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Here and There on the Turf Success of Flint Stone. Reasons for Greatness. Educating Jockeys. Danger of Pulling Up. Flint Stone, the four-year-old son of Friar Rock and Problem, stands out as the real winter development and the manner in which this sturdy son of an illustrious sire has been piling up victories is little short of remarkable. After Flint Stone was beaten by a narrow margin in the mile and seventy yards of the Au Revoir Handicap at Bowie on December 1 lie was shipped to New Orleans and rested until December 29, and in eight starts since his real winter campaign began he has only besn out of the money once and he has been five times winner. The one time that Flint Stone did not share in the purse division was in the running of the New Years Handicap, which went to B. F. McCIains Delante, at that time the sensation of the meeting. Now Flint Stone has gone far beyond the son of Seth and has steadily climbed in the handicap division until he has shown ability to give away weight to the best of them that race through the winter months. And it must be remembered that George Phillips has not been picking spots for his champion. He has been racing in the handicaps and his victories have come at various distances from three-quarters to a mile and an eighth. His weight has steadily climbed from the feather of 102 pounds to the 125 pounds that he carried in the Crescent City Handicap Saturday. Each race has been an improvement over the one before and in most of his victories his courage as well as his flect-ness has been put to a severe test. Flint Stone has done just about a!l that has been asked of him. His races have besn hard ones some of them close together and he seems to thrive on the drilling he has received. Unless this busy campaign at this time takes too much out of Flint Stone it will be found that he is well able to win his way when he is called on to meet more fashionable company later in the racing year. One excellent reason for expecting Flint Stone to continue to a higher degree of greatness is that he is bred along the right lines-He is a son of Friar Rock and Problem. Friar Rock has the distinction of being the only three-year-old to win the Brooklyn Handicap, Suburban Handicap and Saratoga Cup. That is all that need be recorded -for him as an individual. And his performances were backed up and made possible by reason of his faultless blood lines. He is a son of Rock Sand, one of the greatest stations ever brought to this country, and from Fairy Gold, one of the most famous of brood marcs and a matron that did incalculable good for the American thoroughbred by her long years of usefulness at August Belmonts Nursery Stud. Fairy Gold, now dead, was a daughter of Bend Or and Dame Masham, by Galliard, and gave to the " turf Fair Play, the sire of the mighty Man o War and a stallion with a long line of successes. Flittcrgcld, a brother to Fair Play and Fair Gain, as well as many others, but none of better credentiab than Friar Rock himself. It will be remembered that John E. Madden purchased Friar Rock from Major Belmont for 0,000 and retired him to the stud at the conclusion of his thrce-ycar-ohl turf career. Later J. H. Rossetcr purchased a half interest in Friar Rock and there followed an unfor- tunate lawsuit over the disposition of the stallion that for a time threatened to seriously handicap his stud opportunities. Flint Stone was bred by Mr. Rosseter and there is just a bit of history in his dam, Problem. This mare was never raced for the reason that she received an injur to her back. It was also by reason of this injury that she was bought for a trifling price at the Corrigan and McKinney sale. She is of Kecne breeding, being a daughter -of Superman and Query, by Voter. Is it any wonder that Flint Stone has proved himself a good horse. He has every reason to race to greatness. His sire gives him through long lines of scientific mating th qualities that arc most to be desired in courage and stamina, while from Problem and through Voter he is endowed with the speed that is so essential. He is just one of the innumerable examples of breeding along right lines bringing the best results. There is no reason why Flint Stone should not go on to just as much greatness as any other horse. Tea Fight, a two-year-old filly of some promise, was fatally hurt after a race at Oriental Park not long ago. That is to say, she was jumped on and so severely cut down that on the advice of the veterinarian that made an examination she was ordered destroyed. Horses from time to time have suffered injuries in races that proved fatal, but in the case of Tea Fight her jockey was solely to b!ame for her injury. It was Woodstock who j had the mount, and he snatched the filly up iso sharply after the race ha"d been concluded that she was jumped on by a horse following her and so severely cut down that there was no hope of saving her life. This is a fault of several riders, and it always has been a fault. Too often a horse is snatched up at the end of a race and in every instance he is in imminent peril. Even should he escape being jumped on by those following there is ever a danger that a tendon will be wrenched, an ankle turned or many other injuries may come from the practice. Frequently the jockeys fail to realize the danger in such action. They have not been properly taught and they know too little about the horses. Thev are in a hurry to return to the scales. The race is over and the only idea, they have is to stop the galloping horse as quickly as possible. But it is a practice that should be severely punished. Jockeys should. ! of course, be educated against such tactics, but if they do not know the danger they should bcf taught by bitter experience that it will not do. It is of especial danger in the racing of green two-year-olds. The old campaigner knows when he has passed the winning post and he will frequently ease himself up, but all the two-year-old of little experience knows is to gallop along until he is pulled up. This pulling up is an important part of the education of every rider. But too often all that is drilled into the head of the rider of the present day is to leave the post running fast and maintain top speed as far as his mount can run. They are not instructed in so many of the fine points of race riding that makes for success. The jockey who knows how to save his horse is rare indeed and few have any idea of just how a horse should be pulled up at the end of a race. And this is a most important part cf the education of a rider. The headstrong horse that is hard to pull up is frequently injured when the boy "snatches" him in an effort to stop him instead of permitting him to gallop out and gradually come to a stop. Then there is the free running, honest horse that is thoroughly amenable to the jockey. When he is snatched up two or three times at the conclusion of a race this treatment too often sours his temper, even if it docs npt bring about a serious physical injur. It would be well if racing stewards everywhere would pay closer attention to the manner in which horses are pulled up and punish offenders. Horsemen would heartily endorse the disciplining of riders who from time to time are guilty of putting their horses in jeopardy of being seriously injured.
