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Here and There on the Turf Cheerful Racing Prospects Great Contests Assured in Kentucky Huntingdons Ambitious Ven ¬ ture tureOur Our Grand National Hope Stud Chances for Our Four YearOlds With the announcement of the stakes that will be offered in Kentucky there is one big step nearer the opening of the real racing season of 1923 It was expected that the change in ownership of the Lexington track might make a material difference in the stake j list but the four offerings there are decidedly attractive The twoyearolds have their op ¬ portunity in the Tobacco Stakes the Ashland Oaks is continued and gives the threeyearold fillies their chance and the Blue Grass Stakes for threeyearolds of both sexes gives the colts a combat with the fillies and a fine Derby trial The remaining stake race is the Camdcn Handicap at a mile and a quarter and it has been one of the most notable of the Lexington races ever since 1910 when it was won by Donau DonauOf Of course the Kentucky Derby always dwarfs all the other Kentucky races and is of national interest In addition to its value of 50000 in added money it has the importance and prestige that go with long establishment First run in 1875 when it was won by Aristi des it is one of the few fixtures of the Ameri ¬ can turf of such long age that has had no lapses in its history The race this year will be its fortyninth renewal When the Ken ¬ tucky Derby was won by Aristides it was worth 2850 to the winner When it was 3 won by Morvich last year it was worth 46775 In its fortyeight renewals it has increased j more than sixteen times in value its first net t return returnIt It is best that there should be a compara ¬ tively late closing of the Kentucky Derby Some of such rich prizes are closed as futures i That unquestionably will attract a greater r number of entries but it frequently happens s that the best colt or filly of the year is not t eligible through not having been named by 7 his owner or breeder breederThe The late closing affords the chance to enter r the best one of the previous year while it also 0 does away with the naming of many unworthy Y of such company The various other stake races of the Ken ¬ tucky Jockey Club that are to be closed Febru ¬ ary 24 are in keeping with the usual liberality of the organization and are worthy of the best horses of any country countryLast Last year there was a wide distribution of the money although Exterminator took two of the rich races when he won both the Clark and the Kentucky Handicaps at Churchill Downs Major Thomas C McDowells good mare Distinction also took two of them when she won both The Enquirer and Quickstep Handicaps at Latonia LatoniaThe The changing of the date for the running of the Derby has met with hearty approval by all concerned and it is another move of the Kentucky Jockey Club that will add great ¬ ly to its popularity with the horsemen and the public Setting the date back a week aside from the allimportant fact that it avoids a conflict with the running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico is much more to the liking of those who have candidates for the 50000 race Under the present date ar rangement as has been pointed out by Colonel Winn it becomes possible for eligibles to the Derby to be raced at least once over the track before being sent after the big race It has been decided to hold the Huntington West Virginia meeting in April instead of May as was first announced The new date chosen is April 10 to continue for fifteen racing days This change will make the only conflict with the racing at Bowie and as a matter of fact that should really be counted no conflict Bowie usually has more horses horsesthan than can be comfortably accommodated and the fact of that meeting attracting so many horses ought to be a help rather than a hin drance to the West Virginia meeting The Theplans plans for the meeting at Huntington are de cidedly ambitious and it is proposed to give the turf a lasting place in the state With the announcement of the weights for the Liverpool Grand National Steeplechase it is found that Joseph E Wideners Duettiste has been treated much more leniently by the handicapper than he was last year For the 1922 race in which he failed to get to the post his impost was 166 pounds and the only horses that were required to take up greater weight were Sir Huon 175 pounds Shaun Spadah 171 and Silver Ring 171 Those from which Duettiste is in receipt of weight this year are Shaun Spadah 175 Tur ¬ key Buzzard 174 Old Tay Bridge 171 Pab ton 171 Southampton 169 Sir Huon 168 and Square Dance 168 pounds Of course Duettiste remains the only hope of the Ameri ¬ cans in the big race He has been fairly treated and should he be brought to the post by Escott he will have a following but the fact that he failed in his preparation last year will make his supporters more chary about backing him than they were then In this edition of Daily Racing Form on page 12 is presented a tabulated record of the leading fouryearolds of 1922 Aside from the statistical feature of this compilation there is a word of good cheer hidden among those figures for the breeders of the country It is indeed significant and encouraging to note that of the thirty leading woneywinning four yearolds of last year all but ten are either entire horses or mares In fact of the ten largest winners of this division only one Devas ¬ tation is a gelding It is certainly pleasing for our breeders to look over this list and realize that such grand specimens of the thor oughbred as Firebrand Grey Lag Tryster Bunga Buck Golden Sphere Billy Barton Registrar United Verde and others have been spared the knife and will after a year or so be available for stud duty there to transmit to their descendants the sterling qualities speed stamina endurance and courage they so often demonstrated on the race course the only real and true testing ground of the thor oughbred In addition to their own brilliant achievements on the turf these bright stud prospects will be welcomed by our breeders because of the good hardy American lines as well as the mixture of English and French breeding they represent
