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Here and There on the Turf Havre Opening Crowd. New Two -Year -Olds. Noah and Maid at Arms. Kentucky Prospects. The opening of the thirteen days meeting at Havre de Grace was one of the most notable in the history of the Harford Association. It is doubtful if any other opening attracted such an attendance and the racing that was furnished for the occasion was worthy of the patronage. It was unfortunate that the big crowd should have been without programs, by reason of the breaking of the press that was to have done the work, but it did not work any r?al hardship when patrons weer furnished with mimeographed sheets containing the names of the starters with their post positions and mutuel numbers. O! course, these programs were missed, and missed more in Maryland than they would have been in New York. The Maryland program carries so much more than the New York racing cards that the Maryland patrons have come to depend on them for such details as the names of the jockeys who ride to the positions and the equip ment carried by horses. Many of them did not seem to know just where to look for the names of the riders when they were not printed on the programs and, of course, it was a bit of a hardship to have to copy these names and then not know what weights were being carried, or the various racing colors. But the racing crowd has ever been the best natured crowd on top of the earth and they forgot all about these discomforts when the horses appeared on the track. This first day of racing brought out some new two year olds that, if looks count for rnything, will race to real prominence. The two year-old offering was a half-mile dash for maiden fillies and of the eleven that started there wer? only four which had been to the races before. A newcomer dominated the race throughout in a manner to suggest that winter two-year-olds will find scant picking at the new meeting. The winner of this dash was Ethereal, a handsome chestnut daughter of the Futuriy winner Campfire and the Star Shoot mare Hy patia. She had the advantage of a masterly ride by Maiben. but she showed speed, aside from the manner in which she was ridden, that should make her a valuable addition to the racing establishment of the president of the Saratoga Association. Ima Way, the on" to finish second, is a dark chestnut daughter of Out The Way, and that sterling mare Ima Frank. She proved herself a swift runnine filly even in defeat and she will not long remain a maiden. Charlcie, the third, was bred by the lare Louis Garth, and like the other two, is a chestnut in ccler. £he is a daughter of Ber ril.don and Charybdis, a daughter of Rock ton. But it is altogether likely that there were fillies bark of the first three that will reverse the running before the end of the meeting. Indian Maiden, the one that bore the colors of II. P. Whitney, had no chance when she failed to start properly from her inside position. The result of this was that she was promptly crowded back until she had no rac ing opportunity. This one is a dark brown or black daughter of Whii-k Broom II. and Cher okee Rose II., and she is esseiitiidly feminine in her conformation. She has excellent line, but is rather .small. The race gave absolutely no line on her racing quality by reason of her misfortune at the start. Another that will attract attention anywhere is the one that Gwyn Tompkins sent to the post fcr Samuel D. Riddles Glen Riddle Farm Stable. This one is Taps, a slashing big chestnut daughter of Man o War and Shady, by ■ Broomstick. She is an exact opposite of Indian Maiden, for her proportions are those of a particularly sturdy colt. Tompkins has brought her to the races earning plenty of flesh, but she has all the appearances of a filly that will always race "high." She has proved in private that she can run fast and, if she I races to that promise and to her looks, she will [ undoubtedly be in th? front division of the fillies that have thus far been uncovered. Two three year-olds, appearing for the first time this year, proved themselves when H. P. ; Whitneys Noah was the winner of the Har- j j ford Handicap and Mr. Riddles fleet Maid at [ | Arms, a daughter of Man o War and Thrasher, | by Trap Rock, took the five and a half furlongs ; dash for that age division. Noah, by his victory, demonstrated that he is a swift running sprinter, but he did not show much else, for he was plainly tiring at the end of the threr-quarters dash and it was only because McAfee stole away so far with him in the early running that he came heme the winner. This electric speed may win many sprints for | the son of Peter Pan and First Flight, but it is extremely doubtful if he will ever be anything else but a sprinter. As for his stable-mate, Candy Kid, his showing was far awav j from what was expected and, while he had j no mishaps in the running, he quit in the ; tretch. Nichi las, the high-priced son of Stefan . the Great and Eaton Lass, that races for Mrs. I Yanderbilt, looked exceedingly well in the I parade to the posi. Max Hirsch has him apparently in excellent condition, but his bad behavior at the post resulted in his not leaving the barrier. H? behaved hin.sdf in the paddock and Hirsch had high hopes that he . would also behave well at the barrier, but there he was, the same rogue he was as a two year-old, and he would not start. But there was no doubt about the ability i of Maid at Arms. She would undoubtedly have . been a worthy starter in the Harford Handi-j . cap, judging by her sterling race in the five . J and a half furlongs dash. Sha was. racing against a seasoned opponent when she met Panic, while Laddie Buck had advantage at the barrier that gave him a real advantage when leaving the pest. This was a fast run race and Maid at Arms came from behind in real race horse fashion to earn her purse. In this Nicholas was not the only unfortunate, for The Bat, a better colt than his stablemate Panic, had virtually no chance when the barrier arose, and his race must not be taken seriously. But, even with these excuses for| I Nicholas and The Bat, there is no denying that Maid at Arms began her 1925 racing brilliantly, and shs ran in a manner to suggest that she is much more than a mere sprinter. While racing is in full swing in Maryla .d preparation is steadily going forward in Kentucky for the Lexington meeting that is to begin April 25. Horses are in preparation f »r the offerings both at that track and at Churchill Downs, in Louisville. Of course chief Kentucky interest in the galloping horses centers about what is being done by the candidates for the Kentucky Derby. Lee 0. Cotner and Captain Hal have for a considerable time been going along impressively in all their training, and Quatrain, with a New Orleans Handicap and a Louisiana Derby under his belt," is a member of the Churchill Downs colony. Mr. Johnson hus premised to ship Quatrain to Maryland to fill his engagements in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on May 8, and while he was not named for the 0,000 Chesapeake Stakes at Havre de Grace, it is exacted he will be at Pimlico. Then there is William Daniels Master Charlie, that was trained at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans by Andrew Blakely. He is m the Chesapeake Stakes and it ■ the intention to send him to the post. He is also in the Preakness Stakes, and, if all continues to go well with his training, he will start there and then go to Louisville for his Derby engage ment on May 16. Seldom in the history of racing has there been a like number of bij opportunities for a real champion.
