view raw text
Here and There on the Turf Plans for Epinard. Another Kentucky Score. Cochrans Big Purchase. Demarest the Trainer. News from Paris makes it appear that Pierre Wertheimer puts the American engagements of Epinard above all his others for the year. English stakes for which he was eligible before coming to this country will not see him at the post and the present plan is that he will not be started before he is shipped early next month. Eugene Leigh will devote all of his energy to having the four-year-old fit and ready for the three races he is to run in this country and it is reported that he is coming along healthily in his preparation. In his last race many good critics expressed the opinion that Epinard had gone back considerably from his brilliant form of last year. As a matter of fact that was suggested by his two defeats, but any colt that raced as Epinard did as a three-year-old should come still has ample time to restore Epinard to championship form, provided the celt remains healthy and sound. Landing in this country early in July, there will be every opportunity to go along slowly with him before he is called upon to meet hiB first engagement at the Belmont Park fall meeting. That is only a sprint and it leads naturally up to his mile at Aqueduct that is to follow, while it in turn should put all the finishing touches on his condition for a mile and a quarter at Latcnia. It would have been better for this big international program if Epinard had won his races this year, but he is still an outstanding figure of the turf and his coming to this country means much for the sport. Then it b more than likely that with the rest that comes before his engagements there will be every opportunity to bring him back to be a better colt than he has shown in any of his races this year. Princess Doreen scored a decided victory for Kentucky when she won the Coaching Club American Oaks at Belmont Park Friday and thus far the record is decidedly a Kentucky one, with the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks and th» big Belmont Park filly feature all going to that state. The winning of the Kentucky Oaks by Princess Doreen was not a clean-cut one when she was only placed first by the disqualification of Glide, but in her race Friday 6he took up her weight, 121 pounds, and was an easy winner. This gave her greater importance than her Kentucky triumph and just now she must be considered queen of her age division. It is unfortunate that th° Audley Farm filly did not meet H. C. Fishers Nellie Morse in the Coaching Club American Oaks. Nellie Mors? proved her good class when she won the Preakness Stakes and many are willing to believe that she is a better fdly than Princess Doreen. The Jones filly beat her in th? Kentucky Oaks, but Nellie Morse was one that suffered by the stretch interference that brought about the disqualification of Glide and that surely was not a truly run race. One filly that had a decidedly rough deal Friday was Joseph E. Davis" Relentless. She acted so badly at the barrier that she had to be held by a track man, and as a result was off none too well. Then Sande, in an effort to save ground, sent her into a pocket on the first turn, and through the backstretch she was repeatedly cut off. She dosed a big gap, but was forced to go wide to find racing room and then in the stretch this took so much out of her that she tired badly in the final drive. It is not intimated that she could have beaten Princess Doreen under any conditions, but she could surely have shown to better advantage with better racing fortune. But, after all is said and done, it must be admitted that Princess Doreen was giving away seven pounds to Relentless, four to Initiate, Parasol, Sun Ayr and Tree Top and ten to Prise ilia Ruley, Sophy and Ohone. Gifford A. Cochran has had his first return for his sensational purchase of six yearlings for 40,000 last August at Saratoga. This was when Battlefield, a son of Negofol and Denise Field, by Tredennis, beat a band of maidens over the five-eighths distance at La tonia. The winners ;hare of the purse was SI, 100. It was the second start for Battlefield, but he won so easily that he may after all be a high-class colt. This particular one cost Mr. Cochran S25.000, as did the other Negofol colts from Sun Queen, Uvonia and Atalanta. Another colt by Negofol — Hanrose cost 5,000 and the remaining one of the sensational buy was a chestnut son of North Star III and Mixed Color, for which 5,000 was paid. Mart Demarest, an old-fashioned trotting horse trainer and reinsman, has been showing what a good horseman can do with a modest stable of thoroughbreds. A year ago last April, at Havre de Grace, Deniarest paid ,100 for the Meelick two year-old Maclean. He won the Texas-bred out at Jamaica a month later in a five-eighths dash, in which he defeated Byron, Cano, Rival, Stake Me, Joe Marrone and some others. Later at Belmont Park this Maclean beat Anna Marrone II. and other good ones. This year Maclean has raced brilliantly, though he has been out-matched in some of his races. Indian Trail beat him in one of the best finishes seen about New York. He was also beaten by Plough Boy and Eaglet, ; but he took the measure of Abu Ben Ahdeni.j Another that Demarest brought to winning form was the plater Simoon, one that only cost him ,100 last October. He had pre-j viously won a race for G. R. Tompkins and; came right back under his new silks to win! at a mib and seventy yards. He followed this by winning at a mile and a quarter. Simoon came back to winning form at Belmont Park a few days back when in a gamely fought finish he beat Ceylon Prince over the mile and an eighth route. One of the chief reasons for the Demarest j success, aside from his natural ability with a horse, is the fact that he virtually lives at his stable and gives them his personal at ten-, tion at all times.
