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Here and There on the Turf Lucky Hour Gains in Prestige. No Master Three -Year-Old. Standing of Sallys Alley. Bowies Peculiar Track. That Matamoros Venture. After the brilliant opening of the Bowie meeting on Saturday, no doubt can exist of its importance and advance in standing. When so much was said of the top-notch horses that were engaged many doubted that they would be raced, although on the ground. That doubt was dispelled in the running of the Southern Maryland Handicap. The Lexington Stables Lucky Hour, winner of this feature, is assuredly one of the best, if not the best, of his age. His performance in this handicap, while it was not a swiftly-run race, was particularly impressive. He was giving away age and weight to most of the starters when he shouldered 118 pounds successfully and had to be a truly high-class colt to win. Fair Phantom, Surf Rider and Hephaistos were the other three-year-olds to go to the post and, while Surf Rider was only in receipt of four pounds, the others had a big weight advantage when Hephaistos only took up 108 pounds and Fair Phantom was in under the feather of 99 pounds. Captain Alcock, winner of both the Bowie Handicap and the Pimlico Cup, was under equal weights with Lucky Hour at 118 pounds. But he is a five-year-old and he was soundly beaten in the race. The racing season will come to an end without the crowning of an undisputed king of the division, but in considering the merits of various aspirants Lucky Hour will always have one of the foremost places. Last spring first came Benjamin Blocks Morvich, by reason of his Kentucky Derby victory, and Richard T. Wilsons Pillory because he had won the Preakness, but it was admitted at that time that many of the most brilliant three-year-old prospects were not able to meet their engagements in these races. Lucky Hour was one that was peculiarly unfortunate, for just when he was recovering from the illness that prevented his racing in either the Preakness or the Derby, he was severely kicked in the head by Southern Cross, a stable mate. This resulted in an injury that for a time, it was feared, would ruin the colt for further racing. He was kicked with such force as to be knocked down and an operation was performed to remove a piece of splintered bone. Naturally, this halted his training for a considerable time. He had raced brilliantly at Havre de Grace before taking sick and this later injury happened while he was in training on a Long Island track. In the meantime Whiskaway had been uncovered and when he so easily took the measure of Morvich in the Carlcton Stakes, it was the : first time the Bon of Runnymede and Hymir had tasted defeat. Wiskaway went along to the Huron Handicap at Saratoga in which he was thoroughly beaten by Rockminister! Morvich dipped farther back when he was : beaten by Surf Rider and Kai-Sang had raced i his way to the front rank without having to i meet the best of them. Snob H. and Hca were . two others that had their brief day of glory . and all this time the return of Lucky Hour and Bunting was looked forward to eagerly. That meeting came and each colt still has his ; steadfast admirers. They were close enough together in an analysis of their performances to make the question of which was the better one acute. Then again Rockminister came into the picture by defeating both of them at Latonia. In the meantime, Kai-Sang was kept away from the races by reason of a foot trouble and he didnt have a chance at either of them. Thus it is that one after another of the three-year-olds have flashed to the top, but not one of them has remained long enough to be an undisputed champion of the three-year-old division. Of them Rockminister and Lucky Hour are still in training and are at Bowie. Rockminister did not start in the Southern Maryland Handicap, although he had four pounds advantage over the Lexington Stable colt. They will almost surely be brought together before the end of the meeting and, as far as they are concerned, the question of superiority should be decided. But this does not mean the championship, for Whiskaway, Bunting and Kai-Sang still have as much right for consideration as best of the year, no matter what the result may be of a meeting between Lucky Hour and Rockminister. Of them all it is not improbable that Kai-Sang would be the one crowned, if it were left to a voting contest among the close students of racing. There exists a like condition in studying the two-year-olds of the year. August Belmonts Messenger was forced into retirement just when he appeared to be the most promising prospect. Harry Payne Whitneys Enchantment, by reason of being a gelding, had limited opportunities. Then his slowness in starting cost him stake races that he should have won. Willis Sharpe Kilmers Sallys Alley is undoubtedly the best of her sex and her victories in both the Futurity at Belmont Park and the Pimlico Futurity pronounced her best of her age, colts as well as fillies, so far as those in the two races were concerned. But Sallys Alley, with all the brilliance of her racing, has not stood out alone as the best two-year-old should. At this time of the year it is seldom there is not one that, by reason of its racing, stands out over the others until it is rated as best, but the same condition of ! affairs that prevails among the colts and fillies a year older is found in the new 1922 crop. It is another championship that is still debatable at the end of the racing season. While on the question of the best two-year-olds there are several of the truly good ones racing at Bowie. General Thatcher, winner of the Advance Purse at six and a half furlongs Saturday, is one of these. This son of Sweep and Polistena ran a particularly impressive race when he scored so easily from August Belmonts Osprey, Walter J. Salmons Yigil and such others as Frank G., Moonraker, Best Love, Good Night and Heeltaps. In that race Keogh had the Nevada Stock Farm colt under restraint practically throughout and, while there were excuses for two of the other starters, it did not take anything away from the easy character of the victory. Those that had an excuse were Frank G. and Osprey. Frank G. showed a brilliant turn of speed when he was leading through the backstretch, but bled and, as a natural consequence, quit badly in the stretch. Osprey was rushed up in one eighth at a clip that took considerable out of him and tired in the last eighth. But General Thatcher was such an easy winner and Keogh rode with such confidence that there was no doubt of his being best. Superintendent Richard Pending has mi-proved the Bowie track considerably since last spring, but it is still a slow track and just a bit different from any of the others. Some I horses are much at home in its footing, while jto many others it is puzzling and difficult. .For that reason Bowie in the past has been a great track for horses to repeat. It appeared jin the racing of Saturday that Montfort Jones Pegasus and his Surf Rider could not race i i . . ; freely in the going, while it was no handicap for that fast filly Gentility from the G. L. Blackford stable. Hephaistos was a veritable Hindoo through its going last fall and he still appears to be thoroughly at home there this fall. Osprey performs in a fashion to suggest mastering of the going and Fair Phantom can run over it swiftly. Ability to run over the Bowie track is never thoroughly shown in the exercise gallops and it will take actual racing to determine this quality in the horses that are there for the first time. It is safe to predict on the history of the other meetings that winners will repeat. Winter racing is constantly growing in importance and, while there will be no meeting at Mexico City, plans are going forward for the establishment of an elaborate plant at Matamoros, just across the Rio Grande from Brownsville. This will be conducted by the same sportsmen who took racing to Mexico City and the plans contemplate a track that may be a real addition to the winter meetings. Geographically it is sure to be much more popular than Mexico City as a racing point and may play a prominent part in the racing scheme of stables that campaign their horses through the cold months. This track, it is said, will be ready for use in 1923.
