Here and There on the Turf, Daily Racing Form, 1924-09-16

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Here and There on the Turf Victory of Mother Goose. Pace in the Gold Cup. Training of Epinard. Chance for Princess Doreen. Now that it is all over and Harry Payne Whitneys homebred Mother Goose has taken down the rich Futurity Stakes there are many who are not willing to concede all the glory that goes with such a triumph. There were c twenty-eight that followed the speedy daughter of Chicle and Flying Witch home. It is safe to say that a majority of the trainers with 1 beaten starters would welcome a meeting with " the filly, horse against horse. " Excuses arc offered for several of them, but : -it is doubtful if there could have been a morcT truly run race with twenty-nine going to the post. Mother Goose had speed enough to take a good position early in that three-quarters and she had speed enough to hold that position. Then at the end, when it narrowed to a battle and a question of heart and courage she was tried and found not wanting. That is all that can be asked of a thoroughbred and, whib it is entirely possible that Miier Goose might be beaten by some of tkosc that finished behind her in a threc-urfariers match, she was ready and able to take the most coveted of all the races for two-, year-olds. That could not have been accomplished unless she was a filly of high class and she could not have battled it out to victory so valiantly had it not been that James Rowc sent her to the post hard and fit for the contest. James Itowe has saddled so many winners of the Futurity that it is no new sensation for him to lead a winner away after the race is run, and the fitting of Mother Goose was just one more triumph of his skill. Tony" McAtee is entitled to a full share in the honor of victory for the- manner in which he rode Mother Goose. He kept her straight and while she was forcing the pace he still kept enough in reserve for a winning fight at the end. No one who watched the running of the race will take the performance of E. G. Drakes Sweep Park seriously and it is admitted that J. N. Camdens Pas Seul, Desha Breckinridges Kentucky Cardinal and the starters from Edward R. Bradleys stable have shown to better advantage in other races, so that while the Kentuckians were well whipped racing luck had something to do with the whipping. Sweep Park raced too well in Kentucky to finish last in the running of the Futurity. It t was many pounds below all that she had shown i and many pounds below what she will show r again before the end of the racing season. . Pas Seul and Kentucky Cardinal showed 1 enough at Sartaoga to pronounce their exhibition - in the Futurity away below their r real form and the same can be said of Brown i Sugar and Buttin In. But there is no use offering excuses. The e excuses only tend to detract from the well-earned glory of the victor, and that will not t help the beaten ones. The winning post is s the only test of the thoroughbred horse, and i just now that palm has to go to Mother Goose. :. She went to the post with no advantage over r any of the others. She ran her race and she e was the winner. That is all there is to the e running of the race, and as far as the others s are concerned they will have to prove themselves - anew. Mother Goose had already proved i herself. Many who watched the running of the e Jcckcy Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park Sat- - t i r . 1 - r i e t s i :. r e e s - i e - urday, without timing its progress, may have had an idea that Schuttinger was making a mistake in setting the pace. But Schuttiner brought the Edward F. Simms horse home an easy winner of the two-mile dash and, as a matter of fact, rode a well-nigh perfect race. A study of the fractions cf the Cup will reveal that seldom has there been a more evenly rated race in this or any other country, and Schuttinger maintained a pace that was at all times well within the powers of the brother to Man o War, and still left him with enough to finish out his last quarter of two miles in twenty-six seconds. It was natural that it should take just a little time to settle any horse into the even plodding pace necessary for such a journey, and there was a moderately fast second quarter. The first quarter was run in 26 and the second in 23, taking him to the half-mile mark in 49. Then a third quarter in 25 saw him at the three-quarters mark in 1 :14. It was then that My Play was really steadied to the pace that carried him to victory, The fourth quarter was run in 26, reaching the mile in 1:41, the fifth quarter in 26, taking him to the mile and a quarter in 2 :07 ; sixth quarter in 26, reaching the mile and a half in 2:33; the seventh quarter in 26, making the mile and three-quarters in 2:59, and then the last quarter in 26 seconds finished out the two miles in 3:25. Just what would have happened if there had been a faster early pace is problematical, but one thing is certain, that a faster early pace would not have made possible a final quarter in 26 seconds. My Play raced in a fashion to suggest that he could have remained in the lead even had one of the others attempted to make him run faster, but as the race was run it was one of the most skillful exhibitions of pacemaking ever seen in this country, and it is knowledge of pace that still counts for most over a cup distance. Incidentally, My Play is one of the eligibles that may keep Epinard decidedly busy at Aqueduct over the mile route on September 27. Eugene M. Leigh is having no end of trouble in his preparation of Pierre Werth-eimers Epinard for his mile engagement, and the invader has not begun to progress in his preparation as is desired. Through it all the colt is enjoying the best of health, and while he is a thoroughbred of excellent temper he will not do what is asked of him in the training hours. It is hoped that the idea of switching his training over to the afternoon will induce him to extend himsslf seriously, and there is a general desire to give Leigh every help in his. fitting of the colt. Epinard can do it and it has come to a question of making him do it. Leigh will wake him up to what is required, if it is possible, but he has none too much time to make the handsome chestnut ready. Now that Princess Doreen was such an easy winner of the Covington Handicap at Latonia Saturday she is. being heralded as the possible conqueror of Epinard in the mile and a quarter special to be run at Latonia on October 11. The performance of this good filly in the Covington Handicap was further evidence of her high class, and there is good reason for the high opinion that is held of her by Kentuckians in general. Eugene Leigh would be chagrined to have his champion fall before a filly, but Princess Doreen is of a class to make the best of them go down in defeat. Many an American trainer, with an eligible colt has a wholesome fear of the daughter of Spanish Prince n. and Lady Doreen that races under the colors of Montfort and B. B. Jones Audley Farm.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1920s/drf1924091601/drf1924091601_2_2
Local Identifier: drf1924091601_2_2
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800