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f Here and There ! on the Turf t , , . — — i Opening of Local Season. [ Cudgeller s Peculiarity. ! Another Highball. Dress Parades Future. f i t With the United Hunts bringing races back to New York on Saturday and Jamaica to open next Wednesday, the 1926 turf year for New York is at hand. It is a date that has I 1 been caserly looked forward to ever since the f announcement of the dates and the two open- ings. Saturday and Wednesday, cannot fail to be briiliant affairs. r It iias been a long and hard winter for those v.ho remained at home rather than journey to one or more of the winter racing t grounds. The coming of spring and the thor outhbreds was never more welcome. Fears have been expressed that there might be a dearth of fit horses for the early days of the Jamaica meeting by reason of the unseasonable training weather, but much has been accom- . plished in bringing horses to racing condition and it will be found that the fear was ground less. Then there are those that were fitted at the home grounds, such as those that S. C. Hildreth moved in from the Rancocas Farm The notable shipment from Louisville included i horse- of Joseph K. Widener, John E. Madden I and Bud Fisher. These have swelled the 1 colony that trained over Ixmg Island track I und they have been in active training until they seem ready for the starting post. j With tfce coming of the horses there have | come several of the jockeys and altogether, even though it was a backward spring, it is j safe to predict that the Metropolitan Jockey , Club will have one of its most successful | oj enings. H. G. Bedwell seems to have learned all about Cudgeller, the four year-old son of Cud ; gel or Sir Barton and Pennsylvania. This colt is a good class racer, but it is only this year that Bedwell has been able to obtain the best from him. It is all a question of how he is to be ridden and, as a matter of fact, it is almost inevitable that the first time he is , beaten those who are not familiar with his best form in action will be of the opinion that the jockey was to blame. Cudgeller runs with his nose almost between his knees. He is not a "line runner" he car ; ries his head evn lower than the old fashioned line runner, which kept his head in a straight line from his withers. Cudgeller drops his head until it is in a line with his chest and in fact it is so absurdly low that he will be apt to get the worst of a close decision. But it Is the only way that the best can be obtained. Bedwell found this out about his colt last fall and this year he has been instructing his riders to permit the colt to run his own rac and above all never attempt to pick up his j head. Thus it is that when Cudgeller races along like a hound following a trail, jockeys j are blamed for not picking up his head and | giving him some help. But that is what beats him. If any attempt is made to pick up his I head, he either sulks and quits or swerves out and is beaten. Cudgeller is a good colt with a way of going that is all his own and those who saw him j take the measure of Single Foot last Saturday at Havre de Grace must agree that his style of running is satisfactory. After that race one shrewd horseman, who did not know the peculiarity of the colt, remarked that he must be a good one for his jockey did not give him . i I 1 I j | j , | ; , j a particle of help. As a matter of fact, W. Smith rode him in the only winning way. Another Highball is promised to the turf this year. This one is in the Ascot Stable and is a three year old son of Midway and Eyeball that ha- not yet been brought to the races but he is liberally engaged for the coming racing season. The other HighbaH had his name spelled all in a bunch, while the High Ball of today has it parted in the middle. Whether or not Volstead has anything to do with the spelling is of no moment, but if High Ball is half the colt that the Highball of 1904 was, he will be a tremendous power among the 1926 three year olds. Highball raced for W. M. Scheftel and until he broke a leg in the running of the Sea Gate Stakes at Brighton Beach he was just about the best of his year, though Capt. S. S. Browns Broomstick was rated by many as being his master. Highball was the winner of the last American Derby on June 18, 1904. He was a son of Ben Strome and Strychinia and was trained for Mr. Scheftel by J. W. Bub May. He war= ridden in the American Derby by Fuller, while it was George Odom that rode him in most of his New York races. Only his calamitous taking off in that fatal Sea Gate Stakes pre vented this colt from attaining a greater mcas ure of fame, but in his short career he was one of the outstanding thoroughbreds of the Ameri can turf. The Sea Gate Stakes was at a mile and an eighth with only three starters Highball having scared out all the opposition except Phil Dwyers Knight Errant and E. R. Thomas St. Valentine. Knight Errant made the pace and after Highball broke his leg at the head of the stretch came home an easy winner. Highball was with difficulty led to the infield, where a merciful bullet put him out of his suffering. Knight Errant, after com pleting his turf career, was retired to the stud and his most notable achievement as a sock horse was to beget the mighty little Koamer. which raced so brilliantly for the late Andrew Miller. Heres hoping High Ball makes good and that he does not meet the untimely end that came to Highball in 1904. The manner in which Dress Parade has been training for George Conway at Havre de Grace suggests that the son of Man o War and Trasher will be the stable dependence in the Preakness Stakes and possibly the Kentucky Derby. This colt was better advanced thai possibly any other in th° notable string when shipped to Havre de Grace and since his arrival at the Maryland course he has been training well. A thoroughly good colt last year, it may develop that Dress Parade will be the best oc" his a?e to carry the Riddle colors this year. He has an abundance of speed and has shown that he can stick it out successfully. » 1
