Here and There on the Turf: Rialto in the Dangerous List His Winning Race Suggests a Preakness Chance. Donges Mishaps. Exterminators Lameness a Matter of Concern, Daily Racing Form, 1923-05-05

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Here and There on the Turf Rialto in the Dangerous List His Winning Race Suggests a Preakness Chance. Donges Mishaps. Exterminators Lameness a Matter of Concern. Another of the Preakness Stakes and Kentucky Darby candidates of liigh speed was shown in public Thursday when James Rowe sent the Green tree Stables Rialto to the post at Pimlico. This good son of Chicle and Matinee turned in a high class performance when under a burden of 116 pounds he won over a mile and a sixteenth route. It was his first start of the year and the manner of his victor- left no doubt of how thoroughly he had been trained before he was shipped from Brookdale Farm. Last year Rowe had high hopes for Rialto and he was considered possibly the best of the two year olds in the care of that astute trainer. Rialto was not brought to the post until in August and won his first race. His next appearance was in the Saratoga Special and in that race he ran so green as to have no chance. These were his only Saratoga races, and in his next race, at Havre de Grace, he was a good second to his stablemate Blue Peter. He followed this with a Havre dc Grace victory and then repeated at Laurel. After these two winning races the son of Chicle and Matinee was started four times and on each occasion he was away so badly as to have virtually no chance. Like his stablemate Enchantment, he appeared to be unable to leave the barrier in good style. Those who watched his running in the Pimlico Futurity will remember the gap that was closed by Rialto, but it availed him nothing, because of his being so far back in the early running. The race run by Rialto Thursday would tend to indicate that he has learned to leave the post fast, and that appeared to be his only obstacle in the road to greatness last year. By reason of his failures in the stake races of last year he is in the Preakness Stakes at a distinct weight advantage and it may be that he will be the one to take the big race. He will not enjoy a like advantage in the Kentucky-Derby, but the winning of the Preakness Stakes will not incur any penalties and this good celt may be looked upon as a sure starter at Pimlico on May 12. barring accidents. In both the Preakness Stakes and Kentucky-Derby the fields will probably be large and alertness at the post will be an advantage, but Rialto seems to have learned his lesson in starting. In his winning race, while he had to be ridden out to beat Sedgefield, it must be remembered that he was giving the five year eld ten pounds in actual weight. Then he made the pace all the way and after killing off both Miss Smith and Autumn Bells successfully withstood the stretch challenge of Sedgefield. Altogether it was a good performance and for a first time out of the year it gives the Green tree Stable a dangerous appearance in the big three year old races, since Rialto is backed up by such stablemates as Cherry Pie, Barbary Bush, Moonraker and some more fast ones. It is unfortunate that J. S. Wards Donges is on the shelf and will hardly be brought to the post for the Kentucky Derby. This good colt had been training in a manner to suggest that he is one of the best of the Kentucky candidates. He was a solid, dependable two-year-old and it is little short of a calamity that Mr. Ward will not be able to send him to the post on May 19. It has been this way all through the spring and it will always be the same way. One after another of the candi dates fail as others make good. The fitting of a colt or a filly for such great races as the three year olds have before them is just as full of disappointments as it is full of hopes realized. Willis Sharpe Kilmer had more than his share of misfortune when his valuable brood mare Royal Qu3st died at Sun Briar Court I and at the same time Exterminator pulled up , lame after a work. It is not the first time this 5 spring that Exterminator has come out of his work nodding, but his racing at Havre de I Grace suggested that after all he would b? almost as good as he has been year after year. But Exterminator has been carrying excessive weights over long distances until it is no wonder that even his legs of iron should show 1 signs of wear. Last fall it was found necessary to use the firing irons and now that lame - ness has come back it may be some time before he wi!l be able to race again. It will be too bad if h? should not surpass the Man o War t money winning figures when so close, to that t goal, but should the eld son of McGee and Fair r Empress never come to the post again he will l still go down in turf history as one of the 5 greatest horses that ever raced in this or any 1 other country.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1920s/drf1923050501/drf1923050501_2_2
Local Identifier: drf1923050501_2_2
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800