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# — » Here and There on the Turf Ready First Time Out. Skill in Training. Black Panthers Chance. More Publicity Reasons. ♦ « For the first two days of the meeting of the Metropolitan Jockey Club, at Jamaica, James Fitrsirninons has brought a bit of fame to Aqueduct as a training ground, and he has added something to his training reputation. While in the first dozen races that were run Fitzsimmons sent only one winner to the post, he sent fit horses each time, and in eight starters he had, in addition to the one winner, four that finished second. Dice was the winner, while those that ran second were Distraction, Amberjack, Salta and Flambino. Each of those beaten starters raced exceedingly well and each testified to the skill of this veteran conditioner. Fitzsimmons is one of the trainers who did not race his horses through the winter months, and for several of them it was a first start this year. That is the acid test of training skill, when a horse is brought to the races merely through training exercises and not benefited by actual racing. Dice was making his first racing start when be beat a big band of juveniles the opening day. Distraction, another that races for the Wheatley Stable and in the Fitzsimmons care, was parading under colors for the first time, and he was beaten by Our Adele, a filly that was third to the Kilmer pair, Sun Meddler and Sunchen, in the running of the Tijuana Futurity. Amberjack, which ran the best race of his career when he was second to Walter J. Salmons Black Panther, had not been to the races since the Belmont Park meeting of last year, while Salta, which also raced so well, had but one conditioning race at the United Hunts meeting. Flambino, a non starter as a two-year old last season, came out for the first time and followed Clamor home. While on this Black Panther race, it might be as well to remember that Mr. Salmons bay son of Black Toney and Greenery, by Broom-slick, is an eligible to the Kentucky Derby. His winning race was his first appearance of the year and it was sufficient to demonstrate that Tom Healey has him pretty well advanced in his training. He is also an eligible to the Preakness Stakes of the Man-land Jockey Club, which is to be decided at the Pimlico course on May 9, and he is surely far enough advanced to merit a try for that 0,000 race. Black Panther was raced just twelve times as a two-year-old and. while he was only twice a winner, on one of these occasions he took the measure of the Rancocas Stables Sweep ster, one of the best colts of the year, while his other winning race saw him showing the way to as fast a filly as Pandera, while Jopagan finished third. Then Black Panther was only beaten a nose by Rip Rap for the rich Walden Stakes of the Maryland Jockey Club last November, while in that race he again took the measure of Sweepster, while Sankari. another of the Hil dreth stars, finished fourth. Of course, in this race Black Panther was in receipt of consid erable weight from both Rip Rap and Sweep-ster, as well as Sankari, but it was a sterling race. In this winning effort of Black Panther Tuesday it must be remembered that he was meeting older horses, and that Dolan. winner of the Endurance Stakes at Bowie last fall. was soundly beaten and Dolan is one of the eligible* to both the Preakness Stakes and the Kentucky Derby. Altogether, to say the least, Black Panther has come out a good colt this year, and he seems destined, on the one race, to go on to better things as the year progrtsses. One more reason for the Kentucky Derby attracting more publicity than does the Belmont Stakes of the Westchester Racing Association, is the fact that horses are in training now for the running of the big Kentucky race almost everywhere that horses are raced, while the Belmont Stakes does not have anything like as wide an appeal in that way. It is not denied that the Belmont Stakes is one of the greatest of American races for the three year-olds. It is a race that has never been won by a bad horse and, as a matter of fact in that respect, its roster of winners is more impressive than that of the Kentucky Derby, but the fact that it has not the same wide appeal as the Kentucky Derby does not give it the same news value. Just now, Kentucky, Maryland and New York each have have several eligibles to the Kentucky Derby that are in preparation for that race, while several of them will be started in the Preakness Stakes to be run May 9. Undoubtedly, some of these are also intended for the Belmont Stakes, but all through the history of that famous old race, there has never been an occasion in its decision that has attracted the number of hors?s from Kentucky that the Derby attracts from New York. Taking the three most recent runnings of the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes, the difference in the appeal is readily understood, while prior to that time the Belmont was even more restricted to the New York turfmen. Last year when Edward K. Bradleys Bubbling Over was the winner of the Kentucky Derby, there was a f.e!d of thirteen horses raced and Kentucky. Maryland, New York and Illinois were all represented. In the Belmont Stakes there were nine starters, rather a big field for that race, and they were all horses owned by New York turfmen, with Samuel D. Riddles Crusader the winner. Of course, Mr. Riddle has his Pennsylvania home, but he is properly considered a New York turfman, .by reason of the scene of his racing endeavors. Then in 1925 when Flying Ebony won the Kentucky Derby for Gifford A. Cochran, a New York turfman, the field was made up of starters from every important racing section with twenty starters. The Belmont Stakes of the same year went to Mr. Riddles American Flag and all the starters, there were seven, were easterners. In 1924, when Mrs. Hoots Black Gold was winner of the Derby, there were nineteen starters from all sections and the most prominent New York starter was Mad Play from the Rancccas Stable, which was d"sined later to be the winner of the Belmont Stakes. In that Belmont Siakc.% there were eleven starters and it was one of the few that attraeed a Kentuckian, when Edward R. Bradley sent Beau Butler east from Kentucky to start. It would be possible to go through the running of the two big three year old races and the difference in the appeal would be brought home with much greater force. That is excellent reason for the Kentucky Derby news having a much wider appeal than any news of the Belmont Stakes, even though the latter race should be a better test for the three year olds.
