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C Here and There 7 on the Turf Grey Lag Now at His Best. Probably Our Best Handicap Horse. Saturdays Failures of Ken- i tucky Derby Horses. There was a world of interest in the racing of Saturday and one of the most important happenings was the fine race of Grey Lag, the sturdy son of the dead Star Shoot and Miss Minnie. Grey Lag made his first appearance of the year in the Kings County Handicap at Jamaica in a manner to suggest that he may be destined to remain at the top of the handicap division through the year, barring accident. Now a five-year-old, this magnificent horse has just about everything that could be desired from a thoroughbred. Last year Grey Lag was started six times and the only time he tasted defeat was when Exterminator beat him a head in the Brooklyn Handicap. He was not brought to the races until June 9 and he was all through for the year after a brilliant victory in the Saratoga Handicap, at a mile and a quarter, in which he carried 130 pounds and ran the distance in 2:03%. His other victories of last year were in the Queens County Handicap under 127 pounds, Empire City Handicap under 132 pounds and Mount Kisco Stakes at Empire City when he carried 125 pounds. Grey Lag has appropriately begun his handicap rating high up this year and had to take up 128 pounds in the Kings County Handicap, but no horse is better able to carry heavy weight and the nature of his victory left nothing to be desired. It is possible that when Mr. Vosburgh goes a bit higher with Grey Lag he will work the others down rather than pile much more weight on the son of Star Shoot and Miss Minnie. While Grey Lag was coming back so brilliantly there was another of the handicap division at Pimlico that was also making good. This one was Harry Payne Whitneys Bunting. This good son of Pennant and Frillery, one of the most formidable rivals of Lucky Hour last year, took up 124 pounds in the Pimlico Spring Handicap and after racing behind Exodus, a good one that was in receipt of ten pounds as well as a year, outgamed him in the rush through the stretch. But there were also some New York disap-pointm?nts Saturday and two of them were at Jamaica when both August Belmonts Messenger and the Riviera Stables Great Man were thoroughly beaten. It was the first race of the year for these celts, but in result it was so far below expectations that it is hard to believe that either one of them will figure seriously in the topnotch division. Each is a celt of grand size and substance, but Messenger appeared to be utterly unable to show anything, while Great Man was not much better. It may be that Feustel has babied Messenger a bit and that he will improve over his showing, but he would have to improve by many pounds to be worthy of serious consideration among the colts of high class. Rigel. the winner of this race, had a decided advantage at the start, and while his race was a good one it was hardly m impressive as the performance of Dot, the filly that finished a good second. This filly 1 1 is well engaged and it may be that Byer has one of the best fillies in her age division. Lexington, too, had its big day of interesting racing in which Bo McMillan redeemed himself, while Anna M. Humphrey failed. Previously the filly was the sensation, while Bo McMillan had disappointed. Benjamin Blocks recent purchase, Aspiration, was another in the field besides Bo McMillan, and the Pendergast colt gave him seven pounds and a thorough beating. Still another of the field was Edward R. Bradleys good filly Blossom Time, and while she finished second to Bo McMillan she was tiring in the stretch after setting an astounding pace. Best Pal, when he won the , Camden Handicap demonstrated that his arduous campaign at New Orleans had worked no great harm. His victory made it his sixth successively. Samuel C. Hildreth has started the Rancocas I , Stable on its way early to again head the list I of winning owners, as it did both in 1921 and 1 1922. He has brought his horses down from the New Jersey farm in rarely fit condition, as j has been proved by their racing at Jamaica, and his jockeys, Earl Sande and Laverne Fator, are riding in midseason form. Of course, the stable that takes such rich races as the Preakness Stakes, Kentucky Derby r and Belmont Stakes, if any one does, will accumulate more than Hildreth can gather in less valuable races as his silks triumphed in 1 Saturday, and it does not se?m now that Hildreth has better than a fairly good chance for r any of the greater three year-old stake races, ยป but he surely has a powerful stable and a re-! markable pair of jockeys in Sande and Fator. The Younger Fator, who is filling his first 1 contract with the Rancocas Stable, has hardly j had a fair chance to show his wares, but with the other two finished riders Hildreth is better equipped with riders than any other trainer in the country.
