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Here and There on the Turf Opening of Fairmount Thoughts on Belmont BelmontGood Good Jnveniles Appearing Stakes for Lincoln Fields Saturday marked the opening of an other important racing territory with the beginning of the meeting of the Fair mount Jockey Club at Collinsville near St Louis That meeting is continued for thirtytwo days closing on the Fourth of July The Churchill Downs meeting of the Kentucky Jockey Club does not come to a conclusion until next Thursday and with Latonia opening on Saturday it means that the Fairmount meeting will i have a conflict with Kentucky right through its length Judging from the magnificent opening that means nothing as far as patronage is concerned while it has been shown that there are horses enough and to spare to furnish the best kind of racing in both sections And It truly was a big Saturday with special races of rare importance at each of the racing grounds At Belmont Park the New Yorkers had for their enter ¬ tainment the 10000 Charles L Appleton Memorial Steeplechase Handicap and the 5000 Juvenile Stakes At Churchill Downs there was the Bashford Manor Stakes for twoyearolds with 5000 added There was a big day at Woodbine Park in Toronto with the Toronto Cup with 15000 added the William Hendrie Memorial Handicap with 5000 added and the Aintree Steeplechase of a like value All these as well as the Collins ¬ ville Handicap which was the opening feature of the Fairmount Jockey Club 1 meeting meetingThus Thus it is that the American turf has grown and prospered At each of the 1 racing grounds tremendous crowds were 1 out and each one of the various stake races brought together worthy fields of good horses And it is the first of two big days for Decoration Day Monday is another holiday that will be gloriously celebrated at the various courses and with anything like favorable weather conditions it is always one of the big ¬ gest days of the racing year yearThe The present Fairmount Park meeting is the first since the recent passage of the law that made legal the operation of the parimutuel system of wagering in the state of Illinois and doubtless a celebration of that victory for racing will add to the interest in the racing if the 4 governor signs the bill for the law lawJoseph Joseph E Wideners Chance Shot at this time seems to be possibly the most notable of eligibles to the Belmont Stakes at a mile and a half to be decided at the big Nassau County course on June 11 His victory in the Withers Stakes where he so easily disposed of the Rancocas Stables Sweepster gave him his present i prominence in a consideration of the I great threeyearold engagement forj r which he is being pointed He earned j i his place but he still has two other good i ones to dispose of before he can be I crowned as the undisputed champion championIt It was unfortunate that the death of Payne Whitney prevented the starting of Whiskery the Kentucky Derby winner and of his stablemate Valorous in the Withers Stakes That would have of course afforded a better line on the pos ¬ sible outcome of the Belmont Stakes but both of these have been training bril ¬ liantly and barring accident Valorous will oppose the son of Fair Play on June 11 Unfortunately Whiskery was de ¬ clared from the Belmont Stakes while Bostonian winner of the Preakness Stakes and possibly a better stayer than either Valorous or Whiskery has just recovered from an attack of fever and there is scant hope for his being made ready for the mile and a half gallop gallopThus Thus Valorous will have to carry the load for the H P Whitney Stable but his training suggests that he is at least a worthy foeman for Chance Shot to meet i The Withers Stakes seems to eliminate f Sweepster but there is an outside chance t that Bois de Rose that races for William j Ziegler Jr will develop new form over t the mile and a half distance distanceThis This good son of Negofol Rose Leaves j has been undergoing a long and careful j preparation by W J Spiers and he may develop into another such stayer as was Espino last year It is remembered that jEspino was second to Crusader in the j running of the Belmont Stakes last year j and in the fall he took the measure of the Riddle champion in the running of the Lawrence Realization Stakes as well j as having won the Saratoga Cup1 Cup1Nothing Nothing has been shown by Bois de Rose thus far to suggest that he is a colt of the same class as Espino but his i elder stablemate had not shown much 3 more before he first gave Crusader a real 3 race and then beat him in a later meet ¬ j ing ingJust Just now the Belmont Stakes appears j to be strictly a threehorse race and popular belief on all that has been shown suggests that the finish will be Chance Shot Valorous and Bois de Rose But it is in no sense a walkover j for the Widener colt coltAlmost Almost every racing day now brings out some new twoyearold that shows enough to indicate that the crop is not such a bad one after all There are still many others to be heard from and possibly the best have not been seen under colors But enough good ones have been uncovered to assure that the later races for twoyearolds will not want for plenty of hotly contested finishes finishesEach Each year many of the trainers wait almost until August before sending their best ones to the post and many a year Saratoga Springs has introduced the champion This may be the case this year but the fact remains that already there are several really promising two yearolds that have raced at JBelmont Park though the racing conditions have been anything but inviting for the intro ¬ duction of a high class twoyearold Horsemen are reminded that the stakes of the Lincoln Fields Jockey Club are to be closed June 8 These entries are in ¬ vited for the meeting at this Chicago course that runs from July 2 until August 13 immediately following the meeting of the reconstructed Illinois Jockey Club at Washington Park a neighboring racing ground groundOf Of these Lincoln Fields fixtures the most valuable is the Lincoln Handicap a mile and a quarter race for threeyear olds and over to which 25000 has been added During a recent trip to New York Joseph McLennan recently ap pointed secretary at both Lincoln Fields and Washington Park received several important eastern nominations to the big handicap one of the most notable being that of Samuel D Riddles Crusader CrusaderOther Other stakes that are to be closed in this same list include the La Salle Handicap at a mile and threesixteenths to which 10000 will be added and there are six other stake races each having an added money value of 5000 Three of these are exclusively for the twoyear olds while each of the others is for threeyearolds and over overIt It was decided in arranging the stake program that there would be no stake race exclusively for the threeyearolds and the returns that have already been I received for the stakes indicate that no mistake was made in that decision decisionThese These are races that will attract horses from every section and Chicago is assured of better racing than has seldom if ever before been enjoyed not even excepting the glorious old days of Washington Park and the American Derby
