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Here and There on the Turf Campaigning St. James. Maud Muller a Smart Miss. Richardson and Normal. Chicago and Ashland. Now it is almost assured that not only will St. James be started in the Preakness Stakes next Monday, but that after he fills that engagement he will be sent to Churchill Downs to race for the Kentucky Derby on May 17. Filing the Kentucky engagement will rest entirely on the result of the Preakness Stakes and just how the eon of Ambassador IV. and Bobolink II. comes out of that race. Sir Barton, in 1919, is the only colt that won both of these races, bat St. James, in his present condition, has every right to try for both. And there are many good judges who are willing to wager now that he will win both. Should this occur, it will give this slashing colt a better start for a three year eld reputation than was enjoyed by Zev last year. While Zev began as St. James did by a victory in the Paumonok Handicap on the opening day of the New York racing season, he was well Ifaeaten in the Preakness Stakes. After the running of the Preakness there was a doubt whether or not he would be sent to Kentucky. He was brought bwk to New York, though the original plan was to ship him direct from Baltimore to Louisville. After being returned to New York he proved conclusively that his showing in the Preakness Stakes was no index of either his racing ability or his condition. Then came the decision to send him to Louisville. "Hat the glorious victory in the Kentucky Derby worked beneficially was shown when he came back to win the Withers Stakes and the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park. The trip to Kentucky started him on his brilliant campaign and if Hildreth and Leary had lost heart on the showing of the son of The Finn and Miss Kearney on his Preakness Stakes per formance he would never have made the journey to Louisville. Clarence hummer, who rode St. James to victory in the Paumonok Handi cap, has been engaged to ride the colt in th? Preakn?ss Stakes next Monday, while Tom I McTaggart, who won the Futurity with him last year, has been promised the Kentucky Derby mount. That much is known of the present stable plans for Mr. Wideners champion. When H. P. Whitneys Maud Mulier won the Mcntauk Stakes at Jamaica Monday she proved herself a remarkal ly fast filly, even though the Mont auk is a stake race that is framed for selling platers. She ran the five and a half furlongs in 1:05%, which is just two-fifths of a second behind the track record for the dis- tanc?. Lucullite, Dunboyne and Rigel. inci-l dentally each owned and trained by S. C. HI I dreth at the time, jointly hold the five and a half furlongs record of 1 :05 at Jamaica. Maud Muller raced under a valuation of ,500 and, while she did not break the track record, she established a new record for the race. The best previous record for the Mon-tauk Stakes was made when Jake Byers filly Dot was the winner in 1922, running the distance in 1 :06Vf - The other winners of the Montauk Stakes have been Walter J. Salmons Eddie Ricken bacher. J. A. Coburns Alcatrai, Richard T. Wilsons Duncecap and William Daniels Sue Dono an. the winner last year. It is entirely possible that Maud Muller will make good in better than selling plater com pany before the end of the racing season. In any event she has proved herself a wonderfully ■peedy sprinter in this on* performance. "Jack" Richardson has proved what patience and skill can do for a thoroughbred by his wonderfully successful campaign with Normal. This old gelding won his sixth straight race at Jamaica Monday when he took up 123 pounds and won from six other platers that were in receipt of weight ranging from ten to twenty pounds. The wonder of it is that Richardson keeps thi; old gelding going. His underpinning is ■ woefully weak, but he is kept at it and his success has been little short of phenomenal. It is admitted that Earl Sande had a bit to do with the victory Monday. He rode the old fellow with rare skill by having him in the early racing and making his move just at the proper time. This winning ride was in marked contrast to his riding of Aladdin, with which he won the fifth race Monday. With Aladdin he made the pace and made it fast, knowing just what sort of a rids would bring the best results. Too many of the present-day rider-guide all their mcunts alike. This method is to beat the barrier if possible and then hurry to the front and stick it out or die there as the case may be. Within a few days the program book for the coming Chicago meeting will be issued. In fact, it is already in the hands of the printer and it promises to contain offerings that will bo thoroughly popular with the horsemen. Re ports are that applications for stabling already leave no doubt of the abundance of horses that will be on hand to furnish the entertainment. These applications have come from all sections, though Kentucky is more numer ously represented than any other section. m In the meantime four stake races have been announced for the new track at Ashland. This meeting will be conducted from July 10 to August 2 and these are dates that conflict with the Chicago racing. ! The stakes that will be closed May 24 are a ,000 Derby at a mile and a quarter; a handicap of a mile and an eighth, with ,000 added, as well as two ,000 race3 for the two j-ear olds. One of these is at five and a half furlongs and the other is a three-quarters handicap. It is promised that everything will be in readiness for the advertised opening of the meeting and the promoters are sanguine of success from the start. It was natural that Zev should pick up three pounds in the Excelsior Handicap after his victory in the Kings County Handicap last : Saturday. Mr. Vosburgh has asked the good four year-old to shoulder 133 pound* for the mils and a sixteenth race to be run Saturday. Bracadale, a three year -old stablemate to Zev, tops his age division in the handicap, with 112 pounds, and under that burden he is required to give away two pounds in actual weight to as good a hone as Prince James. Under the weight arrangement for the Excelsior Handicap there should be a field of goodly proportions at post time and it ought to result in a high-class contest. ■ — a — .
