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Here and There on the Turf Dixie Handicap Interest. Chance for Cotlogomor. Great Field Assured. Meeting Books Published. € a While it is natural that prior to the running of the Preakness Stakes and the Kentucky LVrby the doings of the three-year-olds attract most of the interest, an important engagement is drawing near that is of more concern to some of the trainers. This is the 5,000 Dixie Handicap of the Maryland Jockey Club, to be decided over the old Pim-lko course on May 2. Of course there are many of the top-notch three-year-olds eligible for this running, but any three-year-old capable of beating older horses in the Dixie is apt to be reserved for the Preakness, to be run several days later. Frank Bryan announced the weights for the Dixie on February 1, and that early announcement was of greater benefit to S. A. Cowans Cotlogomor than probably any other nominee for the running. This French son of Sardanapale and Soda was assigned the feather of 100 pounds. That was the estimate gained from a season of effort in this country in which the big chestnut had not won a race. But since the announcement of these weights Cotlogomor raced his way into real importance in the handicap division. Before the end of February he had won a race at Miami and journeyed on to the Fair Grounds at New Orleans, where he beat the i cst that could be mustered against him in the 0,000 New Orleans Handicap. He also won another race at the New Orleans course before he was shipped to Tijuana where, though beaten by racing misfortune, he seemed best in the Coffroth Handicap. Cotlogomor proved in his races that he is a first class stayer and the mile and three-sixteenths of the Dixie is much to his liking. Under the conditions of the handicap be will pick up a penalty of five pounds, which will bring hk impost to 105 pounds, but. even at that figure, he appears to be in the big prise more advantageously than any other eligible in the light of his February achievements Unless there comes a change of plans, Cotlogomor will be on hand for the Dixie running and he is sure to give a good account of himself. Of course while he was racing his way to fame and fortune in February, Cotlogomor was not opposed by any such horse as Mrs. Vander-bilts Sarazen, winner of the two most recent runnings of the Dixie. He did not have a horse of the quality of William Zieglers Espino opposing him. There was no Mars in the field that finished back of him. There was no Peanuts, Display, Joy Smoke, Black Maria, Croyden, Edith Cavell and the like, but there was Broadway Jones, which was far and away the best handicap torse of the winter racing. At this time it is impossible to tell with any degree of certainty just how many of the best horses in the handicap division will be ready for the Dixie engagement but the list is a truly notable one and the prize is of an im l-ortance that induces trainers to make an earnest bid for victory until it may safely be promised that, with all his weight advantage, it will be the hardest task that has been set the son of Sardanapale since he arrived in this country. Cotlogomor has been brought up to his form skillfully by Al Woodman. He has all the qualifications, as far as his winter showing would suggest, and now it remains to be dis covered just where he belongs in that best of all thoroughbred qualifications — class. The reason for Cotlogomor racing so often in this country before he was returned the winner b the fact that he was particularly tardy in learning American racing methods. He had raced over the long straight courses on the turf before coming to this side of the Atlantic, and both the footing and the track turns were so strange to him that he was exceedingly awkward. Woodman, by his patience, has taught Cotlogomor his lessons well. He is able to race around the turns now. He is capable of racing over a fast or a muddy track ; he is game and he can stay. If he really has class he will climb high this year. One is reminded that the opening of the New York racing season is almost at hand with the publication of the book of the meeting for the Jamaica sport. The Metropolitan Jockey Club oj ens the racing year for the courses of The Jockey Club, Monday, April 25 and, as usual, the opening day feature will be the three quarters Paumonok Handicap. This sprint feature has the names of all the good ones in its list of eligibles ami it promises to have just as much or possibly more racing importance than in any of its renewals and in the roster of winners is found such names as Worthmore, Zev, St. James, Tryster ami Silver Fox, winner of the last running. A I goodly number of three year-olds are in the list I for this renewal and most of them are in the | list for the classics of the year. Three-quarters is an admirable test on April 25, and the ; Paumonok Handicap is always a race that ! brings about an excellent contest. On through the meeting, which continues until May 18, there are found many attractive special features while the overnight races are well arranged to afford opportunity for horses of every class and every age division. And, while on the subject of meeting books, it must not be forgotten that the book is out for the first seven days of the meeting of the Harford Association at Havre de Grace. This is a book prepared by Joseph McLennan and that is enough to tell of its excellence. In the Jamaica book a track rule is that entries and declarations close at 1 :39 oclock, while at Havre de Grace the entries close at 10:30 and the scratches must be made by 8:30 oclock. These are decided improvements over the New York regulation, but there does not seem to be any chance for a change from the I antiquated rule on The Jockey Club tracks, i ,
