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Here and There on the Turf Barring of Bleeders. Importance of Wood Stake. Winter Chasing Is Needed. Racing in Pennsylvania. «, 9 The excuse offered for the bad showing of Long Point at Bowie Wednesday may have been a valid one. It is possible that the horse bled, as was reported, though there did not appear to be any real evidence of such an affliction when he was returned to the scales. Bleeding is brought about by a physical effort. It is usually the bursting of a small blood vessel in the nostrils as a result of this effort, and in that race there was no part of the running where Long Point showed effort enough to rupture a blood vessel. He might almost as well have had a nose b.eed while standing in his box. But it makes little difference whether or not he bled, he should not be raced if he is a bleeder. That should be enough to bar him from contesting and it should be enough to bar any horse. There have been fast horses and horses of quality that have bled in races and it is an affliction that has been a serious handicap to many a good one, but it would be well if all horses that bled in races be barred from starting. They should, at least, be barred until a reputable veterinarian passes on fitness. Frequently the tendency to bleed is never dis covered until the actual happening, but when a horse does bleed, and in consequence performs as did Long Point Wednesday, he should surely be suspended from racing. Apart from the inconsistent racing that must naturally come from bleeding, humanity demands that there be a bar against horses that are known to bleed in their races. Of course the horse that bleeds and ac a result chokes up and stops in a race, does not suffer to any extent, but it is not an edifying spectacle to see a horse come out of a race with blood running from his nostrils and possibly his jockeys breeches blood spattered. It does not mean much except that those who dont understand would readily think that the horse had been abused and was suffering. When a horse bleeds he should not agair. be permitted to race. That was the excuse offered for the showing of Long Point and the ruling should be issued against his further racing until such time is certified that he has l»een cured of the affliction —and it is doubtful if a confirmed bleeder is ever cured. The best three-year-old test at the Jamaica meeting will be the Woods Memorial, a condition affair, over the mile and seventy yards distance, to which ,500 is added. It came into being after the death of that sterling sportsman, Eugene Wood, and the next run- [ ning will mark its third renewal. It was won in 192o by Harry Payne Whitneys Backbone, while last year W. R. Coes Pompey was the winner whpn he ran the distance in 1 :42. the fastest time of the year for that distance at Jamaica, to beat Navigator and Espino. For the 1927 renewal the Wood gives prom ise of bringing about a better contest than was had in either of the previous runnings. Among! the eligibles are found the names of such good ones as Valorous Rip Hap, Sweepster, San-kari, Afterglow, Whiskery, General Lee, Bonnie Maginn, Draconis, Dolan. Justice F., Adios and arious others of the first division. Then another that has been nominated is War Feathers, the daughter of Man o War and Tuscan Red, for which James Cox Brady paid Admiral Grayson 150,500 as a yearling. This filly was not brought to the races as a two-year-old last season, but she has been training nicely this spring and is liberally engaged. The Wood is for entire colts and fillies and for that reason Joseph E. Wideners Osmand is ineligible. In fact, Mr. Widener has made no stake nominations for the Jamaica spring meeting, but his is about the only important racing establishment that is not liberally represented in the stake nominations. Mr. Widener evidently intends reserving his horses for the Belmont Park meeting, which follows the session at Jamaica. Of course, he promises to make a try for the Kentucky Derby, for Peter Coyne has his Derby eligibles at Churchill Downs, where they are coming along magnificently, but the New York campaign will not begin in earnest until the opening of the meeting of the Westchester Racing Association, which is May 19. John McEntee Bowman, who has done big things for racing and whose efforts gave the United Hunts Racing Association an altogether new place on the turf, Is using every endeavor to give steepleehasing a greater importance on the American turf. The l*ni;ed Hunts Association has always catered liberally to that end of racing and it was largely through the efforts of that association that ;here is to be a 0,000 prize each year for one cross-country race that is to top all the others. The racing of this association is conceived with an idea of making more gentlemen riders, so essential to successful steepleehasing in any country, and in various other ways the sport has been greatly bene fited. This all counts tremendously, but it would be better still if a greater interest could be aroused among the big racing associations throughout the country. The Kentucky Jockey Club has no steepleehasing and it probably never will have steepleehasing. There are no steeplechase courses in Illinois and, as a matter of fact, all of such sport is confined to New York, Maryland and Canada. And in New York the cross-country racing is confined to Belmont Park, Aqueduct and Saratoga. Some time ago Mr. Bowman intimated that he would build a steeplechase course at his Oriental Park track in Cuba and conduct crosscountry racing through the winter months. There were some obstacles to the carrying out of that plan for the racing of last winter, but it is probable that this will be done, unless Mr. Bowman has changed his mind. There is no remote chance for steepleehasing in New Orleans and it is doubtful if the Miami Jockey Club could be induced to add this branch of the sport to its program. But winter is the natural season for steepleehasing and it would be a good thing for the turf if such racing could be brought about. The effort to bring Pennsylvania into the turf column has failed again. The lower house voted down the proposition for a racing law by such a big majority — 119 to 50- that the sense of the lawmakers could not be doubted. It was a bill that sought the passage of a law for racing under the control of a state commission, with a pari-mutuel system of wagering and the friends of the measure had high hopes of its enactment. Of course the defeat of the bill is disappointing, for Pennsylvania is the home of many ardent supporters of the turf and it boasts thoroughbred nurseries that are of big importance. Pennsylvania, each year, boasts of some excellent private or amateur invitation race meetings, where there are both flat races and steeplechases, but what was devoutly hoped for, was a law that would greatly broaden the turf with the establishment of a regular circuit. The defeat of the law will have no effect on these delightful amateur meetings and it is expected they will have their customary importance. They are sporting sessions that al ways attract the best people to the turf and some of the most important of present-day sportsmen of the turf began and found their first interest at an amateur meeting.
