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Here and There on the Turf Passing of James Shevlin. Other International Races. How Donaghee Improved. Closing of Phoenix Meeting. In the taking off of James Shevlin the turf has suffered another serious loss. Mr. Shevlin had reached the age of eighty-three years, but as late as the recent racing season he was in frequent attendance at the races. Though an ardent admirer of the thoroughbred horse and for many years a devotee of the turf, his first ! really active connection with the sport was when he became president of the Queens i County Jockey Club, that conducts its racing at the old Aqueduct course. Under his able direction as president there were many improvements at the old racing ground and no officer of any association took a livelier interest in his office than did James : Shevlin. A warm personal friend of the late Phil Dwyer, it was that association that attracted Mr. Shevlin to the turf and he was a well-known figure, on all the New York race courses for more than a score of years. Then it was not long after the death of Mr. Dwyer that Mr. Shevlin succeeded him in the presidency of the Queens County Jockey Club. It is remembered that during the fall season of racing, when there was a clamoring demand for the running of the second International Special at Belmont Park instead of Aqueduct, Mr. Shevlin held out for his own track. He would not rob his own association and its racing ground of the honor of staging the big race. He was admired for the stand he took on that occasion, and it was just one of the many evidences of his devotion to racing and to the Queens County Jockey Club. A particularly active man, in spite of his years, hs ascribed his robust health to racing and to the life in the open that came with the sport. No man in eastern racing was better known and no man more respected. His loss to the turf is one that can never be replaced. If there is any man in racing capable of arranging a series of International Specials for 1925, that man is Colonel Matt Winn, general manager of the Kentucky Jockey Club. Colonel Winn proposes visiting both England and France this winter in the interest of a series of specials and, if it is humanly possible, it surely will bs done. It is agreed that Colonel Winn has picked out rather a difficult job for himself, but he never has been daunted by difficulties and it is almost a safe wager now that his mission will be a fruitful one. The difficulty comes in the fact that both Papyrus and Epinard failed in this country. The American turf can congratulate itself on the fact that Ben Irish, owner of Papyrus when he came over, Basil Jarvis, his trainer, and Steve Donoghue, his rider, all had nothing but kind words for our sportsmen when they went back home. There was nothing but praise for the sportsmanship in this country. And the same might be said of the visit of Pierre Wertheimer, owner of Epinard, our own Eugene Leigh, his trainer, and our own Everett Haynes, his rider. They went through with the contract races like true sportsmen and left for France with nothing but the kindliest of feelings for the turf on this side of the Atlantic. Many of our own sportsmen will agree that Epinard was a peculiarly unfortunate horse to have been beaten in all four of the races in which he took part in this country, but there never was a time when there was complaint or excuse offered from the Wertheimer stable. All agreed that, in spite of the defeats, it had been a wonderfully enjoyable experience. All of that will help immens3ly, but the difficulty will lie in inducing other champions to make I ! i : the journey when two such sterling horses as Papyrus and Epinard went down to defeat. It is to be hoped that Pierre Wertheimer or Ben Irish will have another champion to send back before long. If they arc not so fortunate, it is hoped that Colonel Winn will be able to find like sportsmen to come over and do battle for the honor of the thoroughbred horse. Joseph McLennan has announced the weights for the Thanksgiving Handicap, which will be the Thursday feature of the racing at Bowie. This is over the mib and three-sixteenths distance and the entries suggest both a large and a fashionable field. Zev is at the top of the list with 126 pounds as his impost, but he is not at the track. Sun Flag is next with 118 as his burden, but he is not on hand, and then comes James W. Beans Dona-ghee with 117 pounds as his allotment. This good colt has worked his way up from 109 pounds and he has earned every ounce that has been put on his back. It was under 109 pounds that he beat Princess Doreen easily when the filly carried 112. Then at the next meeting Donaghee beat her almost as easily when he took up 110 pounds while she carried 109. Now for ths Thanksgiving Handicap the colt gives Princess Doreen eight pounds when she is only asked to shoulder 109 pounds. The line is taken through Princess Doreen for the reason that she has been second to Donaghee in both of his recent winning efforts. Spot Cash is asked to take up 116 pounds, just the weight he carried in the Bryan Memorial, in which he gave Donaghee six pounds, while now the Bean colt gives him one, but Donaghee beat Spot Cash five lengths in that meeting and the handicap does not appear to be severe. As a matter of fact Donaghee is the natural one from which to draw a line through all the others in the handicap. He is so much at home over the Bowie course that he is well able to give away a bit more weight there than at any other course, and it is natural that he should take up weight while the others drop some when affixing the imposts for the race Thursday. Weight will bring them all together and it would seem, on paper, that Mr. McLennan has arranged an excellent handicap. Wide interest is being taken in the dispersal sale of the Xalapa Farm Stud and racing stable. It is such a dispersal as only comes at rare intervals and the throwing on the market I of these carefully selected thoroughbreds will attract buyers from all parts of the country. In building up his monster breeding establishment Edward F. Simms spared no expense and it is doubtful if any American thoroughbred nursery could boast of such a wealth of the best blood of many different families. And the Xalapa Farm has cut a most important figure, as was evidenced when six yearlings from that establishment were purchased by Gifford A. Cochran in 1923 for 40,000. Five of these were the get of Negofol, the sire of Hourless, and the other a son of North Star III. Negofol is one of the stallions that is to go under the hammer at Squadron A Armory on December 10 and 11, when the great sale is to be conducted by the Fasig-Tipton Company. The other stock horses that are to be sold are Leonardo II., Eternal, Prince Pal, Lucky Hour, Theo. Cook and The Wanderer. Leonardo II. and Eternal are two young sires that will surely attract a great deal of attention among the breeders, while Theo. Cook has already established his reputation as a sire of importance. Lucky Hour has every reason to be a good one and both Prince Pal and The Wanderer are bred along lines that surely will attract bidders. And in the matter of mares the Xalapa Farm was bountifully supplied with the best from English, French and American families. In all there will be 175 head catalogued in this sale and it is promised the catalogues will be distributed within a few days. The racing at Phoenix, Ariz., has proved a failure. The meeting that was to have continued for twenty-four days has been discontinued after being in operation for two weeks. It is always unfortunate that a racing project should fail and it is of such rare occurrence that there is general surprise. The reason for the calling off of the meeting was given as a lack of patronage and it was announced that the association had taken a daily loss from its opening day. In an effort to keep the racing alive the 00 purses were cut to 50, but even that would not warrant a continuance. As a plain matter of fact Jt may be just as well that the meeting has come to an end. In these days of high salaries and high prices for feed it does not seem possible that any stables could be kept going if required to race for purses of 50. Purses of 00 are below what should be paid for the sport and any section that is not able to support more liberal racing should not attempt to carry on ths sport. It is to be hoped that Phoenix may come back with a successful meeting and one that will be worthy of support, but any time that it becomes necessary to cut purses under 00 it is infinitely bztter that the race track be closed. Racing for 50 purses is a day that has gone by with the cheap labor and the cheap feed. Such purses would hardly pay a "rubber" in the present generation and the horsrs would have rather slim pickings indeed.
