort Jones furnished one more upset when his Oui Oui won the Queen City Handicap at Latonia Saturday. This filly showed altogether unexpected importance and has muddled up the two-year-old situation further. But Montfort Jones has had a habit of up-sstting calculations this year. It was his Rockminister which was unexpectedly the winner of the Huron Handicap at Saratoga and at the same meeting Surf Rider made a show of Morvich at his own specialty sprinting. -
