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Here and There on the Turf Mad Play and the Special. Strong Hand in Kentucky. Field for the Championship. Ready for the Big Crowd. Early in the year Sam Hildreth had high hopes for Mad Play. The colt had shown him enough in his preparation to warrant the belief that he had a fair chance to equal the brilliant record of Zev, the greatest of American money winners. But Mad Play failed in both the Preakness Stakes and the Kentucky Derby, the two great races for which he was especially fitted. His defeat in the Kentucky Derby was a bitter disappointment to Hildreth, but the colt came back and won the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park, and proved in that race that there was good reason for the high hopes Hildreth entertained ,for his colts three-year-old campaign. Mad Play seemed to go off during midsummer, but Hildreth has brought him back to his good form again, as was evidenced when he was the winner of the Continental Handicap at Jamaica Saturday. The race was a much better one than the chart might suggest, for Mad Play overcame a bit of bad racing luck that was impossible to be depicted in the chart and a bit of hard luck that is only thoroughly appreciated by those who saw the running of the Continental Handicap. The stretch at Jamaica is a ridiculously short one, but by reason of having been pocketed next to the inner rail Mad Play had to pull around both Zev, his stablemate, and Priscilla Ruley to find racing room. He rushed past the pair and was going away at the end, with speed in reserve. When it is remembered that the mile and an eighth was run in 1:49 and it would have been possible for the son of Fair Play and Madcap to have shaded that time. Hildreth has a fashion of making the best use of his horses when they are fit, and Mad Play will undoubtedly be shown at Latonia cither next Saturday in the third International Special, against Epinard, or in the Latonia Championship Stakes, to be run October 18. There is just a chance that Mad Play may take after his older brother, Mad Hatter, in the matter of temper. Mad Hatter is capable of beating any horse almost any distance when he races cheerfully, but it is never known definitely just when he will race cheerfully. But the invaders from New York are going to find their work has been cut out for them when the Kentuckians show their best. That was pretty well demonstrated in the running of the mile and a sixteenth of the Versailles at Latonia, Monday, when Chilhowce qualified so handsomely for the third International. The manner in which he put Wise Counsellor away gave his stock for the race Saturday a decided boost and there will be no fitter horse go to the post. It is admitted that an attempt was made to place Wise Counsellor in that race and the conqueror of Epinard in the first special would probably have been closer under different riding, but if Wise Counsellor is to have any chance Saturday he will have to be placed. Ladkin raced him to defeat in the Aqueduct Special and then withstood the belated rush of Epinard, so that there is no chance for Wise Counsellor to stick it out for the mile and a quarter at Latonia unless he avoids pace-making. That was reason enough for his bs-ing ridden as he was Monday. But Chilhowce set a fast pace and hung on in a way to impress that he is ready and his victory in the Latonia Derby leaves no doubt of his ability to stay as long as any defenders that will ba shown Saturday. i In the meantime Epinard himself seems to be coming to the race in a manner that satisfies Leigh, so that altogether the big event promises to be one of the greatest, races ever run in this or any other country. It is possible that the New York invasion will be more successful in the running of the Latonia Championship on October 18 than in the third International Special. This is exclusively for three-year-olds, and undoubtedly the East will be well represented with the return of Mad Play to good form and the Belair Stud trio, Aga Khan, Flames and Priscilla Ruley. Of these, Flames, the most recent development, is particularly well equipped for the trying mile and three-quarters. Aga Khan, by his victory in the Lawrence Realization, proved his worth, while some good judges are conceding Priscilla Ruley a real chance in the third International Special against the colts, as well as in this later race, which is also at scale weight. But after all they have to meet Chilhowee, and he is a tower of strength for the Kentuckians. Unfortunately, Black Gold has gone amiss again, and Altawood, winner of the Latonia Cup, is not an eligible. Ladkin was not named for the Championship Stakes and Wise Counsallor is another that was not engaged. But there will be quality enough to make the renewal of the rich prize notable, and it is cheering to know that most of the eli-gibles are at present in excellent racing condition. Colonel Matt Winn, a past master in taking care of a race track crowd, has done wonders in making preparation for the immense throng that will surely ba on hand for the Special Saturday. When Colonel Winn virtually rebuilt Churchill Downs for one race the Kentucky Derby he showed what could be done in providing race track conveniences and comfort for patrons. .He has carried out like ideas at Latonia and the naturally beautiful course has had its seating capacity increased beyond belief for the race Saturday. With each expansion there has been every care taken for the comfort and convenience of the crowd, and, at the same time, the ideas that made Latonia one of the most beautiful of American courses have been maintained.
