Here and There on the Turf, Daily Racing Form, 1922-11-03

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Here and There on the Turf Kilmers Trainers and Horses. William Shields Experience. Sandes Pimlico Futurity-Mount. Prowess of Prince James. Every time Exterminator went to a new trainer, or was ridden by a jockey who had not ridden him before, Louis Stuart was wont to remark: "Well, I see Exterminator is going to make a new reputation for another trainer," or for another jockey, as the case might be. Exterminator is a maker of reputations, for he has won for every trainer that has sent him to the post, and for, perhaps, every rider that has had the good fortune to pilot him, and there have bczn many in his five years racing in the silks of Willis Sharpe Kilmer. But Exterminator is not the only good one that bears the Kilmer silks. At New Orleans next winter William Shields will have a better opportunity than he ever had before to serve Mr. Kilmer, for he is to take a division of the Kilmer horses to the southern track. Fame first came to the Kilmer colors in 191?, when the English colt Sun Briar was one of the best two-5Tear-olds of the year. He was developed for Mr. Kilmer by Henry McDaniel and for that year, as well as 1918 and 1919, McDaniel was in charge of the racing string. It was Henry McDaniel that advised the purchase of Exterminator, the horse that was destined to win the Kentucky Derby for Mr. Kilmer after Sun Briar went badly amiss while making ready for the race. He had won the Hopeful Stakes and several otj r rich stake races for two-year-olds for Mr. Kilmer the year before with Sun Briar. After three years of service with Mr. Kilmer a change was made and J. Simon Healy and William McDaniel, a brother to Henry, became trainers of the Kilmer horses. Both had excellent results with the string and Exterminator naturally was the star of the stable. In 1921 there were three different trainers in the Kilmer employ William Knapp, William Shields and F. Curtis. It was Knapp that carried most of the load and again satisfying success came to the silks. This year Eugene Wayland has won more with Exterminator than the old fellow won in any other one year. He also took a Futurity Stakes, the first to be won by Mr. Kilmer, with Sallys . Allsy. Shields had Edwina for Mr. Kilmer last year and his success with her induced the turning over of some others this year. But the announcement is that Shields will have the big string for 1923. While there is a deal of truth in Louis Stuarts declaration and Exterminator is calculated to make a reputation for any trainer or any jockey, it must be admitted that Mr. Kilmer has chosen his various trainers with the same wisdom that he has shown in choos-if h",s horses at Sun Briar Court. He has made some of the most notable importations of richly-bred matrons and he bought the best obtainable when he brought Sun Briar over. When he chose Henry McDaniel to train his string he chose a horseman from a family of horsemen, which had all made good adequately as conditioners of horses. Then he made no mistake when he continued with William McDaniel, of the same stock. J. Simon Healy is a trainer that learned his art under the late John Huggins and he proved himself in training for the late H. B. Duryea, as well as the late E. B. Cassatt. William Knapp, one of the best jockeys of his day and a thorough horseman, was a good choice, and William Shields has had a long and successful career on the turf that began when he was a lightweight jockey. Eugene Wayland, who won the first Futurity that has gone to the Kilmer silks, is another conditioner of skill and experience. Prior to his taking over the Kilmer horses he was trainer for Walter J. Salmon and for that sportsman he also won a Futurity with Step Lightly. As a matter of fact, in the long history of the Futurity Wayland has only had participants in two and he sent the winner to the post on each occasion. Another testimony to his skill is that each winner was a filly. Thus it will be seen that Mr. Kilmer, even though he had a horse that was calculated to make the reputation of any trainer, has been careful in his selections. He has invariably picked one of skill and experience. When William Shields was added to the Kilmer training staff, to campaign a string of horses for the Binghamton sportsman and breeder at New Orleans, a conditioner that long since earned his reputation was chosen. Shields comes from a family of horsemen and his father, the late Alex Shields, was a power on the turf. Young Shields learned in a good school and in his day he has developed many a good hoTse. He trained Hermis for Edward R. Thomas when that magnificent horse was at the top of his form. He developed Lady Amelia, one of the fleetest sprinters of her day. Go Between was another, as well as the long-distance running Holscher, Buttons, Stalwart, Zoroaster and a score of other good ones. It was some time ago that a few of the Kilmer horses were turned over to Shields to take to New Orleans for winter racing, but the contract to take over the entire string was not completed until Wednesday afternoon. It is a long time since Shields has had such an aggregation