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Here and There on the Turf Blue Warblers Victory. Stanwix Back to Races. ODonnell Has His Chance. Early Closing of Entries. Edward It. Bradleys Blue Warbler upset some of the calculations at Belmont Park Monday, when she won the three-quarters dash for the Matron Stakes. The fact that she shouldered 127 pounds made the performance remarkable, for she gave thirteen pounds to Swinging, Superlette and Hearth Broom, while both Martha Martin and Lightship, maidens, were in receipt of eighteen pounds each. That was enough to make the performance stand out, but at the same time her showing did not occasion so much surprise as did the failure of Superlette. The daughter of Superman had not been worse than third in any one of her ten races and some of her performances were truly brilliant. She had won five of her ten races before the Matron Stakes, had been s;cond four times, and third once. On one occasion, when she finished second, her stablemate Sarzana was the winner; she was beaten on two occasions by H. P. Whitneys Swinging, one by Noah and once by Walter J. Salmons Trip Lightly. Superlette, by these performances had earned a reputation for consistency that made her race for the Matron Stakes doubly hard to understand. She had no apparent excuse for her showing, but suddenly quit, as she never has done before. It is just possible that Superlette has had too much of it and that she needs a rest. She does not impress as being a robust filly and she has been in hard training for a considerable time. Swinging, though beaten, ran a good race and nothing can be taken from Blue Warbler and her brilliant victory. It was an improvement over her previous race, when under a pound less weight, she was easily beaten by Nedana in the running of the Tomboy Handicap last Thursday. That was a five and a half furlongs dash and Blue Warbler carried 126 pounds to the 117 on Nedana, but the Ran-cocas Stable filly won with ease. It is possible that Superlette has been overrated, in spite of her consistent showing up to the running of the Matron Stakes, but probably it just means that as a class the fillies of the year are not dependable. The return to racing of Harry F. Sinclairs Stanwix at Belmont Park Monday was interesting, even though his showing was not altogether impressive. He won, but it was a questionable victory and he was only confirmed as the winner after the stewards had considered a claim of foul that had been lodged. The mile was a fast one, but Alchemy and The Poet were altogether too close to Stanwix at the end and, in fact, all through the running of the race to give him much of a standing among the best of the three-year;olds. The brother to Lord Brighton was a good- j class colt last year. He showed that when he won the mile distance Walden Stakes at Pim-lico from the best two-year-olds that could be j mustered against him. Going into winter , quarters he loomed up as one of the best three-year-old prospects, but it has taken until , this time for Hildreth, with all his skill, to bring- him back to the races. It is to be expected that the race of Monday will do the son of Ballot and Miss Crittenden a world of good, but he will have to improve i over that showing before he can be expected 1 j j , , i 1 to cut any important figure in his age division. That Hildreth had hopes for him this fall was evidenced by the naming of Stanwix for both the mile and the mile and a quarter International Specials against Epinard. Of course, Hildreth named several others and it has always been his habit to make liberal nominations to all stakes to which he has eligibles, but on last years performances it would be entirely possible to consider him as a worthy defender against the French champion. Stanwix doubtless will improve, but at this time it would appear that if the Itancocas Stable is to be adequately represented on September 27 it will be by honest old Grey Lag. Steve ODonnell, the lightweight jockey, who was such a sensation at Tijuana last winter, may be a valuable addition to the ranks of the riders. Young ODonnell, during the winter months, showed enough to be rated as one of the best riders of his weight seen in many a day. Then, at the tail end of the racing at the Mexican track, he came under the displeasure of the stewards, for an accumulation of offenses, though none of them had any suggestion of fraud, and his licensa was suspended. The young man has been on the ground until this month and it is probable that he will remember that punishment. John E. Madden has ODonnell, and his first mount since the restoration of " his license was on Martha Martin in the running of the Matron Stakes at Belmont Park Monday. He rode this filly into third place and created a decidedly favorable impression by his riding. ODonnel is where he must prove himself all the way. New York will not take the say so of any other turf section on the ability of horse or. rider. He will have every opportunity just so long as he is entitled to opportunity, and, if he is the rider his winter performances suggest, he will not want for good mounts and for the fame and success that comes with skill in the saddle. It is cheering news that there will be an earlier closing of the entries at- Belmont Park for the remaining days of that meeting. To move up the closing time, even one hour, is appreciated, but it is not enough. Noon would help and 11 oclock would be better, but why not go right to 10 oclock, as was done at Saratoga with such success, and be through with it at once? Other racing associtions than those of New York have long since realized the importance of early closing and it should be realized by the New York associations. The fact that horses are scattered over different training grounds is easily overcome and the importance is such that every effort ought to be made to overcome such an objection. Too often at this time of the year there is difficulty found ra filling the races that have been programmed. When there is early closing it becomes possible to substitute a race for any with conditions that do not attract a response from the horsemen. There is removed to a great extent, the danger of a meager program that does not furnish adequate entertainment. This should be reason enough for the change and it is only one of the many reasons. Possibly there will be opposition to the change from the trainers, but any association that has the courage to frame its own ruks will eventu-"ally be respected just that much more by the trainers. t As the date for the opening of the meeting of the Kentucky Jockey Club at Latonia approaches, interest swings over to the Latonia course. The Covington course it at its best in the fall days and much has been done to beautify the grounds for the opening on Saturday. It will mean the return of several good horses that were rested during the heat of August and they will come back to the races freshened and ready to carry on with the best of them. Not a few of the others were raced through August, either at Hawthorne or Saratoga Springs and it will mean the coming together of the best from various sections. Prospects could not well be brighter for a truly big Kentucky fall season of racing;
