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Here and There on the Turf A Novel Opinion. Exploiting the Past. Epinards Reputation. A Sporting Risk. In one of the P P. Gilpins recent articles in the London Weekly Dispatch the veteran English trainer gives vent lo a rather surprising opinion as follows: "But we too often overlook the fact that we live in a record-breaking age. Time and again we are seeing the hitherto fastest times for our great races being superseded by horses that travel just a little faster than any animal has covered the distance prcviouEly. I, for one, believe it is a period of progress on the turf as in everything else." Coming from a turfman of Mr. Gilpins age and standing, this expression of opinion seems decidedly unorthodox. It is not at all according to Hoyb, for a man who has lived through the so-called golden ages of the turf to admit that modern thoroughbreds are better than those in the eld days. But Mr. Gilpin undoubtedly weighed his words carefully before he wrote. He no doubt realized that his opinions would clash with those of many horsemen who entered racing at about the same time as he. In spite of this he expresses the amazing heresy that the horses of today are an improvement over those of yesteryear. In this country Daily Racing Forms valued contributor, Salvator, has been the most enthusiastic advocate for the "good old days" on the turf. He has written enthusiastically of the heroes of the past and has asserted consistently his opinion that the thoroughbreds of today are not to be compared with the turf Titans of other days. Salvator has backed his opinions with facts. A master of argumentation, he has built a convincing structure of records and statistics to bear out his findings. And yet there is still room for argument. Since Man o War went into retirement there has been no horse on the American turf worthy of being called great. That is granted. But there have been a number of good horses capable of high sp;ed and with a considerabb amount of stamina. One or two of these horses notably Exterminator attained real greatness for a year or two, although lacking the spectacular speed that made Man o War such an outstanding star. In the old days it often happened that two horses of unusual attainments were racing at the same time. This resulted in contests for supremacy which extended often over several years. Interest in . the outcome of these struggles grew as time went on until the traditional rivalry of certain horses became a matter of nation-wide interest. Then, too, in those days there was a minstrelsy of the turf which celebrated the struggles of these favorites in chanted doggerel a far more effective way of perpetuating equine fame than the more blatant publicity of these latter days. These Titans of ihe old days, perhaps, were slightly above the level of todays best horses that is a question which must remain unsettled but it is decidedly doubtful whether the general average of quality on the turf was as high then as it is now. Mr. Gilpins remarks were made in a discussion of Epinard, the sensational French colt, which is scheduled to visit this country during the coming racing season. The veteran English trainer sh?res the opinion of the leading English turf critics that Pierre Wcrtheim-ers colt is a horse far above the ordinary. There is a world-wide interest in the exploits of this French four-year-old at present. His performances in his early engagements will be watched with deep interest wherc-evcr racing is known. It is inconceivable that Epinard should race through the coming campaign without settling rather conclusively his claims to greatness. If he gees through the year of 1921 with the same success that marked his first two years of racing, there will be little question of his class. A decidedly ambitious campaign has been mapped out for Epinard. He is heavily engaged in France and England during the early months of the year, and then he is scheduled to visit this country for a series of three races. It is likely that his three scheduled races here will be supplemented with one or two others after the terms of his contract have been fulfilled. If the French colt meets his engagements with regularity and defeats the best horses that can be raced against him, he will be recognized everywhere as a great horse. If he is defeated under such conditions as he met in the Cambridgeshire last fall, even that will not detract from his reputation. But if he fals when conditions are not so strongly against him, then his value as a stallion may suffer a decline. Pierre Wertheimcr is to be commended for his courage in risking the reputation of Epinard in another season of racing. If the son of Badajos has been retired to the stud at the close of last year his stud value would have been great. If he goes through the coming racing season successfully his stud value will be greatly enhanced. But if he fai!s this year his stud value will be decreased to an extent which would be hard to estimate. Only a real sportsman would take the rsk.
