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Here and There on the Turf Schedule for Epinard. Needed Rule Change. Another Prosperity Note. Healey and the Preakness. It was pretty well assured before Pierre Wertheimer left this country that the schedule for Epinard in this country would consist of races at Belmont Park, Aqueduct and in Kentucky, but it is well to know that Matt J. Winn, general manager of the Kentucky Jockey Club, has fallen in with the program. Colonel "Winn is in hearty accord with the program and has promised that the Kentucky Jockey Club will do its share by putting on a fitting race at Latonia in order that Kentuckians may have an opportunity to see the French champion in action. This race, which will be th? last one of the three that have been arranged, will be over a mile and a quarter distance. No definite announcement has been mada of the sums that will be hung up for the colt, but it is safe to predict that in the aggregate they will amount to considerably more than the 00,000 that induced Ben Irish to send Papyrus over last year. As the race schedule stands now Epinard will be raced three-quarters at Belmont Park, one mile at Aqueduct and a mile and a quarter at Latonia. As a matter of fact this plan would give Kentucky the best part of the show, for there is infinitely more entertainment in seeing a horse race a mile and a quarter than in either one of the other distances. And it does not mean that Eugene Leigh, who will bring Epinard over, is in any manner restricted to these three races for the French champion. It is agreed that he will keep these three engagements, but Leigh is at liberty to add as many other races as he cares to to the schedule, just so they do not conflict with these engagements. This would make it possible for Maryland to see Epinard under silks should one of the racing associations of that state make a bid; for his services. It is likely that such a bid will be made, and it would b2 well if every section had a chance to see the colt in an adequate race. It is imperative in the interest of fair play that there be a change in the rules of racing in regard to the computing of foreign winnings. Although foreign money has fallen away below par since war tims, the o!d rate is still the rule in estimating the winnings of foreign horses in flat racing. Because of the fact that a number of foreign jumpers were to be imported for 1924 racing the National Steeplechase and Hunt Association changed its rules last fall so that these horses would not be weighed down with excessive penalties. The new rule provides that foreign winners shall be computed on the basis of the foreign exchange rate prevailing on the day of the racs in which each individual won. It is prcbabla that there would haye bqenari amendment to the rule so far as flat racing is concerned long ago had there been anything of a foreign invasion of our turf, but there never really came a reason for the change until this year. Now the foreign horses promise to cut a big figure in races through the field, and there are some of them that may be put to flat racing. There could be no good argument against a change in the rules of flat racing as well as steeplechasing, and it will doubtless be made in the interest of fairness and good racing. It would be possible in these prosperous days of racing to go on almost indefinitely and tell of new evidences, and convincing evidences, of how American racing is enjoying a bounty unheard of before. Much has been said of the records, money earning and otherwise, for which 1923 was remarkable, and there is just one more that has not been fully exploited. During the year that has just closed there were eight stables whose winnings exceeded 00,000. The Rancocas Stable went to the unheard-of record of 38,839 and two other stables onyl missed 00,000 -by a few dollars when the Greentrce Stable rolled up 99,652 and J. S. Cosdens horses earned 97,832. Two others, those of J. K. L. Ross and Ilarry i Payne Whitney, each earned in excess of 50,- j 000 and the other three of the top eight were I over the 00,000 mark. The significance of these figures is appreciated when compared with other years of the turf. Going back to 1902, when the late Green B. Morris topped the list with a total winning of 8,350, there have bean seven other years in which the leader gathered an even lesser amount. In 1911, when there was no racing in New York, S. C. Hildreth finished on top with 7,473 as his total, and last year that sum would just about let him in the first thirty. In 1912, another year in which the New York tracks were closed, John W. Schorr topped the list with a winning of 8,225, and the following year Ilarry P. Whitney was on top with only 5,056 as his record. The best year until 1923, as far as winnings were concerned, was in 1907, when the late James R. Kccnc just about swept the turf to win 97,342, but there was not so much left for the others as there was last year. Racing is indeed booming and 1924 holds out just as much promise as was enjoyed during the .record-breaking twelve months just gone by. Thomas J. Healey has to his credit two successive victories in ths rich Preakness Stakes of the Maryland Jockey Club at Pimlico, and he will strive earnestly to make it three in a row this year. In 1922 Healey sent Pillory to the post for his victory under the silks of Richard T. Wilson and last year he repeated by saddling Vigil for "Walter J. Salmon. With each colt the Preakness was his one big achievement, but Pillory was a particularly unsound horse and Vigil finished third in the Kentucky Derby, though he went lame in the running of the race. And that was not the only misfortune that came to Healey with his good ones, for both Wilderness and Tall Timber, rated as two of the best three-year-old prospects a year ago, both went badly amiss before they had a chance to start in any of the important stake races for which they were eligible. But Tom Healey has something to be justly proud of in his two Preakness Stakes victories, and he will probably have at least on3 worthy, representative to saddle at post time for either Mr. Salmon or Mr. Wilson.- There are some excellent prospects in each string, and they are wintering at Belmont Park in a way that is entirely satisfactory. It is possible that the best three-year-old of the Salmon string will be Galician, a handsome brown son of Lembcrg and Linsdale, and, accordingly, imported. This colt was not raced last year, but Healey has high hopes for him, and if he comes to hand promptly he will be the stable choice as a Preakness hope. Of the Wilson eligibles Broomfield, the half brother to Wilderness, is one that seems to have a good chance to iinprova over his two-year-cld showing, and he may prove the star of the stable. Trainer Healey will take a well-earned vacation in California before his duties of making ready for the new racing season call him home again.