of horses under his care as will come with the assuming of his duties as trainer for Mr. Kilmer, but like the other Kilmer choices, his selection is a wise one and both owner and trainer are to be congratulated. George Odom has obtained Earl Saisde to ride August Belmonts How Fair in the Pimlico Futurity, the 0,000 mile offering for two-year-olds, to be decided on Saturday at Pimlico. This was made possible when it was decided that the Rancocas Stable would not have a starter for the big race, and it will greatly increase the chances of the filly that is to bear the silks of the chairman of the Jockey Club. As the date for the race approaches the conviction is forced that the field will be a particularly unwieldy one. The race is one that is sure to bring to the post more starters than can be conveniently accommodated in the Pimlico stretch. Post position will become a much more important factor than is usual. The Druid Hill Purse, decided Wednesday, at three-quarters, was in the nature of a trial for some of the candidates, while others were timed seriously in private instead of being sent to the post in that race. J. S. Cosdens Dunlin, by the gams fashion in which he won from Sandy McNaughtons Little Celt, showed a readiness for the Saturday race. The Quincy Stables Bluemont, third to Dunlin and Little Celt, was worked out the full mile after the finish and completed, the distance in 1 :40, making it a wonderfully good work-out for the Futurity; when it is remembered that he had 120 pounds in the saddle. Richard T. Wilsons Wilderness disappointed in the Druid Hill Park Purse, but it served as a useful work-out for Saturday and he will doubtless be sent to the post. On other occasions he has raced in a fashion to suggest his being well able to compete with the best of them over a mile. Charles H. Thieriots Prince James, four-year-old black son of King James and La-cona, was one of the most remarkable handicap developments of the racing season and he has been so skillfully campaigned by A. J. Goldsborough that he has only been beaten once during the present year, although he came out of his winter retirement a maiden. This handsome big colt has been developed into one of the best considerable distance runners of the year and he has steadily climbed in the estimation of Walter S. Vosburgh until on Saturday, when he was. winner from Mad Hatter and Horologe in the Yorktown Handicap, he carried 119 pounds. It is only thi year that Prince James came to himself. He failed at sprinting distances in 1921, but since Goldsborough found out just where he belonged he has won seven races out of the eight times he has been raced this year. In his first appearance of the year, at Aqueduct, Prince James finished third to Flying Cloud and Olympus. That was his one defeat. His second appearance was in a mile for maidens, in which he was graduated with 115 pounds as his burden. Next he was run in a claiming race and, had Goldsborough had a full appreciation of his value at that time, it is not likely he would have rated him a selling plater. In that race High Speed, The Dictator and Daniel A. finished back of him. Such company did not mean anything, but never again was he raced as a selling plater. He went up slightly in the matter of good class opposition when he was raced in a mile dash at Saratoga, when he beat such horses as St. Allan, Two Feathers, Bluffer and Tangerine. But he was still a long way from the top when in such company. In a second race at Saratoga he scored at a mile from Bit of White, Thimble and Blazes. Following this came his appearance with horses of still bet- ter class and many thought that Goldsborotikh was shooting a bit high when he started Prince James in the Aqueduct Handicap over a mile and five-sixteenths distance. But Goldsborough knew what he was about when the son of King James won in 2:11, hanging out a new track mark for the distance. He took up 105 pounds in that race and back of him were Captain Alcock, Sedgefield, Bon Homme, Devastation and Mad Hatter. His other two victories were at the Empire City meeting just closed. In his first race there he took a mile and a sixteenth handicap from Exodus and Tangerine. Then in his last, the mile and an eighth of the Yorktown Handicap Saturday, he rounded out his New York campaign with a victory with 119 pounds on his back against 126 on Mad Hatter. From High Speed, The Dictator and Daniel A. to Mad Hatter and Horologe is a wide jump, but it was all accomplished in one short racing season by this handsome black. He is not through b any means and the manner in which he has been beating all comere entitles him to serious consideration in both the Bowie Handicap and the Pimlico Cup, for which he has been named. The distance of the Bowie Handicap is a mile and a half, while the Cup is at two and a quarter miles. These are routes over which Prince James should show to his best advantage and it may be that no one knows yet just how good a colt is this most consistent performer.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1920s/drf1922110301/drf1922110301_2_2
Local Identifier: drf1922110301_2_2
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800