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Here and There on the Turf Jolly Rogers Feat. Good Handicap Division. The Army and Racing. Canadian Stake- Closing. ; c "When Jolly Roger galloped to such an easy victory in the Bayside Steeplechase Handicap under 170 pounds, at Aqueduct oh Thursday, he proved himself the jumper of the year. Greater weight has been carried successfully by some American jumpers, but never did any jumper take up such an impost with greater ease. Many were of the opinion that Mr. Vos-burgh had been severe on the son of Pennant and Lethe when he imposed such a weight, but Mr. Vosburgh had the right estimate of the handsome chestnut, as the result demonstrated. Jolly Roger will have stiffer opposition in some of his coming engagements, but it is doubtful if he will be required to give away any more weight than he gave away in the Bayside Handicap. Not only was he shouldering a crushing impost but he was giving great lumps of weight to the other starters. That is what made the performance doubly impressive. In. the Aintree Steeplechase at the Woodbine course, in Toronto, Imperialist was winner of the 1904 renewal under 173 pounds. In 1906 Good and Plenty won the Grand National Steeplechase at Belmont Park carrying 170 pounds. In 1919 The Brook, a small horse, won the Winfield Steeplechase at Aqueduct under 170 pounds and, in 1920, Duettiste was the winner of the Manly Memorial Steeplechase under 173 pounds. These are some of the most notable performances under such a weight as was taken up by Jolly Roger on Thursday. Although there has been general disappointment over the showing of the three-year-olds of this year, the handicap division remains a strong one. Earlier in the year, with the promise that so many of the three-year-olds would be top-notchers, there was an idea that they would prove high up in the handicaps, but the hope has been fading away with almost every new appearance, until Chance Shot, winner of the "Withers Stakes and the Belmont Stakes, is just about the only one left to stand out as a high-class colt. Whiskery is a good one, but is in no sense sensational. He is an honest and excellent colt that can be depended upon up to his limitations, but he lacks the sensational speed expected in a cham- pion. Scapa Flow did not last long and, of course, his infirmities had something to do with his failure. Osmand is only a miler at the best. Buddy Bauer, winner of the Fairmount Derby, can hardly be given a place among good ones of other years. Sweepster and Cheops are sprinters, and on through the list of others that promised so much there is an utter lack of high-class form. But of the older horses there are several calculated to make the handicap career of Crusader, the admitted champion, a bit difficult. Mars, winner of the Dixie Handicap, is a rarely good one and . a real cup horse. Peanuts, though his inches prevent his ever taking up his weight successfully in the handicap divi- 1 sion, is another that came brilliantly. Black Maria has already proved her high . class. Espino has come back in fine i form, and there is Chance Play. Display showed his goodness recently in Canada, and there are others still to be heard from. Then on top of all these, which confine most of their racing endeavors to New York courses, there are several other high-class handicap horses in the Middle West, so that altogether the handicap division is particularly well supplied, even though the three-year-olds seem to have failed, thus far, to race up to the promise of the late fall of 1926. One of. the important purposes of racing that will never have too much publicity, is the vast benefit in improving the breed of the horse, and the vast benefit that is derived by the government breeding industry in furnishing remounts ior the Army. Much, has been written on the subject, but much more could be written from the records of the Remount Association. Some years back Samuel D. Riddle donated a service of Man o War to the Remount Association and that great sire was mated with Star Puss. The produce was a filly known as Siren and she was sold at auction, as a yearling, in Saratoga for ,000, going to the Rancocas Stable. The ,000 so received was used to further the work of the Remount Association and it was a donation that did much good. For the coming yearling sales at Saratoga, there will be another yearling go under the hammer for the same purpose. This one is a colt and the produce of Morning Call, a mare that was donated for the purpose by Edward R. Bradley, master of the Idle Hour Stock Farm, while Johnson N. Camden, president of the Kentucky Jockey Club, donated the service of his stallion Light Brigade. This colt is a fine lusty youngster that is playing about in the spacious paddocks at Mr. Bradleys Kentucky nursery and it is safe to predict that his sale at Saratoga will again bring the association a handsome sum, while doubtless his purchaser will have no reason to rue his bargain. This is "an ideal way in which to raise funds to encourage better breeding and stimulate interest in the horse and it is only one of countless helps that the turf, the leaders of the turf and the thoroughbred breeders of the country have lent valuable aid. A vast majority of the sires used for army breeding are thoroughbred and from time to time there have been valuable donations of sires of high breeding that have done big things for this fine patriotic work. Entries for another Derby are to close on Monday. This one is the Devonshire . Derby of the Western Racing Association, which conducts its racing at Devonshire Park, Windsor, Canada. This race has an added money value of ,000 and it is a dash of a mile and an eighth, while there are other conditions that make "Derby" a misnomer, but there are many other races that have no better right to be called Derbys. The important thing is that it is an opportunity for the three-year-olds and one of at least monetary importance. The weights are fixed at 122 pounds. The maximum allowance is fifteen pounds, for maidens, while the maximum penalty is five pounds, which affords a range of from 127 pounds down to 107 pounds. Other Canadian stakes to close July 1, are those of the Kenilworth Jockey Club, which conducts its meeting over another Windsor track from July 23 to July 30. These stakes are the Kenilworth and the Dominion Handicaps, each of which has an added money value of ,000.
