view raw text
$ Here and There on the Turf Prizes for Saturday. Big Features Everywhere. History of Grey Lag. Greatest Son of Star Shoot. e This is another hig day for the turf in every section. Latonia has its Derby, the; mile and a half race that has an added value of 5,000; at Aqueduct the Queens County Jockey Club offers the Brookdale Handicap at a mile and an eighth, with ,000 added, and the Great American Stakes for two-year-olds, of like added value; the Illinois Jockey Club has its Robert M. Sweitzer Handicap at a mile and an eighth, at its Homewood course, and it is another race with ,000 added, while at the Collinsville course of the Fairmount Jockey Club there is another of these ,000 added awards in the Statler Hotel Handicap at a mile and a sixteenth. Each racing ground has a fitting setting for the big events and, at Aqueduct, there is the Brook Steeplechase Handicap for those who fancy the spectacular branch of the sport. Such contests always mean much to racing. They are awards that do much to broaden the field of the turf and much for the breeding interests of the country. And each of these has attracted a notable list of entries that should make the races worthy of the money that is offered. While there is a general idea of the greatness of Grey Lag, which Sam Hildreth has brought back to racing, after his having been away and in the stud since 1923, just what the son of Star Shoot accomplished is hardly appreciated. Since his first appearance under colors, back in 1920, when Max Hirsch brought him to the races at Saratoga, he has been raced thirty-nine times, and on only three -occasions did he fail to earn a part of the money. He has won twenty-four races, been second nine times and three times third. And on one of the occasions of his finishing second, the race went to his stablemate, Mad Hatter. Grey Lag was bred by John E. Madden and he proved himself the greatest son of Star Shoot, that did so much to bring fame to Hamburg Place Mr. Maddens thoroughbred nursery. He was sold to Max Hirsch as a yearling and raced under the Hirsch colors until after the running of the Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park in the fall. His first race was at Saratoga Springs on August 18, when he finished second to H. P. Whitneys Dartmoor. He followed this by finishing second again, and that took him up to the Hopeful Stakes, where he was away badly and finished unplaced. In the Nursery Handicap at Belmont Park he was unplaced again, when Hildur won, with Smoke Screen second and Oriole third. In the Futurity, after being off badly, he was a close third to Step Lightly and Star Voter, and his next start and his last for Hirsch was when he won the Champagne Stakes at seven-eighths. Thus it will be seen .that after the sale of this great horse to Harry F. Sinclairs Rancocas Stable he was only worse than third on one occasion. That was in the running of the Latonia Championship Stakes of 1921 when, over a muddy track, he was beaten by Sporting Blood, Black Servant and Humphrey. As a two-year-old he won the Remsen and the Autumn Days Handicaps for the Rancocas Stable; was second to Knobbie, to which he conceded twenty pounds, in the running of the Oakdale Handicap; second to Mulciber in the Oceanus Handicap, when he was handicapped at 128 pounds against the 111 on the winner, and second to Tryster in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at a mile. He was almost left at the post in the running of the Babylon Handicap and, under 126 pounds, was third to Knobbie, under 116, and Mulciber, carrying 109 pounds. Then in his three-year-old year Grey Lag began by winning the Freeport Handicap at three-quarters under 126 pounds. He was beaten in the Withers Stakes by Leonardo II. and Sporting Blood but he turned the tables on Sporting Blood when he beat him in the Belmont Stakes, then a race of a mile and three-eighths. He took the Brooklyn Handicap from John P. Grier and Exterminator; won the Dwyer Stakes under 123 pounds from Sporting Blood carrying 112 pounds-, and continued with five other consecutive victories, making it eight successive triumphs . from his Belmont Stakes. These include a mile at Empire City in which he took up 130 pounds; the Empire City Derby, in which he carried 129 pounds to 111 on Sporting Blood; the Knickerbocker Handicap, with 125 pounds up against Careful carrying 108 pounds; the Mount Kisco at a mile and seventy yards and the Devonshire International Handicap, in which he carried 126 pounds against the 123 carried by Black Servant. Then in the Lawrence Realization Stakes, at a mile and five-eighths, was a close second to Touch Me Not; second to his stablemate, Mad Hatter, in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, at two miles, and his last that year was when he failed in the Latonia Championship Stakes, his only race for Hildreth when he finished further back than third. In 1922, when a four-year-old, Grey Lag was only beaten once, when he finished second to Exterminator in the Brooklyn Handicap, at a mile and an eighth. Exterminator ran his greatest race that afternoon when he took up 135 pounds and beat Grey Lag home, who was carrying 126 pounds. The victories for the old son of Star Shoot that year were the Centreport Handicap, under 126 pounds; Queens County Handicap, under 127- pounds; Empire City Handicap, carrying 132 pounds; Mount Kisco Handicap, carrying 125 pounds, and the Saratoga Handicap, carrying 130 pounds. Then his last year before he was brought back this year, saw him winner of the Kings County Handicap, carrying 128 pounds; Excelsior Handicap, under 130 pounds; Metropolitan Handicap, under 133 pounds. He was beaten by Snob II. in the Long Beach Handicap, when he took up 133 pounds against the 116 pounds on that 00,000 beauty, but he rounded out that active campaign by his brilliant victory over the same colt in the running of the Suburban Handicap, when he carried 135 pounds to the 115 pounds carried by Snob II. This is the champion that Hildreth has brought back. He has a crop of two-year-olds this year and it is small wonder that his return stirs the sentiment of a racing crowd.
