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e Here and There on the Turf Nimbas Shevlin Failure. Three-Year-Old Muddle. Whiskery Taking a Rest. Belmont Fall Stakes. s .. George Odom is at a loss to explain the poor showing of Marshall Fields Nimba in the running of the Shevlin Stakes at Aqueduct on Tuesday. The daughter of War Cloud and Martha Snow had come up to the Shevlin Stakes unbeaten, and each race was so impressive that there was reason for Odoms surprise when she finished last of the four that raced. Of course she was giving away her sex allowance and ten pounds to Kentucky II., while both Sweepster and Cheops were each in receipt of the sex allowance and a pound, but Nimba had suggested ability to take up such a handicap, from the easy manner in which she had won the Coaching Club American Oaks, as well as her other victories. Of course the Shevlin Stakes was a swiftly run race, and was timed privately by several watches at 1:36 instead of the 1:37 that was hung out, but Nimba was under hard riding all the way and she and Cheops finished heads apart, seven lengths back of Sweepster and Kentucky II. Odom was stunned when the filly was so badly beaten. He knows his horses and he knew the filly was ready, but the race was so far below expectations that he said he could not explain why she should have raced so disappointingly. After the running there were some rumors, the source of which could not be discovered, that the filly might have been tampered with before the race. That talk may have been just some more of the loose gossip heard so often when this or that horse runs a poor race, and probably some other reason will be found for the showing of the filly. George Odom is not the sort to have his horses tampered with before a race and, if Nimba was in any fashion "doctored," it would have to be accomplished by a past master to fool Odom. But whatever the reason Nimba did not run her race, taking a line through her other excellent performances, and students of form will pay scant attention to the Shevlin Stakes as far as she is concerned, the next time she is sent to the races. Each one of the Middle West Derbys that has been decided this year has had a different winner, and that is one more indication that the class of the three-year-olds is poor. Whiskery has started in both the Fairmount Derby and the American Derby, since his victory in the Kentucky Derby and, after finishing second in the Fairmount Park race, he was so thoroughly beaten at Chicago that .the conviction is forced that he has either staled off or that a mile and a half is altogether too far for him in high class company. Whiskery possibly should have won the Fairmount Derby, when he was such a good second to Buddy Bauer, after Ambrose had made some mistakes in his ride, but he did not come back to that performance in the American Derby. After Buddy Bauer had whipped Whiskery in the Fairmount Derby, he failed utterly in the running of the Belmont Stakes at a mile and a half. It was no disgrace to have been beaten by such a colt as Chance Shot, beyond question the best of the year, but Buddy Bauer was soundly whipped by Bois de Rose, Flam-bino and Rip Rap as well. Then, on returning to Chicago, he suffered defeat again, when Hydromel was the winner, but Whiskery was even more soundly beaten. Whiskery is out of the Latonia Derby on Saturday, while Hydromel is not an eligible to that race, although it seems entirely possible that, another Derby winner will develop in the running of the Latonia feature. It was unfortunate that Bostonian, of the Whitney Stable, should have gone amiss after the running of the Kentucky Derby. He developed a fever that kept him out of these races, and his victory in the Preakness Stakes, as well as. his race in the Kentucky Derby, indicated that he is a real stayer and would be more at home over a mile and a half than over a mile and a quarter. But, in the meantime, the fact that no real Derby champion has been uncovered heartens those with eligibles to the Latonia fixture and, after all, a good contest is what is desired, rather than a race where one colt stands out so far over the others as to make it no contest. Each year the Preakness Stakes and the Kentucky Derby have such an early running that many trainers hesitate to make a colt ready that may have later important engagements. Too often colts have been knocked out for the rest of the year because of this early training, but on the other hand, many a colt has been denied the chance to win a Preakness Stakes or a Kentucky Derby and, after all, it was not worth while "babying" him in the early spring. These two stakes have a big importance, both sporting and monetary, and they will always have that importance. They will always bring out representative fields, but just as Crusader was reserved for later racing last year and Chance Shot was not sent to the post this year, there will always be some of the expected champions that will not be raced. Whiskery is paying the penalty of his early preparation at this time. His race in the American Derby last Saturday was evidence enough that he had staled off and he could hardly have failed to be the winner should he have been as good a horse as when he was third to Bostonian and Sir Harry in the Preakness Stakes, winner of the Kentucky Derby, or a close second to Buddy Bauer in the Fairmount Derby. Any one of those races seemed to be good enough to bring him home winner in the big Chicago race, unless he is not able to race a mile and a half with the best ones. Horsemen are reminded that there are some inviting stakes of the Westchester Racing Association, to, be decided at the Belmont Park September meeting, that will be closed July 12. These specials include the Twin City Handicap at a mile and a quarter, and the Manhattan Handicap at a mile, as well as the Fall Highweight Handicap at three-quarters, through the Widener course. These are for three-year-olds and over, the Manhattan Handicap being open also to the two-year-olds. There is also the Nassau Stakes, a claiming race for three-year-olds and over. The Jerome Stakes is a mile dash for the three-year-olds, while for the two-year-olds exclusively the offerings are the Nursery Handicap, the Champagne Stakes, the Tomboy Stakes for fillies and the Mineola Stakes, a race under claiming conditions. And on the same date the nomination also close to the 5,000 Grand National Steeplechase as well au the Broadhollow Steeplechase Handicap. This will be the first running of the Grand National with its 5,000 value and it is a race that has given to steeplechasing new importance in this country.
