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SARATOGA STEEPLECHASE • Plans Made for Ambitious Crosscountry Program at Spa. ♦ New Importations and Recently Dei Hoped Junipers Kxpectcd to Strengthen the Sport. « SARATOGA SPRINGS, N. Y.. April 7— It is a bit early to say what Saratogas August steeplechasing may be. There were not many capable jumpers in action last year. A few of native stock were developed in the Fnited States and Canada by Mrs. Payne Whitney, Mrs. F. Ambrose Clark. Joseph EL Widener, ,T. S. Cosden, Thomas Phelan. Joseph E Ha vis, Ceorge Sloan, George Saportas, Thomas Hitchcock, Hal Parr, Samuel J . Piddle and others who have been active in cross-count ry racing. The horses that had been brought over from France, Ireland and Hngland a couple of years before under the "subscription plan" were out of action. Neither the Maryland Jockey Club nor the Ontario Jockey Club, which la other years had successfully promoted a steeplechase a day at Pimlico and Woodbine Park, were able to continue their old programs. At the height of the metropolitan season, the Westchester Pacing Association found it hard to make a really creditable showing at Belmont Park. Just what good material will be available for this years steeplechasing is problematical. But it is encouraging that Harry Payne Whitney, who has not taken an interest in cross-country sport since the death of his father, William C. Whitney, has begun schooling five or six horses, Hnehantment among them, at Aiken, S. C. ; that Thomas McCrcery has been abroad in quest of ready-made jumpers for J. F. Pyers ; that other American horsemen have been active in foreign markets and that William A. Head, of the Laurel Park Stud company, has made some importations over winter. Possibly Mrs. Whitney, Byers, Joseph 10. Widener and Head will have the strongest stables of jumpers to start with. The spring chasing of the Maryland Jockey Club at Pimlico should furnish some line. The best native developments and importations should be ready to do their best by midsummer. As a general thing, French and Hnglish flat Contiaued on sixteenth page I i 1 i • : i ! I • i I . SARATOGA STEEPLECHASE ! Continued from first page* ho ses want time for acclimatization. St eplechasers seem to be different. They reach ge eid form as soon as they regain their; I land legs after disembarkation, it is reason-j able to assume therefore that Saratogas ere s--e-ountry racing will be as gocid as the i best that will be offered anywhere. The Saratoga cross-country annuals, the Shille-lah. B.verwyek and North American j hanli.-aps, all of two miles, and the Sarato-j : ga Steeplechase handicap, a race of two j miles and a half. have, at any rate, filled as well as Pichard T. Wilson, president of the; Saratoga Association, and his associates ex-, , peeteel. The Saratoga Association would likei i to c f f. r a chase a day as the Maryland and ! Ontario Jockey CMba ones did. They will i : hardly be able to do that, but there will be two a week anyway, and three if possible. Saratogas steeplechases date from 1PM, I the year when the new Saratoga Association. i of which William C. Whitney was the first president, assumed charge here. Hath boasts Of a proud record. The first winner of the j | Shillelah was Clasher, a good horse. Since dashers time Pavator, Foxhunte-r, .ateb.ll, 1 Grandpa, Me-Kittredge. Bayonet, Bl Part.1 I Welelship. The Brook. Minata. Pullseye, j Autumn Bells and 1psal have won renewals, j j Beverwye-k winners have- been Rheinstrom, Lion Heart, Dr. Catlett. The- Bachelor. Jimmy Pane, Herculoid, Me-Kittredge, Bay- , onet. Sir Wooster. Weldship twice. The Brook, Hibter, Barklie. Pallor ye twice-. Moudini and Fredden Pock. North American renewals have been won by St. Jude. Alfar, Waterway. Weldship three times. Bet. Klysian, Sweepment, Soumangha, Kl Kantara and Away IT. The Saratoga winners roster | shows the names of Uerc-uloid, Bl Cuchillo. Lysander. Weldship, St. Charh-ote twice , Hiblir, Minata, Robert Oliver, lloudini, Dan IV.. Dunks Green and Carabinier. Her.-uloid, El Cuchillo. Weldship. Dr. Catlett, The Brook, Sweepment, Bl Kantara, Dan IV. and Dunks Creen were first-class fencers. They might have won in any I country. He-rc-uloid was a formidable rival of Thomas Hitchcocks Cood and Plenty, prnliahly the greatest of all American jumpers. Herc-uloid broke down at four, before he was old enough to meet Thomas Hite-h-cocks sturdy veteran with a fair chance of heating him. Kobe-rt Ne-ville. his breeder at Bluemont farm in the Virginia Pie-dmont, is dead. But Thomas Hitchcock the breeder of Cood and Plenty, lives and is taking a new Interest in cross-country sport. llite-he-ock had se-v-eral jumpers out under his green jae-ket last |rear. He has some- green ones in South ; Carolina now. He baa not been actively in ste i plecharinp since the- beginning of the great war. He gave the sport up to enter th" aviation service in which his son, "apt. Thomas Hitchcock, .lr., rendered his country cpie- service. There is no better man anywhere- with fencers than Thomas Hitchcock. The- Brobk, probably was as good as Herculoid. He was the first horse of national reputation that J. Edwin Griffith, the breeder and developer of Canter, raced. And he was a iicl refutation of the notion that meat size- is indispensable- in the Steeplechase lie-Id. The Brook stood no more than fifteen hands, lb- weighed about IM pounds. Vet he won unde-r 170 pounds. Carabinier, one of the chassis that Thomas IfcCreery developed last se-ason for .1. F. Byera, a Ptttsbursjher, will race again this year. So will his stable companion. Thorn- date, which won renewals of the- ?io.o o lle-nelrie- Memorial, the ,000 Woodbine and the- IT.ltt Coventry Steeplechases at Toronto last Septe-mli.-r and I i teihe-r. Byers paid $:::,, ooo for Tberndato and Carabinier at Aqueduct in July. Thomas Mi leer:, handled them for him. IfcCreery only reeenttj resigned from the remount service of the- Carted states army. To show that be is a bandy man with any kind of hoise MeCiv.-ry won a ,500 "Ontario Cup, a flat race- of two miles and a quarter in October with Harrovian. Harrovian has been e.vc-r the jumps. He may prove a good chaser this year. Veterans that may come back are Dan IV, Duettiste and Pizard. Lizard won last falls Manly Me-morial at Pimlieo, and Duettiste a renewal of the 0,000 Brook Cup at Belmont Park Duettiste si d Lisard sre in the Widener stable.
