Here and There on the Turf: Sarazens Moods. Troubles of Tampa Track. Canadian Season Outlook. the Derby Eligibles, Daily Racing Form, 1926-05-05

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1 Here and There on the Turf Sarazens Moods. Troubles of Tampa Track. Canadian Season Outlook. The Derby Eligibles. Any one who saw Sarazen win his magnificent victory in the Dixie Handicap at Pimlico Monday could hardly believe that the same Sarazen, in his last previous start before the running, had performed so differently. When the son of High Time and Rush Box was galloping along in front of that good field, with his ears pricking for almost the entire mile and three sixteenths distance, he seemed all over a champion. And he appeared a particularly cheerful champion. No one could imagine that the same Sarazen, on so many other times when he appeared a sure winner "on paper," had absolutely refused to extend himself and was beaten by greatly inferior horses to those he met in the Diixe Handicap. Mrs. Vanderbilt, owner of Sarazen, and Max Hirsch, his trainer, are to be congratulated that their good gelding of moods was in a happy frame of mind for the running of as important a stake race as the Dixie Handicap. From parly in the spring Hirsch has had the Dixie Handicap in view as the first important engagement for Sarazen and he has been skillfully trained, when he would take kindly to the training, with that race in view. He was its winner last year and it was the hope that he would repeat. He has repeated, but it does not mean that Sarazen is any the less temperamental and notional than he was before the running of the race. He appeared to be equally fit and ready when he ran the bad race previous to his Dixie Handicap victory and Hirsch himself never knows whether or not Sarazen is going to race kindly. Last year he won the Dixie Handicap just as impressively. He followed that race with a miserable showing in the Metro politan Handicap. He was soundly beaten in the Carter Handicap, his next start, and he followed that race by winning the Fleetwing Handicap at the Empire City meeting. Then, afler a bad race in the Delaware Handicap, he won the Arverne Handicap under 130 pounds. In the fall, Sarazen, after racing sourly in the Capital Handicap, though he finished third to such good horses as Wise Counsellor and Single Foot, followed this with a bad race at Pimlico. Then he rounded out his campaign by winning the Bryan Memorial at Bowie, in which, under 129 pounds, he established a track record of 1 :40% for the mile. All of this is set down to show that the fact of Sarazen winning the Dixie Handicap only means that he is still a champion, but there is no assurance that his mental condition is other than it was before the running of this big race. The troubles of the West Coast Jockey Club of Tampa, Ha., are not yet over. Now the association has been forced into bankruptcy and it would appear from the actions that have l een brought that the meeting was a truly disastrous one. It was unfortunate that the track wax opened before it was entirely ready for its meeting. Then it was attempted to draw from the patronage of the Miami Jockey Club meeting. which was established and had met with Ire mendous success. There were many contributing reasons for the failure of the West Coast Jockey Club to make a success of its initial meeting and tli-dire results were not altogether unexpected by many who had watched the progress of the new club. Just what this will all mean for the racing i of next winter remains to be seen. Doubtless I some backers will be found who will attempt i another meeting, for an idle race course will never pay its way. But the experience of the West Coast Jockey Club would make it appear that the racing at Miami is too big a competition to make simultaneous racing at Tampa a paying venture. To make the racing a success there should be some equitable division of the racing time, so that there would not come these devastating conflicts. And the Miami Jockey Club, just now, appears to have the right to have the first selection of dates by reason of its priority and the success that has attended its two meetings. The big racing season in Canada will begin 1 May 22 when the Woodbine Park course of the Ontario Jockey Club will throw open its I ; 1 gates for its first meeting. Already the course is rapidly filling up with horses and at the . conclusion of the racing over the Pimlico track , will release many important additions to the colony. The spring meeting at Woodbine Park is always a period of racing of tremendous importance and the prospects for the year are brighter than ever before. It is there that, while the flat runners have great opportunities, ■ the cross-country division is bountifully taken i care of with the rich values in steplechasing. Each year many of the big steeplechase stables go direct from Pimlico to Woodbine , Park and there has been a bit of complaint 1 that as a result Belmont Park suffered for want 1 of jumpers. It is natural that the stables 5 I should follow such n campaign with the liberal 1 ill chances in Canada and the bid for the best t jumpers is stronger this year than ever before. Recollection is one of the Kentucky Derby eligibles that has been training steadily for a considerable time and his last mile and a quarter in 2:11V;. was indeed an impressive ? move. This was accomplished at Churchill 1 Downs over a slow track and it would indicate " that he is ready for the big question. T. W. OBriens Timmara suffered his first t defeat of the year at Pimli«o Monday when 1 he was whipped in the Chesapeake Handicap, i, but there was plenty of excuse for the son of ! Westy Hogan when it is remembered that he was piving away great lumps of weight to some older horses. Timmara left the post in a * I tangle and it took him longer than ever before e to settled into a racing stride. When he was s | finally going along smoothly he closed a big - gap and finished fast, but nevertheless it was I a defeat and an unexpected defeat. This good j I colt has shown speed in plenty ia his Maryland i j i I i races this spring, but it is hard to give him much of a winning chance over the mile and 1 a quarter distance at Churchill Downs on May • 15, when the reports of how the other candidates are coming to hand are taken into consideration. « _


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