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Here and There on the Turf Derby Trials Black Golds Mishap. Thorncliffes Future. Aurora Meeting Plans. __ — ._» _- — — — — When the time of one of the Kentucky Derby eligibles shows a good workout for the big Louisville race, along comes another of equal potential chance that goes him on3 better. This will be the order probably right up to the closing days of the long preparation, but the race is not won during the work hours. Captain Hal had shown enough in his recent work to suggest that he would probably be brought to the post in the Derby the main hope of the Kentuckians and now Lee O. Cot-ner, another that has been working well for a considerable time, goes him one better. Lee O. Cotner, the fast running son cf Last Coin or High Time, both of Domino strain, has worked a mile over Churchill Downs in 1 :41%. This is the fastest move that has been credited to any of the candidates for the big 0,000 race and it shows marked improvement in his preparation. Now it is up to Captain Hal or one of the others to come along with a better move. All of this speaks volumes for the renewal of the great race on May 16. It lends much additional interest to it when there are to man- good ones training brilliantly, while at the same time, thus far, not one of them stands out so prominently over the others as to attract all the attention. Quatrain has been galloped since the close of the New Orleans campaign, when he came into great prominence by his victories in the New Orleans Handicap and the Louisiana Derby. Brilliant, still another, has won a race at Huntington, but taking a line through his racing at Miami he cannot be conceded much of a chance in the Kentucky Derby. He has an excellent turn of speed, but hardly measures up to a mile and a quarter under scale weight with the colts and fillies that will oppose him on May 16. Master Charlie will soon be on his way from New Orleans. Felix, the George D. Widener candidate, is having a careful preparation at Belmont Park, as is Stimulus and others that are training over the Long Island courses. Then others have not y?t come from private training grounds. It will be found that several of these are fully as well advanced as many that have been taking their exercises over public racing grounds. It will be something of a turf calamity if Black Gold, the remarkable Derby winner of last year, is through racing. The son of Black Toney and Useeit has met with a foot injury 1 hat may end his racing, career. He has been coming along in his early preparation in a manner to suggest that he would be right up in the front of the handicap division. But even should this homely little colt be through, he brilliantly earned a place in the equine hall of fame by his deeds of last year. He began his racing career early, and he proved a hardy wearing and honest colt. As a two year-old he was raced in the winter months and through that first year performed in a way to suggest the three year old greatness that was his, when he beat the best that could be mustered against him in the Louisiana, Kentucky, Chicago and the Ohio Derby. That was enough to give Black Gold his place, and, while it will be too bad if he is not to carry on with those of the older divisions, he will always be one of the bright memories of American turf history. It is expected that James F. OHaras Thorn-cliffe Park track, at Toronto, will shortly be taken into the fold of the Canadian Racing Associations, which controls the big Canadian tracks. It is the associations that fixes the dates and issues the licenses for the tracks under its control, and there is a stamp of distinction in being one cf its number. For the racing of this year Mr. OHari would not wait for admission to the governing body in the announcement of his Mites, but it is probable that at a meeting shortly to be held of the Associations, Thorncliffe will be admitted and the racing time for that track will be arranged to precede the racing of the Ontario Jockey Club at Woodbien Park. With the Havre de Grace meeting of th? Harford Association to open next Wednesday, most of the cross-country horses that will make their first appearance of the year are at i the track already. Schooling reports tend to show that the jumpers are a promising lot for the new racing seasnn, and there will be no lack of entertainment in that branch of the racing. One of the crosscountry establishments that promises to cut an important figure this year is that of William A. Read and Major Fra.ik W. White, the British turfmen. Their horses, imported jumpers of some reputation, are already on the grounds and it is a sure thing that they will be ready when called upon. Since the affairs of the association that is to conduct the racing at Aurora have been arranged, Charles Trimble and his associates have been busily engaged on behalf of the meeting. Max Willie is one of the solocitors of horsemen and he is at the Bowie meeting signing horses for the long meeting. Already assurances have been received from several of the horsemen that they will be on hand with their horses, and there will be no trouble in filling any program of racing that is decided upon. In the matter of officials it is expected an announcement will be made before many days. There has been shown a desire to make the official family the best possible to be obtained, and, altogether, with the straightening out of the affairs of the association everything that has been done points to worthy sport. For a time it was threatened that some complications might jeopardize the meeting itself, but this has been happily adjusted and all that remains now is completing the usual preliminaries for the racing. While it has been remarked that, as a class, the two-year-olds of this year are a well-behaved and a well schooled band, from time ! to time the natural awkwardness of a young racer has been apparent. This was shown in the running of the filly race Thursday, of I which the Greentree Stables Domnay, daughter of Dominant and Fresnay, was the winner. In that race Edward Arlingtons recent pur- i chase Janetta, a daughter of the Futurity winner Trojan and Humility, only lost bee aire of her lack of racing education. Had it not been for her erratic running through the stretch she would surely have earned th.it purse. It is admitted that this erratic running was a distinct handicap to Domnay, the winner, but the Arlington filly is sure to improve ; greatly over her showing when she learns her racing lessons.
