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Here and There on the Turf Firebrands Restoration to Favor. Outstanding Latonia Features. Barring- Exterminators Way. Oceanic to Meet Him Again. The victory of Jefferson Livingstons Firebrand in the Covington Handicap at Latonia Saturday served to confirm the form which he displayed in an overnight race early last week. Ha carried top weight, won all the way and was easing up at the finish. This showing makes the big son of McGee and Subdue the leading contender for first honors in the Latonia Cup, the closing days feature at the Covington track Saturday. The cup is at two miles and a quarter, however, and Firebrand picks up six pounds additional with his 127 pounds. Admirers of the Livingston colt arc confident that he can carry this big impost to victory over the trying distance, but there should be plenty of contention in the race. Rcckministcr, winner of the Latonia Championship Stakes, ran a good race in the Covington Handicap with 118 pounds in the saddle and the weights for the cup will give him something of an advantage. Indications are that there will be a larger field in the closing feature than that which faced the barrier in the Covington Handicap. The attendance at. Latonia continues to improve as the meeting " grows . older. Saturdays crowd was only a few short of the record attendance which witnessed the running of the Latonia Championship Stakes and the week-day turnouts are as large as many tracks enjoy on their big stake days. One of the chief elements in this satisfying condition, of course, has been the almost unbroken fine weather, but this would mean little if the sport were not maintained at a midseason standard. Big fields and a wealth of considerable distance racing help to keep the, pubic interest alive. General manager Winn , knows what the public wants and he realizes ; fully that a racing venture, to be successful, must supply that thing. The Montfort Jones horses have won nearly 0,000 since the Latonia meeting started. This total is over three times as much as that stables nearest rival, the " Idle Hour Stock Farm, has accumulated during the same racing period. Of course, the rich prize won by Rockminister in the Championship Stakes was an important contribution to the total, but the victory of Oui Oui in the Queen City Handicap was also a generous addition. This filly will be a starter in the Pimlico Futurity. She will be the chief hope of the West in that event and many astute Kentucky horsemen, who have been watching her de-j velopment, give her an excellent chance fori first money. . ; , And so it was Oceanic that blocked Exter- minator in his forward march to his goal of being the winner of more money than Man o War. Oceanic is from Samuel D. Riddles Glen Riddle Farm and Mr. Riddle is the owner of Man o War. It is natural that Mr. Riddle would like this wonderful champion to go down to history as the greatest money winner of the American Turf and Exterminator was coming altogether too close for comfort. Then another of the Riddle horses blocks the way. Of course, it was not only Oceanic that beat Exterminator, but he was good enough to beat the others in the field in the 5,000 Washington Handicap that was to put Exterminator well in front of Man o War had hv been the winner. This made the victory of the three-year-old son of The Finn and Veuve Clicquot doubly pleasing to the Riddle contingent. Incidentally, Veuve Clicquot, the dam of Oceanic, is a daughter of McKec, the sire of Exterminator. But if Oceanic is to continue to defeat Exterminator in his race for the Man o War figure, he will be a busy three-year-old at the Pimlico meeting of the Maryland Jockey Club. He is named for every one of the engagements that have been made for Exterminator. These are the three Serial Weight-for-Age races, the Bowie Handicap and the Pimlico Cup. The five races amount to 0,-500 in added money and, if Oceanic is good enough to hold the son of McGee and Fair Empress in each, there will be scant chance for the Man o War record being reached. Of course, the weight-for-age proposition would be a tough one for the younger horse, but both the Bowie Handicap and the cup are under handicap conditions and weight brings them all together. The victory of Oceanic in the Washington Handicap will naturally give him a new importance in other handicaps and ! he will not again be in under the feather of 104 pounds. It still remains to be seen how he will carry higher weights. There is no denying that even with his pull in the weights I he proved himself a truly good colt when he i ! took the Washington Handicap and he vindicated the high opinion trainer Gwyn Tompkins had of him and an opinion that Louis Feustel had before the colt went wrong early in the racing season. Oceanic is not the only three-year-old that may halt Exterminator when he is within sight of his goal. It will .be reached if the old fellow wins almost any one of his big Pimlico engagements, but he will not have any walkover to land in front of the famous son of Fair Play and Mahubah. For, in each of his engagements at the Maryland Jockey Club track, he will meet the best horses in training, but it is probably from the three-j-car-old division that he has the most to fear. Oceanic and Lucky Hour, first and second in the Washington Handicap, are each three-year-olds. With his burden of 132 pounds Ex terminator took up just six pounds over Upscale weight in the Washington Handicap, but Lucky Hour was at weight-for-age when he shouldered 120 pounds, and it is a good horse that can beat Exterminator with only .six pounds advantage. Oceanic, with only 104 on his back, was in receipt of twenty-two pounds from the Kilmer champion, but he also was in receipt of sixteen pounds from Lucky Hour. He will not have the same weight advantage over the Simms three-year-old the next time they come together and, if he is to cut a serious figure with these two at Pimlico, he j will have to improve over his magnificent race in the Washington Handicap. . Tompkins has carefully brought Oceanic up to his winning form and the manner in which the colt has steadily improved until he was good enough jto take the measure of the best that could be mustered against him in the Washington Handicap makes it appear that he will im- prove still further. In any event, making every allowance for the light weight under whicL he has won his way to the front rank, if he can hold his place he will have , to bs classed with the best three-year-olds of the vear. j
