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Here and There on the Turf Altawood s Excellence. Aga Khans Good Race. Abolition of Whips. Lexingtons Opening. It -would seem that Joseph E. Widener made no. mistake when he purchased Altawood. The victory of the sterling three-year-old son of Master Robert and Crefitwood Girl in the Bowie Handicap was evidence enough of the -wisdom of the purchase. Altawood set a new record of 2:30 for the mils and a half over the Pimllco course and clipped three-fifths of a second off the time hung out by George Smith when he won the Bowie of 1918. But one had to see the running of the Bowie Tuesday to have a full appreciation of the performance of Altawood. The chart of the race tells of how he closed up ground through the last half mile and the footnote will tell of how he was cut off when Parke attempted to bring him through on the inside, but one lad to actually see what happened to have a full appreciation of the race. Altawood had caught the others after being lather a distant last and Parke, in a com-anendable desire to save ground, guided him for the inside. There he Tan his mount up on the heels of My Own and the result was that the colt was knocked off his stride. He had to be taken outside and all of this cost ground when he could ill afford to meet with such interference. To be brought back to his racing stride, taken to the outside and corns past practically all the other horses in the last three-eighths was a big contract. But Altawood was equal to the task and with aH that finished out his mib and a half in 2:30. Those who saw Altawood race in the Kentucky Derby, the Third International Special and the Latonia Cup had a full appreciation of his ability as a stayer and the Bowie Handicap gave further evidence of that quality. Had it not bsen for his running against the hceh of My Own it is probable that Altawood would have been an easy winner, instead of only getting up in time to take the race from "William Woodwards Aga Khan by a head. Then the pair finished out the full two miles in preparation for the Pimllco Cup, to be run Saturday, in a fashion to hold out great promise for that race. And. while lauding Altawood and placing the laurel wreath for what hs accomplished, it is well to remember that Aga Khan himself ran a great race in the Bowie Handicap. He was giving away three pounds to Mr. Widen-ers colt and he was only beaten a head. It might also be pointed out that Aga Khan was the pacemaker for that mile and a half and was only beaten in the last few strides. Aga Khan, to maintain his command, had to race first Sunsini, then Spot Cash and then Rustic into defeat. They are rather sturdy ones to put away, when they come in relays, so that after all though beaten, the son of Omar Khayyam lost no prestige and probably ran his best race in defeat. For the Pimlico Cup Aga Khan will mest Altawood at a better advantage for he was handicapped 113 pounds, against the 114 on Mr. Wideners three-year-old. That is a difference of four pounds in favor of Aga Khan, then with the penalty that goes for the winning of the Bowie Handicap he will have a still greater advantage. But the two miles and a quarter will suit Altawood even better than the mile and a half, and he will probably maintain his reputation as one of the best stayers seen in this country in a long day. After watching the work of James Milton and his crew at the starting barrier this fall the conviction is forced that a mistake was made when the rule was passed prohibiting the use of whips by the assistant starters. It has been a serious handicap to starter Milton and has had much to do with unusual delays at the post in some of the races. The judicious use of whips by the assistant; starters will help any starter in the sending away of horses. It is hard to remember when any horse has been injured or abused by the use of the whip. As a matter of fact they are only used to keep the horses straight and make them pay attention to what is required. The whips are in no sense instruments of torture and there is no crew of any starter that would wilfully abuse or hurt a horse. There is another angle lost sight of too often when rules are made for the starting of races. The office of starter is the one office on the race track that calk for real professional skill. It is a calling where there have been countless failures and but few real successes. That in itself should make the satrter the sole judge of what methods he shall employ to obtain the best results. If the starter is convinced that he will better fill the office with the "walk-up" start, he should be at liberty to usa such a method. If, in his opinion, he obtains a better control of the horses and consequontly better results by the us3 of whips he should be permitted to use the whips. In other words, men who knew nothing of the art of starting themselves are hardly qualified to fix rules for the method of starting. The only desire of any starter is to have the fields away promptly and in good alignment. That is all that will permit him to continue a starter, and if he is to be hampered with a set of rules of how he shall attain his enub it is putting an altogether unfair handicap on his work. All of this is set down without knowing just how James Milton feels about the abolition of the whips. It may be that he is heartily in favor of the new rules, but the fact remains that, in the opinion of one who has watched his work for years, better results were obtained befcre the passage of the rule abolishing the use of the whips. The Kentucky racing season has swung over to the Lexington track. This association is not a part of the Kentucky Jockey Club. It is rather a home affair, but it is a tremendously popular meeting, and, with anything like favorable weather conditions, it cannot fail to be bigger and better than any that have gone before. There were s:me who were a bit apprehensive at the late date for the meeting, for it is more than twenty-five years since a meeting was conducted at Lexington so late in the fall. But the opening -Tuesday was a thoroughly auspicious one, and the sport that is programmed for the eleven days is such that there will be no lack of good horses to furnish the entertainment. Through the meeting there are several fixtures of real importance, and one of the most important is the Breeders Futurity, a two-year-old fixture that has for its eligibles the best of the present year. While the Kentucky season has reached its last meeting, the racing in Maryland will move over to its concluding meeting Monday, when Bowie will open its gates. It is Bowie that opens and closes the racing season in Maryland, and, from its beginning, this Association has grown in popularity and importance. This fall more than ever bfore, is the promise bright for a new high standard of sport. There are a greater number of important races, and they have attracted some of the best horses in the country. The latest of the notable entries for these Bowie stakes is that of Frederick Burtons Wise Counsellor, twice conqueror of Epinard, and Wise Counsellor will find plenty of opposition when he goes after the races to which he has been ncminated. Many another of the real top class will be seen under silks and it is a meeting that will keep more of the best horses in training through the month of November than in previous years.
