view raw text
Here and There on the Turf Zev and St. James. Beau Butlers Showing. Rennert Handicap Weights. Belmont Stakes. Ju£t a year ago Zev had to be driven out to win th? Paumonok Handicap from Dominique. He took up 109 pounds and the race was run in 1 :12 over a fast track. Tuesday St. James, carrying 112 pounds, was an easy winner and he covered the distance in 1:11%, while timed privately he was caught in 1:11. Merely taking weight and speed into consideration this would make Mr. Wideners colt a better three year eld than Zev was at the same time last year. But Zev went on after his Paumonok Handicap victory to be the greatest of American money winning horses and finished out his year the champion three-year-old. Should St. James have a like campaign his Paumonok Handicap victory means much more than did the initial race of the son of The Finn and Miss Kearney. Zev was taking up a big burden Tuesday when he shouldered 130 pounds, but on the scale he was only conceding St. James four pounds and the son of Ambassador IV. and Bobolink H. administered better than a four pounds beating. All of this makes St. James a truly remarkable three-year old prospect and it is a race that even though only over the six furlong route was enough to leave no doubt of both his fitness and his high class. Zev had every advantage in the race. Sande had him away running fast. He had the in side position and in a couple of strides was clear of his opponents. But St. James outran him in the first eighth and in every other one of the six. Zev is a veritible whirlwind himself, but the three year -old raced past him with such ease that triers was never a question of his superiority. He continued to widen his lead all the way and, while Kummer drew his whip in the stretch, it was merely to keep th ? colt at his task and not an indication that he was in any manner threatened with defeat. A. J. Joyner has St. James in rarely good condition. He has a good celt and it was too bad that Mr. Joyner himself could lot have been o lind tc ret his initial triua.ph of the year. Mr. Joyner has never made his campaign rlans known and it is possible that St. James will be reserved for the B:lmont Stakes rather than being sent after either the Preakne3s Stakes or the Kentucky Derby, races to which he is eligible. If this is the plan there will be real disappointment, for it should be a rare race to have St. James and Wise Counsellor come together in the Preakness Stakes at Pun lico on May 12. When St. James was the winner of the Pnumonok Handicap he carried a greater bur den to victory in it than has ever been car ried by a three year old. Zev had that proud record when he was first under 109 pounds last year, but the Widener colt took up three more pounds and won with much greater ease. There have been liorses of smoother racing action than St. James, but he is possessed of phenomenal speed and the manner in which he finished out his three quarters gave ample evidence of a readiness to race much further. The handsome big bay has grown and im proved considerably through the winter months, though he was an impressive colt as a two year old. He has the cut of a eham pion and has begun his season as a champion should. Under the direction of such a past master as A. J. Joyner, this good colt is sure to race to true greatness during the season that has just opened. Whils St. James was coming back so brilliantly at Jamaica there was another three year old at Lexington that made a similar debut when Edward R. Bradleys Beau Butler took a mile and seventy yards purse in easy fashion. This good son of Black Toney and Santa Anna II. proved his wjrth when he won the Pimlico Futurity in a good field last autumn and this, his first start as a three year old, was decidedly impressive. He was giving away weight to all the other starters and the manner in which he raced to the front in the stretch indicated that H. J. Thompson has him well trained. The race was one to give him new impor tance in the Kentucky Derby, for which he is being pointed and there need be no fear of his not being ready for the mile and a quarter journey on May 17. Frank J. Bryan has announced the weights for the Rennert Handicap, the three quarters race for three year olds, to be run at Pimlico Monday. These weights were assigned be fore the running of the Paumonok Handicap. I but Mr. Bryan had a full knowledge of the ability of St. James when he put him at the top with Sarazen, both to carry 128 pounds. Wise Counsellor is not an eligible for this race. Rustic is handicapped at 120 pound* and Senator Norris is in under 119 pounds. Lord Baltimore II. and Diogenes are in the same notch at 118 pounds. There are three that will have to take up 117 pounds. These are the fillies, Happy Thoughts. Fluvanna and the Rancocas Stables colt. Bracadale. Inci dentally, it would seem that Mad Play, of the Rancocas Stable string, is in the handicap ex ceedingly well when he is only asked to take up 112 pounds. Undoubtedly there will be a big field to go to the post in the Rennert Handicap and there is the material to make certain a notable renewal of the race. The Westchester Racing Association has is sued its usual ornate program book for the Belmont Park meeting, which is to begin May 22 and continue until June 13. As usual, the Metropolitan Handicap is the opening feature. The Withers will be run May 30, Decoration Day; the Suburban on May 31, the Belmont Stakes on June 7 and the Coaching Club I American Oaks is down for the closing day of the meeting. There is ample time allowed between the running of the Withers Stakes j and the Belmont Stakes and both of these I fixtures are on dates long enough after the I running of the Kentucky Derby to make it entirely feasible for a three year -old to meet all of these highly prized engagements.
