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4 ♦ Here and There on the Turf New Derby Factors. Gwyn Tompkins Skill. Eancocas Juveniles. Rules in Illinois. * # As the date for the Kentucky Derby approaches, and the results of races which might be termed qualifying trials for it are recorded, it becomes evident that the great race of this year is a more open event than in many years past. As one star wanes, another bursts forth with even greater brilliance. When Rolled Stocking won so decisively from Osmand, the winter favorite, and Candy Queen in the Derby mile trial at Churchill Downs, last Saturday, the possibility of another western victory arose. J. W. Parrishs colt led Osmand to the finish by six lengths, literally running away from him when he was leading in the stretch. Osmands performance indicated one of two things. He either is not a stayer, or, it being his first start since he won the National Stakes at Laurel seven months before, he was not tightened up to his best form. The latter assumption is the more reasonable. It may be remembered that Zev was overwhelmed in the Preakness in 1923, following a Paumonok Handicap victory, and that he came right back after the Pimlico setback and towroped the Kentucky Derby starters. The result of the Preakness Stakes, the other day, projected another mighty Derby possibility into the limelight, in Harry Payne Whitneys Bostonian. He led Sir Harry, winner of the Coffroth Handicap, and his stablemate, Whiskery, to the judges and far in the rear of these three, which finished lapped on each other, were Black Panther, Scapa Flow, Fair Star, Saxon, Candy Hog, Justice F., Jopagan, Crystal Domino and Buddy Bauer. Every starter in the Preakness Stakes, with the exception of Sir Harry, is a Derby eligible if not a destined starter. The best horse has not always won the Preakness Stakes, but Bostonians victory cannot be discounted to the slightest degree. This years Preakness Stakes was a truly run race, and the Whitney colts performance was a conclusive demonstration of his superiority over the rivals he met that day. Bostonian won like a colt of rare gameness, and stamped himself as still another contender that must be seriously reckoned with next Saturday. Gynn Thompkins is nothing if not thorough, and he was ready for his 1927 campaign with the Brookmeade Stable horses before he sent them to the races. The result was that he took down the first purse of the Maryland Jockey Club at Pimlico, and with a two-y*y-old which was making his first racing effort. This one was Favorit II., a German-bred son of Laudon — Fecht, a daughter of Troutbeck, which was sent to the Saratoga yearling sales by the Sarzburg Stud of Germany. This fellow cost Tompkins ,500 as a yearling and it is possible that he will develop into one of the greatest bargains of last August. That he is a bargain already was demonstrated by his winning at the first asking. Then, Saturday, Tompkins gave further evidence of his skill as a trainer, when he sent the steeplechaser Fredden Rock to the post in the Greenspring Valley Stakes, to have him beat such a good cross-country horse as Jolly Roger. That Tompkins had been doing well with Fredden Rock was apparent in the running, when the son of Seahorse II. — Belle of Bryn Mawr jumped faultlessly and fairly smothered the field with his speed. Incidentally, if there is anything in heredity, Fredden Rock should be a jumper of parts, and Tompkins is well qualified to bring out the best in him. Seahorse II. was trained by Tompkins and, though he broke down before he attained a full measure of greatness in this country, he was a brilliant jumper. Belle of Bryn Mawr was one of the best steeplechasers of her day, so that with such parents Fredden Rock should surely inherit merit as a steeplechaser. And then Tompkins came back Saturday with another winner when Peter Fiz scored. This horse had been started in the Rennert Hotel Handicap, in which he finished second, and his race Saturday was his second effort. The Brockmeade horses are well engaged and Tompkins is to be congratulated on his beginning. This Ariel, which was sent to the post Saturday by Hildreth for the Rancocas Stable, is a half-brother to Celidon, being a son of Eternal — Adana, while Celidon is a son of Negofol — Adana, and Adana is a daughter of Adam. While he failed in his effort Saturday, Ariel is undoubtedly one of the good two-year-olds in the Rancocas Stable, and there are various other good ones. Thus far Mowlee, the home-bred son of Lucullite — Epinglette, seems the best two-year-old that has borne the colors of the Rancocas Stable. He is a well-made brown colt with a tremendous turn of speed and handles himself exceedingly well in racing. Another winner is Nas- sak, the chestnut son of John P. Grier — j Ethel D., by Box. This colt was I brought out of a consignment from the Himyar Stud at the Saratoga August I sales, and he cost ,600. It would ap- pear that no mistake was made in the purchase. It is still a bit early to form any sort of line on two-year-olds, and it will not be until the end of the spring meeting at Belmont Park, if even then, that comparisons will be possible. Already it has been pretty conclusively shown that the two-year-olds which were raced through the winter months at Miami, New Orleans, Tijuana and Havana will, for the most part, have to confine their efforts to claiming races if they are to make their way successfully in New York and Kentucky. The rules of the newly-formed Illinois Turf Association, which governs the racing in Illinois, are framed, for the most part, from the book of rules governing the sport in Kentucky, so there are some minor changes in regulations. The apprentices allowance rule is the same. That is to say, that an apprentice enjoys a five-pound allowance until the anniversary of his first winning | mount, instead of until such time as he | has ridden forty winners, as is the New York regulation. The claiming race regulation is the I same as that of Kentucky, in that only the owner having a starter in a race is eligible to make a claim, and that claim shall be the entered selling price, plus the gross money. In New York anyone is I eligible to make a claim and a horse is i claimed for his entered selling price. One excellent regulation relating to jockeys is a prohibition of a jockey riding another horse against one that is started or trained by his contract employer. And the Illinois Association proposes to do away with jockey valets. The rule regarding valets reads: "No jockey shall be allowed a valet. The association shall make the necessary arrangements for attendants upon the jockeys and said attendants shall be paid for their services by the association from an assessment levied upon and collected from the jockeys, and no jockey shall have the same attendant for more than two consecutive days." From time to time it has developed that unscrupulous valets have been guilty of corrupting the morals of inexperienced riders, as well as acting as a go-between for a rascally rider and some outsider. That is reason enough for the abolition of valets and the substitution of attendants, who, under the rules, are so thoroughly under the control of the association as to have little chance for wrong-doing. Almost everyone has heard of the Calcutta Sweepstakes and the various other sweepstakes prizes in connection with the running of the Epsom Derby. Now there is one on this side of the Atlantic. It is known as the "Derby Charity Sweep" and it is being operated at Montreal. The object of this sweepstakes is to create a fund to be donated to the widows and orphans, as well as disabled veterans of the war, and there can hardly be a more worthy cause. The Epsom Derby is to be run June 1, and the conditions of this new sweep- stakes are along the same lines as the older future pools on the big racing features. Tickets are sold as cheaply as each and it is estimated that the holder of the ticket on the winner will win approximately 6,666, second horse, ,000, third horse, ,500, with ,000 more to be distributed among the other starters, while there are special prizes amounting to some 00. J. J. Mac-Donald, of 775 Peter Street, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, is conducting the sweepstakes, and it is expected it will be tre-medously popular.
