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Here and There on the Turf Widely Spread Interest in Exterminator. Vigils Defeat of Dunlin Suggestive. Lexington Soon to Call for Attention. Seldom was there a more interesting racing day at Havre de Grace than that of Saturday. Of course the big thing was the victory of Exterminator. His race in the Harford Handicap, though a good one, did not really answer questions as to his form this year, but his gallant race in the Philadelphia Handicap leaves no doubt of his being back, still a great race horse. This means much to the turf. Such a horse does more to firmly maintain the high esteem of the sport than the racing of all low class horses put together. Like Man o War, he is a national figure. Those who have never been to the races must know of Exterminator, as those who know nothing of pugilism know Jack Dempsey. One need not go to the ball park to know Babe Ruth. These big figures of all the sports bring the *i let interest. In racing there have come many great horses, but there have been few, not even excepting Man o War, that have occupied a higher place in the hearts of the lovers of good horses. Now in his eighth year Mr. Kilmers marvelous gelding took up 129 pounds successfully to race a mile and a sixteenth in 1 :45%, while back of him and close at hand was another old gelding in Paul Jones, like Exterminator a Kentucky Derby winner. Exterminator has gone on, year after year, with mighty deed": that have made him on? of the most dependable turf idols of history a.id the manner of his victory Saturday is great cause for rejoicing. It appears certain no* that, barring accident, he will surely catch and pass the money winning record of Man o War, but his deeds are not to be measured by money, although any record is admirable. To be the greatest money winner of history means that the hors? must be truly an equine giant, but in these days of lavish money in stake races, it might be possible for one not exactly a giant to be a great money-winner. But Exterminator has gone through the acid test. He has come back to the races this year looking as well as at any time in his brilliant career. Another feature of the racing at Havre de Grace Saturday was that Walter J. Salmon, the New York sportsman and breeder, has a promising celt in Vigil, chestnut son of Jim Gaffney and Vignola. Last year Vigil proved himself a game colt by the way he finished in his races and when he caught and beat J. S. Cosdens Dunlin at thrpe quarters in the Combat Purse, he demonstrated that he has come back the same kind of a stretch runner. Dunlin was giving Vigil ten pounds and that is a big pull, but Dunlin will have to give him weight if they meet in the Preakness Stakes. There were other Preakness Stakes candidates back of these two in Fly by Day, Daniel, Blue Nose. Scribble, St. Valentine and Better Times. They all fell before Mr. Salmons sj eedy colt. There will be a better test for these candidates in the running of the Chesa peake Stakes Saturday. It is likely that some other candidates will be brought to the post for that race. This race betwwen Vigil, Dunlin and the other candidates that was run Saturday serves to bring Sallys Alley into more prominence and, until better performances are shown by the colts, she has every chance to beat them again this year as die did in 1922. In the meantime the Kentucky horses that await the opening of the Lexington meeting next Saturday have been showing well in their training. It may be that when they are shown in racing interest will shift from Maryland to Kentucky. Some three-year-old may come to the races at Lexington that will seem to stand out over Sallys Alley so far as promise is concerned. There are not a few of the New York horses meant for both the Preakness Stakes and the Kentucky Derby that are still to be heard from. Probably some of them will be uncovered at Havre de Grace before, the end of that meeting and there will be a chance for a closer inspection of the merits of the various candidates. But western attention centers in Lexington results mainly. Here in Chicago is seems more like home racing than anything done on Eastern tracks.
