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Here and There on the Turf Hastes Western Trip. American Flags Failure. California and Racing. Importance of Campaign. The determination to send Joseph E. Wid-eners Haste to the Coltinsville track to start in the Fairmount Derby on Saturday lends great additional interest to thai big race. The son of Maintainent and Miss Malaprop is well calculated to halt the triumphal march of the Edward R. Bradley colts and "Ham" Keene is going to invade Illinois in the belief that he will bring the spoils of the race back to New York. Haste by his victory in the Withers Stakes and by his good race in the Belmont Stakes surely earned the right to have a try for the Fairmount Derby and so that there may be no mistake in the running of the race Keene him self goes along to saddle the colt and Earl Sande makes the journey to ride him. The invasion of Pompey, Blondin and Display, winner of the Preakness Stakes, was an unsuccessful one and it is up to Mr. Wkleners colt to battle for the East in the big race. It was hoped early in May that the Fair-mount Derby would bring about a meeting l etween Carlaris and Bubbling Over, but these two great colts may not start on Saturday. With them out of the way the Bradley hand soemed still exceedingly strong, with Bagen baggage and Boot to Boot still eligible. When they were first and second in the running of the Latonia Derby, just as Bubbling Over and Bagenbaggage were first and second in the running of the Kentucky Derby, it indeed seemed as though the stable was invincible. That was before it was decided that Haste would make the trip. And there is a strong possibility that Rock Man, from Mrs. Margaret Emerson Bakers Sagamore Stable, may also journey to Collins ville for the race. He gave an excellent ac count of himself in the Kentucky Derby ami raced well in the Belmont Stakes, though of course not as well as did Haste. In any event, Haste will lend an altogether new importance to the running of the Fair mount Derby and when he goes to the post he will carry the hopes of a big New York delegation. .Of course, it was unfortunate that American Flag did not leave the post in better style for bis race in the Brooklyn Handicap and it jvas unfortunate in more ways than one. It was unfortunate for the reason that there will be many who may think he would have had a winning chance otherwise, and doubly unfortunate in the fact that these may form an altogether exalted opinion of the present worth of the champion of last year. Admitted that American Flag had the worst of it by going up in the air as he left the barrier, his race after he left was not the race of a champion and there was not handicap enough in the start to excuse his showing. And as a matter of fact, there was really no good reason for anything that American Hag "has accomplished thus year that warranted the high opinion many had of him before the «£tart of the Brooklyn Handicap. In the running of the Suburban Handicap fit Belmont Park he closed a considerable gap to finish second to his stable companion, Cru Fader, which followed that victory up by win jiing the Belmont Stakes, but it must be re jnembered that Crusader won the Suburban Handicap with ease. His defeat of American | Flag in the Suburban Handicap was accom- j plished easing up. Of course, it was expected that American Flag would improve over his Suburban Handicap race, but that race alone did not make him stand out to any degree as the most probable winner of the Brooklyn Handicap. American Flag may yet win his way to the top of the handicap division this year, but he still has some distance to climb and he has not ; yet done anything like enough to scare away ■ the other aspirants to top honors. Turfmen and breeders of California have at last begun an intensive campaign to restore thoroughbred racing to that great state. Efforts are being made by petition to have the question put up to the voters next November and the decision to make it a question of initiative was only reached after a canvass of j the state convinced that the people of Cali fornia wanted racing. The proposed law has been carefully drawn I up and it is sponsored by the best men of the state. Now it remains for the multitude who are in favor of the sport and the vast benefits to the state that come with racing to see to it that the petition prevails and then come out and vote in November. The signing of u petition that is presented entails no real labor Voting is another matter. It means going to the polls and that is what counts. The enemies j of racing have ever l een diligent voters and. unfortunately, the same will not apply to the i turfmen. They will talk for racing and they j will sign petitions that seek to restore the sport, ! but on election day too many of them fail to j go to the polls. When there is so much at stake for the turf, the turfmen must do their part. The gentle men who are back of the big movement to | bring racing back have been hammering away for some time. They have already accom ! plished much, but it will all go for naught unless there is the same response at the polls that is obtained in the circulation of the [»eti ; tion. The mere signing of the petition does not restore the racing. It will merely show that there are a sufficient number of voters in favor of the law to warrant its being put before the people in November. Thus it is | election day that counts and only election day when it comes to bringing the thorough breds back to the state that should never have been without racing. And this does not apply only to the turfmen who desire the racing. It applies to those who will be directly benefited by the revenues that will come from the restoration of the sport. The veterans welfare board of the state and the state board of agriculture are to share equally in the revenue that will come in fees and taxes imposed on racing. This is sure to be a considerable revenue for the reason that under the proposed law the racing associations are restricted to a 9 per cent profit on the investment. The measure is one that has been drawn up with great care and the men who are responsible for it at once assure that the sport will be of the highest character. Every safe guard has been placed about the conduct of racing and with the length of the meetings fixed and the qualifications of proposed associa tions clearly set forth, there could be nothing in the desired revival to offer any offense. California is a natural nursery for the thoroughbred horse and before the passage of the Otis Walker bill, that banished racing, it an nually turned out some of the greatest of thoroughbred yearlings. Even since there has been no racing in the state breeding has been continued, but not along the lines that pre vailed when the late James Ben AH Haggin had his big Rancho del Paso Stud in the state and W. O. MacDonough sent such wonderful year lings to the New York market. And these were only two of several notable California breeders. With a restoration of the sport there would come an instant impetus to the breeding interests of the state and that is a part of the turf that lies back of the mere running of the horses. It is of national and lasting importance and it is an industry that should appeal to all loyal Californians whether or not they are devotees to the sport itself. California has begun its fisht for racing and it should have every assistance to see to it that in November the polls will reveal that the thoroughbred is again firmly entrenched in the state.
