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Here and There on the Turf Flans for Stimulus. Ontario Taxation. Havanas Summer Racing. Rumors About Chilhowee. The recent move of Stimulus at Belmont Park would indicate that George Odom is bringing the son of Ultimus up to his engagements in a satisfactory manner and, barring any interruption, he ought to be ready for the mile and three sixteenths of the Prcakness Stakes at Pimlico on May 8. It must be remembered that the gallop of Stimulus was through the mud and it is going that he has never shone on. He likes to "hear his heels rattle" and his only disappointing races of last year could be charged to track condition. He has shown conclusively that he is a colt well able to maintain his speed as far as any other three year-olds and at this time Odom would not swap his chances in the Preakness Stakes and the Kentucky Derby with any trainer. Some time ago, when it was announced that Stimulus was being fitted for the Preakness Stakes, the erroneous impression was created that he would pass up the Derby for the earlier race. That was without any foundation, for there could be no reason for a fit candidate to dodge the Kentucky Derby because of the Preakness Stakes. The Pimlico Stakes is de cided May 8 and the Derby is to be run May 16. To be ready for the Preakness Stakes would naturally mean being ready for the mile and a quarter to be run eight days later and that affords ample time for shipment from Maryland to Kentucky. Now that Quatrain is to be campaigned in like manner, it lends additional interest in both stakes, for both Quatrain and Stimulus ; are of necessity two of the eligibles that are attracting wide attention. Single Foot is meant for just this campaigning and many another gocd colt will undoubtedly go after the double record established by Sir Barton. The dates for these great races are ideal for such a plan and it must always be remembered that vh?n Sir Barton won the Kentucky Derby and was shipped to Maryland to win the Preakness Stakes there were only four days intervening. Both of these great races promise to bring out larger fields than ever before. Lawmakers of Canada are seeking to milk racing just a bit more and this time Ontario is directing its attention to the half -milers. It is proposed to make the daily tax on the smaller tracks just three times what is required at this time, or. in other words, bring the tax from ,500 to ,5G0. There is no denying that the half milers have been reaping a rich harvest for several years in Canada and when it was possible to escape with a tax of ,500 there was no good reason for having other than a half mile racing ground. Should this Ontario law prevail it may-result in the conversion tf some of the half nnle tracks to the mile ellipses, while it i* just possible that the tax will drive some of them out of business, but taking a line on successes of other years the new tax would not materially curtail Canadian racing. Ever since the existing law in Canada was enacted, that restricting the meetings to seven days duration and provided for the operation of the pari mutuel machines, there have been tax levies that in many instances have worked tremendous hardfchip on the sport and, in some cases, it has amounted to confiscation of property rather than taxation of property. Canada has always supported racing bounti fully and the Ontario Jockey Club in particular has ever been a most important link in the turf of this continent. Thu club would doubt- less go on for sporting reasons, no matter how the racing should be harrassed by taxation, ! but the Ontario Jockey Club never was in | racing for revenue. It has ever been and ever will be a strictly sporting organization and | no racing association in Canada has done , more for the sport. The taxation of the; Ontario half milers, bringing the levy up to what has been paid at Woodbine Park, will un-j doubtedly be fought bitterly, but as a matter i of fact it is probable that the net revenue of the Ontario half-milers has been greater than has been enjoyed at Woodbine Park. The result of the proposed law will be watched with great interest in this country, as well as in Canada. Havana is preparing for summer racing, but it is to be racing that promises to be strictly : , a Cuban undertaking, with two days a week and holidays as the program. Cuba has many j holidays, so that the "and holidays" in the plan means more than would be meant in this country. , Such racing as is being arranged for the ; summer months on the island may be carried ! on with less than one hundred horses and it I goes without saying that these horses will be of the cheapest variety. The scheme is that every member of the club that will conduct the spcrt is to obtain j I a horse, so that there will be an assurance that I there will be enough thoroughbreds to fill the ; programs. With two days a week and holidays as the only racing time, it will be possible to start these horses race day after race day and, at the same time, give them no more campaigning ! than they would have with continuous racing. j By "mixing" them up from time to time it is possible that some sort of entertainment I : , j , ; ! j I I ; ! j I will be offered, but at the best it could hardly be called racing. It means that a sport will be offered the Cubans on which they may wager. The effort of course will be to have the fields fairly well matched in the interests of this game, but it can never be real racing and of necessity it will be strictly a home product, for this so-called racing is to be conducted at a time when no tourists may be expected to swell ! the patronage and the tourists have been a great help every year at the winter meetings. This stcry that is abroad charging that Chilhowee was doped or poisoned before the running of the Coffroth Handicap Sunday does not exactly ring true. It was broadcast that Chilhowee was tampered with by two men, that have not been identified, shortly after noon Sunday. That is the part of the story that is hard to understand. How could it be possible for any one not connected with the stable to come j close enough to the colt in broad daylight to work an injury ? It is inconceivable that such a horse, with such a race only hours away, was left unguarded. If Chilhowee was tampered with before the running of the Coffroth Handicap, as has i been reported in the news columns of several papers, then all of the blame attaches to trainer Watts himself in being so careless of his charge. It is admitted that Chilhowee did not run ! within many pounds of his true form. It is probable that he came out of the race a sick horse, but the story of his doping is too ridiculous | to merit any credence. Chilhowee could have been a sick horse when he was sent to the post and the sickness not discovered until after the running of the race, but the most] j i ! | careless trainer, with such a race as the Coffroth Handicap at hand, could not honestly offer any opportunity to have the horse tampered with, particularly in broad daylight. The rule that places the responsibility squarely up to the trainer for the condition of a horse is a good one and when it is properly enforced there is less of this foolish talk of poisoning. It has been done, but it has seldom been accomplished without the help of some one in the stable. If evidence is uncovered that Chilhowee was doped, then there is no punishment severe enough for those whose duty it was to properly guard the horse. Captain Hal is the latest of the Kentucky Derby candidates training at Churchill Downs to show a real move. When he galloped along for a mile in 1:43% it is natural that his stock would go up a bit in the calculations for the big race. This good colt has not been hurried in his preparation and his steady improvement has been decidedly impressive. The time has come when the distances will be stretched out for the candidates everywhere. The short sprinting days have gone by and longer gallops will be the order. The staying quality is paramount for a mile and a quarter race and in easy stages the candidates will be brought up to such a journey or will have to be discarded. After the mile will come some radc and an eighth gallops, and then there will be the full route to thoroughly test each of the candidates in training. Many will fall by the wayside when the final questions are asked, but just now every indication is that for both the Preakness Stakes and the Kentucky Derby there may be larger fieldssaj â– kost than at any time in the tace.
