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i Here and There on the Turf Postponements. C St. James Campaign. Senator Norris impresses. Hawthorne Plans. 1 It was well that the Maryland Racing Com- . Z mission in allot tin; the dates for its racing 4 this year provided for a lay-off between the 5 close of the Bowie meeting and the opening at Havre de Grace. At the time there did not heem to be any particular reason for the intervening days, but it bo happens that the arrangement was ideal. If the commission had known there was to be a spell of weather that would make racing next to impossible for the Bowie opening, the dates could not have been better planned. Now with the opening of the season set back two days by reason of the record-breaking snowstorm. Bowie is still assured of its ! full quota of eleven days without interfering with the Havre de Grace schedule. It is always unfortunate when an opening has to be postponed, but it works no hardship at Bowie this spring. Horsemen themselves were almost unanimous for the postponement when the snow came and, as far as I the faithful were concerned, the delay of two days before the opening of the racing year was i of little moment. Many of the trainers did not permit the snow-bound track to interrupt their training operations, though of necessity it was impossible to have horses show anything in the way of speed. They were galloped through the snow at Bowie. Pimlico, Havre de Grace and Benning, and it was an exercise that appeared to be enjoyed immensely by the horses. It must be remembered that the snow was in no sense local, for the Kentucky training grounds were also to an extent snowbound. Reports from Louisville told of snow, but the same reports told of how the horses were in action, and altogether the storm did not work the havoc that was at first feared might result. When making a horse ready after it ha* been out of training during the winter it is unfortunate when training i; interrupted close to the time at which it is to be called upon to race. For that reason the storm may have effect on 6ome of the horses at Bowie, but it cannot work any hardship on the trainers who are shaping candidates for the Preakness Stakes and the Kentucky Derby. The Preakness Stakes is to be decided at Pimlico on May 12 and the Derby is not to be run until May 17. Those dates are far enough away to make the interruption at this time of no moment and the fact that horses are all still showing robust health is of more importance than anything else in consideration of the big races. Now that A. J. Joyner has brought George D. Widener s St. James into the open and begun the real work of conditioning him for his i H*24 campaign new interest is aroused in the progress of the candidates for the Preakness ; Stakes and Kentucky Derby. The son of Ambassador IV. and Bobolink II was a particularly handsome young horse last year and had the cut of a champion. He raced 1 like a champion when he topped the list of I two year elds for 1923 and wound up his bril liant campaign with a victory in the Futurity at Belmont Park under u burden of 130 • pounds. This year St. James is even more Impressive ; and it ih doubtful if there is a more striking ; three year old to be found anywhere than this » i ; 1 I • ; ; » same colt. Mr. Joyner has not asked hisj charge to do much up to this time. He never was much of a hand for hurrying a horse, bat St. James has shown enough to force the1 conviction that should it be desired he will be fit and ready for his Preakness Stakes engagement. St. James has grown and improved greatly during the cold months and he shows snap and vigor in his training exercises that inspires confidence in his ability to run fast and far. As a matter of fact, there was no imperative I reason for his being retired after his Futurity victory last September, but it is probable that Joyner did the wise thing when he put him away. He has had a long rest and that rest has benefitted him greatly, if bodily condition is to be taken into consideration. And, while St. James is attracting at ten I tion in New York, Senator Norris is the one j that calls for attention in Maryland. Bed wells colt is already heralded as the most promising of the colts that are engaged in I the Preakness Stakes and Kentucky Derby, and he is further advanced than Mr. Widen i er s colt. The son of Cudgel improves with each appearance and the present plans of ; Bedwell will mean that he will be shown under colors during the Havre de Grace meet- ing. He is intended for a start in the Chesapeake Handicap at the course of the Harford , Association and it will probably be the first public line that will be had on his quali | fications for the greater races. Senator Norris is being trained at Pimbco and, although he has not been asked for any high speed, it is, always hard for his exercise boy to restrain him. Like St. James, Senator Norris has improved greatly since he went into retirement last fall and Bedwell is convinced that he will "run all day long when he is thoroughly fitted. With the Rancocas Stable candidates still at the Sinclair farm, it is impossible to have anything like a real line on what Mad Play. Stanwix and the other good three year olds in that establishment are doing, but the two , that have been named are well qualified to uphold the East in the Kentucky Derby, to . I I j I i ; , | , . ■ say nothing of the unbeaten Sarazen, training at Belmont Park under the direction of Max Hirsch. Altogether the East holds a strong hand for the Kentucky Derby and Wise Counsellor, Beau Butler, Black Gold and all the others In Kentucky will find they have fit and good ones to beat at Churchdl Downs on May 17. . While there has been no recent announcement from Chicago of the progress of plans for the racing at Hawthorne this year, it is known that the meeting will be a long one and the stakes and purses that will be hung up will be of a liberality that will attract some of the best horses in training. It is inevitable that Hawthorne racing will conflict with some of the existing Kentucky dates when the racing time is announced, but that is un avoidable. The conflict will come with the racing at Ashland and it is safe to predict that Ashland, rather than Hawthorne, will be the suf- ferer by the conflict. It would be well if the new Kentucky track could have open time so that it would be afforded every assistance to become a success from the start, but it must also be remembered that Kentucky Is well supplied with racing at Lexington, Louisville and Latonia. while Illinois is entitled to every assistance in its intelligent efforts to i bring racing back in the way that it should j be established in Chicago. Chicago wants the racing. It is as well i equipped as any city in the world to adequately support the best racing and that ■ just what it is proposed will be offered. Great interest is being shown this spring in the two-year old prospects. Many a stable boasts of prospective champions and those that have been seen in action are, to say the least, impressive. By this it is not meant that a truly good one was shown at any winter racing track, though there were some speedy ones. But it is the new ones that will attract atten tion and it is almost a sure thing that before the close of the Bowie meeting it will be found that the crop is just a bit out of the ordinary. Frequently there comes either a good or a bad year for the two-year olds. Horses bred along identical lines are better one year than the next and there have been reputations made by ordinary two year olds for that reason. They proved best of a bad crop.
