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f ! ] Here and There ! 1 on the Turf . i i St. James New Crop. ; Derby Training Progress. i That Virginia Association. Leonard Is Making Good. s • I ] The victory of the first of the progeny of St. James to he sent to the races, speaks well for that sterling young sire. St. James is now a seven-year-cld, and wfcita his racing career was short it was a brilliant one. He was only started once as a three-year-old, when he won the Paumouok Handicap from such a fast horse as Zev, but A. J. Joyner has always said that he has seldom, if ever, seen a better horse. ! St. James, a this time, is rated as the ! best looking horse in Kentucky, and that means he is the best looking stock horse in the country. He is represented by his ! first crop of racing age this year, and the manner in which Calm was a winner at Bowie Thursday was impressive. This filly was not considered one of the truly good ones of the crop, or she wcula not be racing n Maryland, but in this race she not only equalled tho half-mile track record of :47, but what was especially impressive was the manner in which she finished. She ran a wonderfully fast last eighth and was going away at the end. after overcoming the long lead of the early pacemaker. It is known that Calm was for sale earlier in the year but, now that she has proved herself in her first race, there may be a change of that plan. Others of the progeny of St. James, more highly thought of than Calm, are liberally engaged, and there is every reason to exp?ct and hope that this young stock horse will quickly make his mark in the stud. Comparing the training of the Kentucky Derby candidates at Churchill Downs with that of the eligibies to the big races on Long Island, makes it apparent .hat the Kentucky candidates are much further advanced. The Long Island Iraintrs, before long now, will ask their colts to gallop a bit faster, but the Louisville course and Lexington surely have the call at thifj time. Alex Cordon, always a careful trainer, gave , evidence that Mrs. Vanderhilts Oh Say , a r v r rj I at a r, C A 1 g g t i J I t l I E . ■ [ ] ! i i ; i I ] ! ! ! , , and War Flier are both progressing • rapidly when they were permitted to work three-quarters of a mile in 1:13%. Gordon would not permit any such move until both colts were ready to show the speed, and it shows unusual progress this time. Then there was that move of Lieutenant Mansfield at Lexington. It was really more impressive as far as time is concerned, for he was sent the full mile in 1:434. Such work is just about fast enough in mid-season and if this colt goes along in such fashion in April, he will either be fit in May or he will have ; gone stale. 1 Then, on Long Island, while no such time has been hung out it will no be t long before both Max Hirsch, at Belmont l r Park, and James Fitzsimmons, at Aque- duct, will be showing some speed with f their various Derby candidates. There a, are other trainers with notable eligibles, but these twe trainers seem to be better supplied than any of the others on Long c Island. Display is another of the good ones of the handicap division that is sure to go to the post early in the New York racing . season. The son of Fair Play is rated I as a well nigh certain starter in the rich [ Dixie Handicap, at a mile and three-six- i teenths, at Pimlico, May 1, and to thor- • oughly fit him for that race he wil. be . shown in public before its running. With the ideal training weather of the past few days much has been accom- : plished at the various training grounds, , and it is assured there will be no lack of fit horses for all the big races of the early spring campaign. The establishment of the Virginia Horse Breeders Association should do much for the thoroughbred interests of the country. Virginia has declared against the opening of the state to racing, but this newly formed association is composed of men of such importance that it means much for both the racing and the breeding of thoroughbreds. For a long time Virginia has possessed much importance in the thoroughbred industry, and the organizing of such breeders, as compose the new association, assures even greater importance. Even should this association make no effort to biing racing to the state, and even if it should only confine its efforts to breeding interests* it is of vital importance. It is unfortunate that the legislators of a state, oi the breeding importance of Virginia, should not welcome racing, but the adaptability of its broad acres for the production of the best horses will always be there, and a close bond among the various breeders is sure to mean much for the industry and in that alone it is of vital interest to racing. With the opening of the New York racing season close at hand, there is added interest in the progress of the candidates for the ,000 Paurnonok Handicap of the Metropoitan Jockey Club, which opens its meeting at Jamaica, April 23. Each year this is a sprint that brings out some of the best, and this year will be no exception. There are some of them that will be shipped from Maryland for the running of the race, but the Long Island trainers will have many a fit one to oppose them, and they will be sprinters that will be making their first appearance of the year. Happy Argo, the imported flyer that Max Hirsch campaigned for Bernard 1 Baruchs Kershaw Stable last year, is one that is progressing favorably towards the Paurnonok Handicap, while l George Odom has Sarmaticus, a winner of the Toboggan Handicap, preparing for the same race. Hildreth is sure to be on i hand with fast ones and, with anything [ like favorable racing conditions, the re-: newal will be a notable one. Aurora and Lexington are both preparing - for their meetings soon to open, and it will not be long now b?fore the 1928 racing season will be in full swing and Maryland will not possess a monopoly of the sport. Each of the spring meeting tracks is 5 well filled up with thoroughbreds, and j there really would be room for an even 1 greater number of tracks to take care of [ the available supply. The Aurora meeting is the first of the Illinois circuit, and I , it is there seme of the horses that will later perform at one or another of the Chicago courses, will have a final preparation by actual racing. R. Leonard, who rode with such skill i $ through the winter months at New Or- "j l i [ - leans, has been showing becoming ex-pertness at Bowie and he promises to maintain his good form through the summer. He was a winner with three of his five mounts on Thursday and, in one of those race ; in particular, he gave an exhibition of skill that was decidedly impressive. That was his success with H. G. Bedwells Forehead over McAuliffe and Honest John. The credit for the victory bclongr to Leonard for, as the race was run, he could have won with any one of the three horses that finished so closely lapped. Of course, the Leonard ride was doubly impressive by reason of the bad riding of Grassia, on McAuliffe, who seemed to make about every possible mistake. Where Leonard showed his riding skill was in not being coaxed to send Forehead out after McAuliffe when Grassia was foolishly sprinting him along in front, when it was a suicidal move under his weight of 117 pounds. It was a ride that showed a knowledge of pace without which no rider will ever go far as a jockey. There are many little fellows who learn how to rush a horse away from the barrier, and there are many little fellows for which a horse will run fast, but that is only a small part of race riding. The jockey must know how to handle his horse after he has him away from the barrier. That is where skill counts and that is skill that has brought Leonard some degree of riding fame.
