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Here and There on the Turf Middle West Racing. Altawood and Sting. Suburban Is the Test. Tompkins Success This Year. Monday was an off day in the Kentucky racing schedule, but not exactly an ideal day for the horsemen. It was moving day and most of the big racing establishments journeyed to Latonia, where the twenty nine day meeting begins Tuesday, and will continue to a doss on the fourth of July. The racing ot the Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Down; was as brilliant as in any other year, and the attendance on many occasions was greater than in other years. While the Kentucky-Derby has, on various occasions, brought together horses of better class, it was a worthy renewal and when Flying Ebony won for Git-ford A. Cochran, the big race made him the great money winner of the meeting and at the same time, placed Mr. Cochrans name at the top of the list of winning owners. It was the one start for Flying Ebony at the meeting. The other money that wax raced for had a wide distribution. The racig was singularly free from any suspicion of tcandal, and for the most part was formful, and up to ths usual high standard that is insisted upon by the Kentucky Jockey Club. With the changing of the scene to Latonia, there comes opposition at Aurora, which meet ing is to begin Thursday, and continue unlil June 24. Then there will come the Hawthor .e meeting at Chicago, opposing for the last two days of the Latonia meeting, when that track open its gates, July 2. But there is an abundance of horses for all and Latonia will in no case suffer by reason of these conflicts. With thf opening of Latonia there begins a long term of racing for Cincinnati that is to oontinue for 118 days. This is brought about by the racing at the new Coney Island course, to begin July 6, which means that only a Sunday intervenes between the closing of Latonia and the opening of Coney Island. The day after Coney Island closes its gates Latonia brgins its fall meeting of thirty one days. This is a long, continuous racing season, but Cincinnati has long since been thoroughly established as a racing center of great importance and there is no fear of its not giving bountiful support to the long meetings. When Joseph E. Wideners Altawood was such an easy winner in the mile and a six teenth handicap at Belmont Park Saturday, he at once came to a great importance in the handicap and cup division. It was agreed : ! before the running of the race that the four 1 year old might find the route a bit too short to show to his best advantage, but his was a cantering victory and enough to demonstrate th? present gcod form of the son of Master Robert and Crestwood Girl. Soma were disposed to raise the cry "He didnt beat anything." That is a cry that has been raised often against a good horse. But Reparation, a six year old carrying 106 pounds, is surely something when it is remembered that Altawood, a four year old, was shouldering 121 pounds. And the mile and a sixteenth is far from being the best route of the Widener celt. He beat enough to prove his worth and he did it in a fashion that was thoroughly satisfying. He was ready to beat better horses than he met and, on that one race, he looms up as possibly the best handicap horse of the year over a long distance of ground. "Hiiiu" Kecne has brought his charge up to the races a veritable picture horse. He has managed to keep an abundance of hard fle.-h rn the son of Master Robert and h; has all the appearance of a horse that will stand up throujh any sort of a campaign for which he may be intended. When Sting was the win ner of the Metropolitan Handicap for James Butler he proved his good class, though h? had proved it pretty conclusively at Jamaica, and his meeting with Altawood in the Suburban Handicap should result in a great race. Sting has much more early speed than Altawood and will have to make use of thi* speed, if he is not to be caught before the end of the mile and a quarter. During ilie winter, J. II. Kcene, brother of Mr. Wideners I trainer, expressed the hope that Altawood would only be started in cup ran-.- this year. He knows the colt well and expressed the opinion that even the mile and a quarter was short of the distance over which this ster ling thoroughbred could show to his best ad vantag?. The race run by Altawood Saturday, wts encugh to make it seem that he is capable [cl being under a full head of steam, sojn enough to catch any of the present day horses, before the end of a mile and a quarter. That 1 should be demonstrated in the Suburban Handicap. Gwyn Tompkins has been meeting with a j full measure of success with the horses of Samuel D. Riddles Glen Riddle Farm Stable, and his taking of the Fashion Stakes Saturday, with Friars Carse was just one more evidence of I he fitness of his horses. This good daugh t of Friar Rock and Problem, is a sister to Flint Rock and the manner of her victory was sufficient to give her real importance among the good fillies of the year. American Flag has established himself thor oughly and unless all signs fail, he will be ■ close to the top of the thrrr year-olds at tie [ end of the racing year. Just now there is no eligible to the Belmont Stakes to be run on the last day of the Belmont Park meeting | with a better chance for victory. Th; Belmont Stakes probably more than any other of he greater three-year-old stake races, has always gone to a champion and should American F!ag triumph on June 13, he will go a long way towards establishing himself as the 1925 champion. Then there are others in the Glen Riddle Farm Stable, that are worthy bearers of the Black and Yellow silks and not a few of them are found among the two-year olds, somo of which are not right up to best racing form at this time. It was expected that the colors would lie shown in steeplechases before this time, but Tompkins does not expect to have Brigadier General ready before Saratoga. He is also developing a couple of green jumpers and it is a sure thing that when he elects to go after the cross-country races, it will be with it horses. Few trainers have had more success in the fitting of steeplechasers than this same j Tompkins. He knows how to prepare theu | and he knows how to keep them fit.
