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Here and There on the Turf Luck in the Belmont. Crusader Proves Quality. Captain Hals Fine Race. It will always be cause for much regret that the running of the Belmont Stakes of 1926 was marred by a start that just about eliminated two of the candidates for the big race. There will always be those who watched the renewal at Belmont Fark Saturday who will always be of the firm belief that it was only h.-misfortune at the start that prevented William Zieglers Kspino from beating Samuel D. Rid dies Crusader. There will always be other* . who will always have a vivid memory of how «eriously Rock Star was handier npcei by thai same start. Those are unfortunate reflections of the big race, but at the same time it will not do to take too much from Crusader. It is true he did not meet with any of the misfortune suf fered by these two colts, but he ran a smashing race to win. He was fortunate in finding his way through on the inside when he seemed in imminent peril of being shut off, but he was good colt enough to avail himself of the open ing and then in the stretch was good coll enough to race Haste to defeat and still with stand that magnificent rush of Espino. And it must also be remembered that to be away badly in a race over a mile and a half distance is nothing like as serious a handicap as the same misfortune over a shorter dis tance. Espino ran a truly wonderful race to close up the ground he did, from his beginning. The fact that he closed up so much ground made it appear that leaving the post on equal terms with Crusader he would have been the winner, but at best that is only a guess. Cru sader is a good, game colt and should the pair of them meet again in a two-horse race over the same route the son of Man o War would undoubtedly be chosen by a vast ma jority to again beat Mr. Zieglers three year old. What might have been is rather futile argu-ment and it applies wilh great force to racing. With only the two horses the race would doubtless be an altogether different nroposition and it is entirely possible, and in fact highly probable, that the finish would be just the same as it was on Saturday. But wilh p-11 that it is interesting to trac the phenomenal luck that has followed Samuel I. Riddle almost from his entry in the turf. In the first place he obtained one of the greatest bargains lhat ever came out of a yearling auction when the mighty Man o War only cost him ,000. This great son of Fair Flay and Mahubah should never have been beaten, for it is an accepted fact that it was not the fault of Man o War that he was beaten as a two year old by Upset. That was just about the only bit of hard luck that came to the Riddle colors. True. Friars Carse went amiss last year, but sh had accomplished big things l efore she was retired from racing. Then just think of what Man o War has done for the Riddle colors. After sweeping all before him he was an easy winner of th-Belmont Stakes and since his retirement to the stud two of his sons have taken the same big race for Mr. Riddle when American Flac ted his opponents home a year ago and then Crurader beat Espino on Saturday. The real Riddle luck came with the pur chase of Man o War as a yearling. There does not seem to be so much luck as deserved merit in the sons of Man o War. They have-raced their way to the top like real race horses and Crusader, with the Suburban Handicap and the Belmont Stakes already to his credit, may go on to even a more notable reputation than that won by American Flag last year. The Suburban Handicap could never b? looked upon as a fluky race this year and the manner in which Crusader galloped to victory over older horses told of his worth. He do?s not nerd the luck, even though he may possibly have been lucky by reason of the bad luck suffered by Espino on Saturday, and it will not do to take anything away from his Balneal Stakes victory. There are some horses that are naturally unhtkv and Espino is one of them. He v. a badly kicked while at thr post in the Yith?rs Stake*;, in which Haste and Crusader beat him home and on various other occasions ex cellent excuses could be found for his boiiiH beaten. But there are other champions and, Crutader seems to be one of them of a clav that can offset bad luck. They have the gameness and the speed to come out of close quarters and the ability to put in a fast eighth at any time in a race no matter what the distance. Crusader was not shut off next to the rail in the running of the Belmont Stakes for the reason that when Johnson called on him he wa« good enough to elash through an opening that mi?ht readily have closed on a colt that was less alert or less speedy. It is probably just as well for the reputation i of the l c.st handicap horses of New York that A. A. Kaisers Captain Hal has been con fining his racing efforts to Kentucky and Illinois. This swift running four year old son q| Black Toney anel Wavering has won five of his feix starts this year and his only defeat came in the mile and a ejuarter of the Grange Memorial Handicap, in which he was third to King Nadi and Princess Doreen. Iu that race Ca; ta:n Hal took up 122 pounds to the 115 carried by King Nadi and 123 for Princess Doreen. But Captain Hal has been improving with each rac? and, while it was conceded long ago that he was a remarkable sprinter, he has shown an ability to take up weight anel main tain hi? grea* speed for a mile at least. In fact on Saturday at Collinsville, the track of the Fairmount Jockey Club, he ran the best race of his career when he cantered home over a mile and a sixteenth in new track record time of 1 :45 and under the crushing burden of 137 pounels. After this wonderful performance the little black colt he is not fifteen hands high came back to th" scales less distressed than anything in the race and he could have clipped still more from the track record had occasion demanded. Captain Hal has some New York engage ments and he may be raced over the New York tracks before the end of the August Saratoga meeting. He has entitled himself to a try against the best and in his present condition he would be sure to keep the best of them exceedingly busy. At the present Aejueduct meeting Captain Hal is engaged in the Queens County Handi cap, at a mile, to be run on Saturday, as well as the Brooklyn Handicap, at a mile and an eighth, and the Carter Handicap, at seven ; eighths. With II. P. Whitneys Rapture winner of the Pimlico Oaks, W. R. Coas B!ack Maria I winner of the Kentucky Oaks and Walter M Jeffords Edith Cavell winner of the Coaching I Club American Oaks at Belmont Park, all three are eligible to the Laonia Oaks, at a mile ai:d a quarter, to be run July 3. As the I record stands now Edith Cavell seems best of the trio, for she beat both the other fillies, and it was the only time she met them this year, but the Latonia Oaks would be an excel lent place to verify her success in the big Belmont Park race. It is not known that the three fillies will journey to Kentucky for the race, but just I now it would seem that the queen of the fillies must come from one of the eastern [stables. Of course, the Kentucky Oaks was run under most adverse conditions, with a heavy downpour of rain as the setting, and for that reason some of the Kentucky fillies did not have the fame chance that would have been enjoyed over a favorable track and whether or not the New Yorkers make an attempt to capture the Latonia Oaks the race | nevertheless will be a brilliant one.
