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Here and There on the Turf Opening at Jamaica. Program for Crusader. Optimist of the Tnrf. Maidens in the Derby. « ♦ Monday the big campaign over the courses, under the jurisdiction of The Jockey Club, in New York, begins at the Jamaica course of the Metropolitan Jockey Club. The United Hunts Association furnished a delightful curtain raiser with its racing of Thursday and Saturday at the Terminal course and the manner in which that racing was attended tells of what may be expected at the larger courses. To begin the meeting on Monday is indeed choosing what is usually an off day for the sport, but there promises to be no off days this year, judging by the eagerness with which the thoroughbreds have been welcomed back to New York. Every day promises to be a big day and Monday will do just as well as any other day with which to begin the year. For this opening day, as usual, the Pau- monok Handicap is the bright and particular j feature and the entries for this race hold out i promise that the renewal will be a worthy one. j ] This race first came into being with the open-; ; ing of the Jamaica course in 1906 and its roster j of winners contain the names of some of the j truly great American thoroughbreds. The most I notable of them all is Zev, conqueror of Papyrus, and winner of the immense sum oi 13,639 in forty three races. Last year it was Silver Fox, a stablemate of Zev, that was returned the winner and for the race of this year it may be that the winner will be worthy of having his name right alongside such good ones. At the conclusion of the present meeting of the Harford Association at Havre de Grace, the strong racing stable of Samuel D. Riddle, will be moved to Belmont Park. George Conway made no nominations to the various offerings if the Maryland Jockey Club at Pimlico and that means that the Baltimore course will not see Crusader this spring. But Crusader has many an engagement in New York that will give him every opportunity. He is eligible to the Excelsior, Kings County and the Long Beach Handicaps at the meeting of the Metro J politan Jockey Club and that will just about take him up to the Belmont Park meeting, where two of his big engagements are in the Metropolitan and Suburban Handicaps. Then on to Aqueduct, when the magnifi cent son of Man o War and Star Fancy is found engaged in the Brooklyn, Brookdale and Queens County Handicaps. Thus it is shown that Crusader will not lack for every opportunity to keep himself proudly at the top of the handicap division. It is not expected that even as sturdy a colt as this best son of Man o War will be able to keep all of these various engagements, under the heavy weights he will doubtless have to shoulder, but seldom has there been a handicap candidate better qualified to take up weight successfully. Crusader has been particularly sturdy from the time he was foaled. He has never taken a lame step through all his training of two years and this year he has been brought back to the races bigger and better than ever before. An idea is had of the delightful optimism of the turf in the fact that no fewer than forty-four of the nominees to the running of the Kentucky Derby were maidens at the time of entry. The Pine is one that has won once since that time and there may be some other winners, but they are few and it is safe to say that at least forty of them are still maidens. True some of these have never been to the races, while sjme others raced so little as two year olds that there was no real public line on their racing ability, but there were forty-four that did not win last year for one reason or the other that were nominated to this great Kentucky race. These maidens at the time of entry are i Beggar Boy. Belgenland, Bocaratone, Bucepha- ! lus, Charger, Court Day, Duelist, Filemaker, Flambino, Flying Jib Boom, Gravita, Holy Friar. James Stuart, John William II., La Palina, Lieutenant Seth, Mail Carrier, Mark-ham, Nedda, Nevermore, Night Mail, Pat Mc-Gee, Peace Penn, Point Breeze, Ralph Harten-stein, Raphia, Robert Mandel, Seaborn, Sea Scamp, Sir Rogers, Skedaddle, Son o Battle, Star Set, Step In, Sun Hawk, Supersede, Sweet Corn. The Dago, The Freshman. The Keel, The Maple, The Pine, Verdi and Young Prince. The memory of Sir Barton winning the Kentucky Derby when a maiden, and then following it up with the Preakness Stakes and several other notable victories makes one pause before throwing the maidens in the discard when considering the Derby possibilities. Of these that have raced enough to make any sort of a line obtainable it is hard to under stand why they were nominated, but it is a commendable fault of many owners to consider their geese swans and it is delightful to see them hang to the chance that a colt may after all prove himself a champion. That is the spirit that means much in racing. It may be a bit expensive to carry the maiden along through such stakes, but when the reward of one victory, always hoped for if not actually confidently expected, gloriously wipes out all that expense. And that is one of the fine things of the turf. In the big racing establishment of Montfort A B. B. Jones, who campaign under the name of the Audley Farm Stable, there is one two-year-old which will be watched with a great deal of interest. This one is Sister Ship, a chestnut daughter of Man o War and Star Fancy. She is a sister of the mighty Crusader and a filly that to an extent resembles her older brother. Sister Ship is the only Man o War two-year-old in the big establishment, though there are three Man o War three-year-okLs in Harp o the Winds, Sea Lion and Purple Pirate. These three are in the division that K. Spence will race in the West, while Sister Ship is in the Miller Henderson division and destined for eastern racing, according to the present campaign plans. It is also of interest to the East that Princess Doreen, the six-year-old daughter of Spanish Prince and Lady Doreen, is another in the Henderson string. This great mare is being sent after the money earning record for mares and she is fairly well on her way, when her total at this time is 53,355 in eighty-two starts. The English mare Sceptre holds the record of 97,915 and the manner in which Princess Doreen has carried on year after year makes it appear that she will top that figure. However, that is what is hoped for her and she will be kept busy right through until fall.
