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Here and There on the Turf About Two Derbies. Offerings in Maryland. Interest in Dixie. Stakes for Saratoga. As the date for the running of the Louisiana Derby draws nearer, there has come a general tightening up of the various candidates, until now it would seem that the field will be of goodly size. No longer is it agreed that it will be a walkover for any eligible. Of course, Black Gold, by reason of his accomplishments as a two-year-old, and the satisfying manner in which he has been brought back to the races, is the most-taiked-of eligible. But a mile and a furlong is something of a task and decidedly different from a three-quarters journey. Then it must be remembered that Black Gold will have to give away weight to every starter. Weight is a great hveler and when there come both weight and distance it is much more of a handicap. Trainer Webb has been lengthening out the exercises of Black Gold and, of course, hz will be highly tried before the end of this week, for the date of the running of the race is just seven days away; but in the meantime there are others that have been showing real progress. One of the latest to show a promising move over the mile and an eighth route over which 1 the Louisiana Derby is to be decided is Blotter, the Southland Stable candidate. This 5 good son of North Star III. impressed trainers 5 Saturday morning when he worked the dis-tanca in 1:57 1-5. Some trainers made it two-fifths of a second slower, but, in any event, it was a decidedly worth-while move. The Louisiana Derby fell to the Southland Stable last year, when it was won by Amolc. Then there is Rinkey, from ths Grcentrec c Stable. She lias been coming up to the racing in a most satisfactory manner. Thorndab 2 has been doing what has been asked of him 1 like a good class colt, and there arc others s that would make it appear that Black Gold, with all his speed, may find it something of a task to give away the weight that is required .under the conditions. A study of the 152 nominations received for r the Kentucky Derby reveals that a number of f the eligibles have gone through a winter campaign of racing, and New Orleans has sen a a greater number of them in action than have been raced at either Tijuana or Havana. It is not usual that three-year-olds of the c best quality are raced through th; winter r months, but the judicious" racing of them is is sure to bring them to the post on as early y a date as May 17 better seasoned than the e candidates that have to depend on private c preparation. There is nothing like a race to fit a horse :e for racing, no matter bow skillful the trainer. r. Some of those named for the big Kentucky y contest that have been raced at New Orleans is during the long winter season are Frankman, i, 1 5 5 c 2 1 s a r f a a c r is is y e c :e r. y is i, Thorndale, Black Gold, Mah Jong, Extra Edition, Payman, Jim Kenney, Dazzlcr, Rinkey, Businesslike, Quivero, Hermidalc, King ONeill II., Leathcrwood, Fire Boy and Blotter. Nothing that has been accomplished in public by any one of these would suggest a serious chance against the giants that will go to the post on May 17, but these will have the ad- vantage of seasoning over the more fashionable colts and fillies that have been named. That counts for much. Another" angle tbat must be kept in mind is that undoubtedly some of these have shown something in private that induced the pay- ment of the 5 entrance fee. It costs no more to make a three-year-old eligible and, when the prize is taken into consideration, it is natural that the list would be a big one. There have been Kentucky Derby winnsrs that have raced through the winter, and there is always a chance that it will happen again. With the announcement of the dates for th2 Maryland racing season there is an awakened interest in the offerings that will come there, Beginning with the Bowie meeting of the Southern Maryland Agricultural Association, right through to the close of Pimlico on May 13, there arc many big opportunities for horses of stake racing quality. At Bowie there are two ,000 handicaps. as well as another to which ,500 is added. These are offerings that make it well worth while for the good ones to come out of winter retirement and make an early start. They also induce the trainers who have raced through the winter to keep their seasoned horses on edge. Bowie is followed by some excellent offerings at Havre de Grace. Then comes the Maryland Jockey Club meeting at Pimlico, with its Preakness Stakes with 0,-000 added, as well as its 5,000 Dixie Handicap and many other richly-endowed races. Particular interest is taken in the Dixie Handicap, not alone from the fact of its value, but for the other reason that it brought a re- turn to the early announcement of the weights. These entries closed January 2 and there were 118 named. The weights were announced by Frank J. Bryan, handicapper for the Maryland Jockey Club, on February 1, and under the conditions there are penalties of three and five pounds for winners after this announcement. vThe first penalty is for winners of ;-I 500, and five pounds for winners of ,000. The Dixie is at a mile and three-sixteenths, and it is sure to become a tremendously popular revival of a famous old fixture. Unlike most of the races of the Maryland Jockey Club, there was a subscription of 0 required with the nomination. Most of the stakes of the club have free entrance, with merely nominal starting fee. The starting fee in the Dixie is 00. There was excellent reason for charging the small entrance fee to prevent the wholesale entering of horses that were not intended to go to the post. In these weights the Rancocas Stables Grey Lag has the post of honor with 133 pounds as his burden. Zev, his stable- mate, and Carl Wiedemanns In Memoriam are at equal weights under 129 pounds, and they lead all the others, just a pound over Willis Sharpe Kilmers grand old gelding Ex-a terminator. It is natural that the unbeaten Sarazcn and St. James should lead all the three-year-olds with 114 pounds as their burden, and it is j probable that, had John S. Wards Wise Coun-.- scllor been nominated, he would be in the same notch. Altogether, the Dixie is a tre-c mondously interesting race. Stakes for the Saratoga meeting are to close in New York today. The list is a most at- tractive one and reports are that the response of horsemen to the offerings promises that a record number of nominations will be received, Saratoga is a racing ground that always attracts the best stables from every section and; there promises. to be a greater number of the! best that Kentucky can furnish than ever be- fore. Little Johnny Corcoran has been crowding 1 2 2 3 4 4- 5 5 G G 1 1 2 2 3 ? 1 a o G G 1 2 3 3 4 4 C 5 f 6 , 1 , 2 2 !j 4 . 5 6 1 1 . , , : ; ; 1 2 1 . 2 F j f a a c e 0 s j Ivan Parke since the opening of the Jefferson Park meeting Wednesday and at this time he has ridden the same number of winners four during the week. Corcoran is a local lad and was much of a sensation last winter. He is coming back to the form that was his last year and, while Parke has a lead that he cannot hope to catch, he still has a chance to keep that young man busy at the Shrewsbury track.
