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a # Here and There on the Turf Maryland Season Opens. Rancocas Stable Sale. Edward Arlingtons Stable. Racing of Cripples. 4 ■ Willi 112 horses named for the first day of the Maryland spring meeting there was eloquent evidence of the vast number of horses that arc available for the racing. The problem is to find opportunities for these horses. It was a glorious opening and the new Bowie was at its best. Much had been done by James F. Ollara during the winter months to round out the new grounds, until now the track on the hilltop is a model of comfort and convenience. From a course that was the most difficult in Maryland to reach with comfort, it has become one of the easiest with the opening of the motor routes from both Baltimore and Washington. These routes have been opened for some yeart now and it was the- additional patronage by reason of good motor roads that made the increasing of the accommodations imperative. The old stand that was destroyed by fire would not begin to take eare of the present day crowds, and the opening of the new meeting shows the steady growth in popularity that has marked Bowie from the beginning. The racing demonstrated that many a fit horse is on hand, and when as many as twenty-five were named to try for the ,000 Inaugural Handicap, a seven-eighths dash, it was shown that speed abounds as well as quantity. Great interest will bo shown right through the meeting in the* new crop of two-ytar-olds. Those with the young thor-MgUredfl that will start for the first time during this meeting, show no fear of the two-year-olds that have been educated by actual racing at New Orleans or Havana and, if look;; count for anything, the winter babies will have a rough time of it competing wit: the newcomers. Bowie is becoming more and more of a New York as well as a Maryland course, as will be shown by both patrons and the horses that race. It has surely more than taken the place of the old Benning track which, in the long ago, was the early opening of the eastern and New York racing season. At the Washington course New Yorkers predominated, and it lias almost come to that at Bowie though there are ho many more Mary-landers and Yirginians in the sport now that these sections naturally have a numerous representation. Bowie is surely beginning the eastern racing year auspiciously. Just to correct any false impression that may prevail in some sections of reasons for the rumored Harry F. Sinclairs sale of his racing stable, it may be mentioned that a sale was contemplated long before the ruling was made by the Maryland Racing Commission against the Ran-| cocas Stable. It may be stated with authority that the banning of the horses by that misplaced action could have had nothing to do with a sale. Mr. Sinclair assured Daily Racing Form that his establishment is not on the market but, as a matter of fact, a sale would have been made late last fall but for the unfortunate and sudden death of a turfman who had decided to take the horses ever. The price had been agreed upon ;;ud all of the negotiations had been virtually completed when this deplorable death came. Many times last year there were rumors of a proposed sale of the powerful racing establishment that raced under the green and white colors of the Raneocas Stable, and it would not have occasioned great surprise if such a sale had been made before the conclusion of the 1027 racing. Of course, if it had been made, a sale of the stable would have lifted the ban of the Maryland Racing Commission. The ruling was niade against Mr. Sinclair rather than against his horses. No fault was found with the horses or the manner in which they had bec-n campaigned. No fault was found with Samuel C. Hildreth, who has met with such tremendous success in training and racing the horses for Mr. Sinclair. For that reason it would seem that, under any other ownership, the horses will be welcomed at the Maryland courses. It must be borne in mind that the Maryland Racing Commission did not require Mr. Sinclair to sell out his racing stock. That would have been obvious when it is considered that the Maryland engagements play such an insignificant part in the stable plans for the year and the Sinclair colors are welcomed everywhere else. It is doubtful if Mr. Sinclair would have raced his horses there this year even had the Maryland Racing Commission found no contamination in his racing colors. Edward Arlington is coming back to the races this year with a campaign that begins at Bowie, and both he and his friends have high hopes for several of his horses in the big establishment. One of the prime favorites of the band is Scat, the son of Chicle and Sketchy, which proved so consistent last year. This colt is just one more evidence of how a cripple may be patched up to racing usefulness. When Scat was purchased by Mr. Arlington there were many who laughed at the purchase. They ridiculed the idea of the colt standing training long enough to be a profitable purchase, but Mr. Arlington was convinced that he had a bargain and that he was right is shown when Scat earned considerably more than twice his purchase price in purses, at the same time not having anything like the btst of luck in his races. Scat looks better now than at any time in his career. He is training soundly and there is every evidence that he will tc a better horse in 1928 than he was in 1927. With some others of the Arlington establishment he i : meant for campaigning at Bowie. very once in a while there comes along an unsound and patched up horse that is only barred from real greatness by reasor of his unsoundness. Scat is one of these. Almost every time he has gone to the post many good judges have expressed the fear that he would not finish, but he would finish and frequently in front. Each race was considered as bringing him closer to th feared breakdown and that, as a matter of fact, has prevented his being claimed out of a race. Donald McDonald was another of the sort, and the old horse won race after race when he was such a confirmed cripple that almost every trainer was afraid to put in a claim for him for fear that he would never run another race. It must also be borne in mind that there is no element of cruelty in the racing of these patched up cripples. Bad tendons, bad knees and bad ankles and feet are treated until there is little if any pain to the horse by galloping at high speed. There is the ever present fear that the mending will give away and a real breakdown come, and that ia irreparable. "While the patched up horse is able to race, he suffers little more pain or inconvenience in his galloping than does the horse that has never felt the sting of the firing iron.
