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Here and There on the Turf What the Futurity Means. The Latonia Prospects. Better International Plans. End of Steeplechasing Year. The Futurity is here. The prize for which breeders and sportsmen plan for years in advance is to be decided at Belmont Park this afternoon. A race that has done more than almost any othtr to advance the thoroughbred interests, the Futurity will ever be of vast importance. It is a race that induces the breeding of the best and one that accounts for many an importation of the best English and French thoroughbred blood that can be bought. Such races have always been and always will be the backbone of the turf, and it is fitting that they should ever have a reward commensurate with their importance to the breeding industry. The turf is bigger than the mere racing of horses. It is racing that puts a liberal premium on the improvement of the breed of horses and the racing that counts for most is found in the futures that invite the entry of unborn foals". Prizes that directly offer the premium for a mating of the best and prizes that hang up a bountiful reward for the solution of breeding problems. Such races must always be fostered, and they must ever bring together the best. This is accomplished by the lure of the big money, but doubly by the sporting value of a victory and to the breeders the tremendous business advantage of having sent a Futurity Winner to the races. Thus it is readily appreciated that from ever angle a Futurity has an importance that can hardly be overestimated. There are the three-year-old races that have a like importance, and, in fact, some of them are of greater importance, but it is in the big two-year-old futures that the earliest return comes to both the sportsman and the breeder and in what it enjoys, a popularity over the races for thoroughbreds of more mature age. On the eve of the running of the 1924 Futurity there is still a wide difference of opinion in its probable outcome, but when the winner is crowned it will carry off much more than the money that goes to the victor. Racing is back in Kentucky for a term that will continue until November 22, when the fall racing season comes to a close with the Lexington meeting. Latonia was never more attractive for an opening and never was there a greater interest in the return of the thoroughbreds. This first fall meeting of the Kentucky Jockey Club enjoys an advantage over any that have gone before in the fact that it is to see the third International Special. Epinard is to perform over the beautiful course on Saturday, October 11, and the 0,000 that has been hung up for his mile and a quarter race equals in value the two engagements in New York. It is this mile and a quarter race that has the greatest importance of the three engagements made for Pierre Wertheimers great four-year-old and a victory in that race means much more to his sportsman owner and to his trainer, Eugene Leigh, than would a victory in the mile race to ba decided at the meeting of the Queens County Jockey Club on September 27. It is not the difference in value that is weighed in the importance of this race over the others. This special is at a mile and a quarter and the distance gives it its import- ance. Epinard, from time to time has baen described as a sprinter of electric speed, but questions have been raised of his ability to stay. It is the desire of Mr. Wertheimer and Leigh to prove that the mile and a quarter is within the possibilities of the handsome chestnut and it is a race that would pronounce him a champion, even though he met defeat in both of his other races. But the International Special is only one of the big offerings of the Latonia meeting. There are rich races enough even without this attraction, to make the meeting a truly remarkable one. These regular attractions will lose no glamor by the addition of the International to the list, but will rather grow in importance, for there will be a double inducement for the shipping of the best stables to the beautiful Kentucky course. Arrangements that were made for the races in which Epinard takes part in this country are infinitely better than those that were made for Papyrus and the three races are sure to have much, greater importance. It is remembered that the selection of an opponent for Ben Irishs Derby winner caused no end of controversy and the eventual selection of Zev did not begin to meet with universal approval. My Own was the chief sufferer when Admiral Grayson was virtually forced to start Mm in the National Trial sweep to make him an eligible for the meeting with Papyrus. What made that real hardship was the fact that this national trial sweep was run the same day as the two miles of the Gold Cup. Admiral Grayson was desirous of starting My Own in the Cup and it must be admitted that he would surely have been the winner, for it went to H. Altermans Home Stretch and My Own would surely have taken his measure. But to become eligible for a chance to meet Papyrus, My Own had to be started in the national -trial sweep, which meant nothing. He was only opposed by the filly Untidy, and scored an easy victory. Then, after My Own was denied the chance to meet the invader, and Zev, after Hildreth had refused to start him in the race that was to decide eligibility, was the "one chosen. In the first place it was a serious mistake to have this National Trial Sweep run the same day as the Cup, and in the second place Zev should have had to go through with the plans, just as My Own did. This year the races with Epinard were opened to all and the Gold Cup, to be run this afternoon, is run far enough in advance of September 27 to make it easily possible to start a candidate in the International without having it interfere with his later engagement. There are seven steeplechases carded for the twelve days of racing during ths Aqueduct meeting of the Queens County Jockey Club, which is to begin Tuesday. This should serve to keep the cross-country stables at the Long Island course for the term of the meeting. It will be the wind-up of the cross-country racing about New York, and those stables will move on either to Canada or to Maryland, where steeplechasing is an important part of the racing at Havre de Grace, Laurel and Pimlico. The Havre de Grace meeting is to begin September 24 and there will be plenty of employment for the jumpers, but there will be even better opportunities at both Laurel and Pimlico. There was a decided improvement in crosscountry racing all through the year and in the cool autumn days the real steeplechase weather that picturesque sport ought to round out the racing year brilliantly.
