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8 "f sp: Here and There * bles on the Turf the •■ ne No Scratch Rule Change. is is Old Regulation at Jamaica. wi will th that of Three Progress -Year -Olds. __ _ n° Plans for Billy Barton. . : 1 . is Js not With the issuing of the book of the it meeting for the Metropolitan Jockey r Club, which begins the New York racing at Jamaica, it is announced that the new ov scratch regulation proposed by Joseph 1 cii E. Widener, will not be put in force. It t ai fi will be remembered that this regulation ! u It virtually did away with the scratching . of horses. The only way in which a * gI horse could be withdrawn was through a 1 in ing change in track condition, or by reason a j ai of disability that would bring about the _ j i ° old w consent of the stewards. tj There was a promise that both Jamaica a B and Aqueduct would put the Widener r tl the rule into operation, but as far as Ja- - st maica is concerned, the old rule will i, prevail. The scratch rule, as set forth _ in the condition book provides that in n a] all races closing during the meeting, • f£ or within seventy-two hours thereof, h D scratches may be made any time before e a as 1:30 p. m. on the day of the race, by -" f, paying ten percent of the money given n by the association to the first horse, ex- :" 0 of cept in races with more than six en- ■" 5 be tries, when declarations to that number r h are free, the right of declaration to be e D decided by lot. , It is disappointing that the Widener ?r j, regulation is not to be adopted by this p first of the New York meetings. The ie 0 rule is one that was a decided forward a step and one that was sure to bring » j about better racing and a greater degree ■ e t of satisfaction among the patrons of the ie t sport. The rule is one that was a bar j against the entering of horses with no 10 intention of racing them and also a bar ar against the padding of programs merely ■J j for advertising purposes. It is a rule *e j that will give the public some sort of of ? assurance that the promise of the pub- D" 1 lished entries will be carried out, and au" a rule that will discourage manipulation jn of trainers who enter only with the in- n" j tention of scratching in favor of some no , other entry. j Fortunately the rule will be put into to operation at Belmont park, and it is the b-e | promise that it will be a regulation at at Saratoga Springs. Aqueduct has declared e~ for the change and there is every r , reason to believe that it will also be a a , regulation at Empire City. Possibly the Metropolitan Jockey Club ■■ did not care to be the first to put the he drastic change into effect, but it was as confidently expected that the first meeting e*- would introduce the change. Oh Say and War Flier, the pair of Fair ajr Stablq Kentucky Derby eligibles, that hat Alex Gordon is training at Douglas Park, rt in Louisville, for Mrs. Vanderbilt, are are surely moving along favorably in their ieir preparation. Each has shown becoming ing speed, and at this time there are high igh h°P hopes ract race on], only he he his jjjg is his his sev SUE any any thr nil nS an jm I . in am and i is is . oul outs the the not not i j " ° ! at at fui . «* a * tai be! ms may sp: * bles the •■ ne is is wi will th that n° . is Js not it r ov 1 cii t ai u fi ! It . a * gI a 1 in ing a ai j _ j i ° old w tj a B r tl the - st i, _ in n a] • f£ h D e a as by -" f, n :" 0 of ■" 5 be r h be e D , ?r j, p ie 0 a » j ■ e t the ie t bar j no 10 bar ar ■J j *e j of of ? D" 1 and au" jn in- n" j no , j into to the b-e | at at e~ r , a a , Club ■■ the he was as e*- Fair ajr that hat Park, rt are are their ieir ing high igh for complete readiness for the big • in May. War Flier is still a maiden, but he was started four times last year, and showed enough in private to warrant purchase by Mrs. Vanderbilt. Oh Say not only a colt of excellent speed, but victory in the Champagne Stakes, at _ seven-eighths, at Belmont Park, las fall, ■ suggested that he will go on as far as of them. He raced the seven-eighths through the straight stretch of the . Widener course in 1:22, in winning the tra Champagne Stakes, and that was surely da day, a a impressive performance. xo Too Each day there is marked improvement an are zar, the training of various of the Derby trj Preakness Stakes candidates, and it Hi High natural it should come. The work- ba • are being stretched out a bit, while TT, pace is being sharpened until it will sn be long before the eligibles that are ™ first working five-eighths and three-quarters tlv the this time will be galloping a mile or thl the further. It is then that something like line on training progress may be obtained, and it is then that real trials will begin, to eliminate some of those that " be showing to advantage over the St sprinting routes. pe As far as the vast majority of the eligi- th to both the Preakness Stakes and this * Kentucky Derby are concerned the fa matter of ability to race a mile and a P sti quarter at high speed has of necessity T never been proved. Speed at this time bi but of importance, but the weeding out ; j j? be the commence when candidates prove after all they are equipped with nothing but sprinting ability. fi To race a mile and a quarter in May ts a severe test for a three-year-old, and *_E D onlv does it take a good one, but tr takes a fit one. f • ■ There will be general congratulation 1 ]r over the fact that Howard Bruce has de- • B cided that Billy Barton will be afforded ? another chance to try for the Liverpool 1 Grand National Steeplechase next year. was truly unfortunate that the sturdy - American jumper should have lost the ; to t great race by a stumbling fall after lead- J over the last jump, but that perform- • j n ance was one to leave no doubt of the sl I I ■ geldings qualifications. The race ! j s was run under the most trying condi- . ■ in tions, when Tipperary Tim and Billy w Barton were the only ones to complete 5 tl course, and it always has been a 5 h he stamp of steeplechase greatness for any f t horse to finish the course. s The present plan is to return Billy F t Barton to this country almost at once, I and then return him to England in the e fall in order that he would have the B • benefit of the stepelechase season abroad, well as the chance to become more fully acclimatized. Of course Mr. Bruce would lose the use e • his horse in this country, should he e content to leave Billy Barton abroad. l, but it would really give the old horse a a better chance to be ready for the Grand National Steeplechase next March. Bring- J" r ing him to this country and then ships 1- ping him back in the fall will keep the e 1 1 old horse busy. He is a good traveller r 2 -"■ and it may work no harm, but now that tt ; he is abroad it is reasonable to think v 4 that to remain there would give him a 6 better chance next March than by mak-ir ing a round trip to this country. For the next running of the Liverpool * Grand National Steeplechase, it is Is promised there will be an important It American candidate in Marshall Fields • j giant gelding Labrador. This horse is is being brought up to the greatest of all m cross-country race courses in just the * opposite fashion. That is to say, he will jj have been in England practically three "e years before he is asked to try for the le great race, By that time Labrador will surely have ve become thoroughly acclimatized, and he 1 ? will have become thoroughly familiar ar with English courses. It is natural to to expect that it will afford him his best s* chance. That may bring a victory, but nt should the field be as large as the one ue that raced last March, there will have to to be a big element of luck, as well as as ability, to bring victory. Racing luck Ck will always cut a big figure in the Liverpool r- Grand National Steeplechase when it is probable that accidents in the race ,ce may readily put the best ones down, .,, through no fault of their own. That was as the case in the last running of the race, ce but it always must be remembered that lat no amount of luck will bring victory to to . the horse which is unable to cover the course,. .,
