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m _ « ; Here and There ! on the Turf ] Progress of Victorian. . Chance for Sun Beau. Taras Hall Makes Good. i Cromwells New Publication. ! 1 e «. , Of course, it was a foregone conclu- sion that H. P. Whitneys Victorian would be winner of the mile of the Shev- ] lin Stakes on Tuesday, when he was only opposed by William Woodwards David Bone and Admiral Graysons Knapsack. . Even though he was required to give David Bone eight pounds, while Knapsack was in receipt of seventeen, there was nothing either of them had done to make them appear really dangerous. And Victorian had probably the easiest race of his career. Under stiff restraint all the way, he simply played with Knapsack in the early racing and then galloped home hard held in front of David Bone, which had been reserved for a dash through the stretch. There remain just two races run by Victorian this year that are hard to explain. Those were the Wood Memorial Stakes, his first start, and his performance in the Belmont Stakes. His other defeat, in the Brooklyn Handicap, of course, is charged up against Workman. But had Victorian performed consistently and kindly in each of his races he would have been unbeaten this year. That is apparent merely taking a line ! through his winning races. His first start was in the Wood Memorial Stakes and when he was showing the way, with 1 Nassak alongside, he bolted to the outside fence. That was followed by his 5 good and game victory in the Preakness Stakes. His next was rather a sesational victory in the Withers Stakes. Following this came his Belmont Stakes, in 1 which, after racing out with Sun Beau, he quit like a non-stayer and was thoroughly beaten. In that race it was charged that the son of Whisk Broom II. merely sulked, for he was in no manner r distressed at the end of the race. The Brooklyn Handicap, as has been said before, is charged up against Workman, for Victorian had the race won l when the carelessness of his rider cost him the victory. The only other start for Victorian was la the Shevl.n Stakes on Tuesday and it was only a canter. ; ! ] . i ! 1 , ] . ! 1 5 1 r l Victorian is engaged in the Brookdale Handicap, at a mile and an eighth, to be run on Saturday, and, with the three pounds penalty he incurred by galloping off with the Shevlin Stakes, his weigh! becomes 117 pounds. But A. H. Cosdens Vito, which was the winner of the Belmont Stakes, was handicapped a pound over Victorian by Mr. Vosburgh when he was assigned 115 pounds. These are heavy imposts for three-year-olds when r meeting older horses and it will not be surprising if both Victorian and Vito 1 decline. • Victorian is also engaged in the Dwyer Slakes, at a mile and a half, as well as 3 3 the Carter Handicap, at seven-eighths. 4 In the Dwyer Stakes Victorian will have o to take up the scale weight of 12G pounds, while Vito will take up 122 7 j pounds. The weight conditions for the Dwyer Stakes give a range all the way from 110 pounds to 126 pounds. 1 | This will give Willis Sharpe Kilmers Sun Beau a considerable weight advan- -tage, for he has not incurred any , panalties and he is entitled to all the allowances, bringing his weight down to -. 4 110 pounds. The Kilmer colt will probably 5 never meet Victorian and Vito at a and if he be- better weight advantage 6 lengs in the top class of the year he should show it in the running of the 7 Dwyer Stakes. 1 At the close of the 1927 racing season . Max Hirsch had high hopes that his colt « Taras Hall, a son of Donnacona and Mil- foil, a daughter of Vulcain, was destined I to race his way high up among the best j 6 three-year-olds of this year. In the early 1 7 spring training he had no reason to change his estimate of the handsome big ; colt. He was slow in maturing as a two-year-old, but he wound up his campaign brilliantly. But Taras Hall did not race for Hirsch as was expected in his early races of this year and he was sold, going to E. M. Byers, for whom Hirsch trains. Then it | was that Taras Hall found himself. But Hirsch has no illusions and he forgot his notion of sending Taras Hall chasing after the best of his age. He dropped him down a few notches and the result was that in the Union Claming Stakes of Monday this colt was started under a valuation of ,000. He was an easy winner and the race had a net value of ,050. It may be that Taras Hall will continue to improve and be graduated again from the plater division, but he could readily race right through the year among the best wihtout earnirg as much as he did on Monday by being placed where he belonged. Too often many a horse is robbed of his chance for the reason that his trainer shoots too high. The successful trainer is the man who knows how to place his horse as well as train it, and Hirsch proved that he knew something of plac- ing, Monday, when he sent Taras Hall to the post. There are still some turfmen who will prohibit their trainers from entering in the claiming races. This is a handicap to the trainers and a handicap to the horses. The man who is fitted to train horses should be the best judge ol where the horses should be raced to bring results and the claiming races are , for the purpose of affording oppor-3 tunities to the vast army of good horses I that do not belong any higher than 1 among platers. The American turf has another publication. . This is The Thoroughbred, with 1 Thomas B. Cromwell editor and publisher. . It is a new publication and not a new one, for it was formerly known as I The Thoroughbred Horse, when it was the official organ of the Thoroughbred [ = Horse Association, of which Mr. Cvcm-*? . well was former secretary. The official 1 I organ was edited by Mr. Cromwell, in i I I fact, it was established by the retired • I secretary and he was the only editor of ! j the publication. In the changes that | come to the association no provision was made for the official organ and 1 i Mr. Cromwell is continuing the publication Ihave i under a new name. i There are few writers on matters pertaining I to the turf with a wider knowledge - ■ of the affairs of the sport than Mr. Cromwell and, after devoting the e ; best years of his life to turf writing, he 3 j- is entitled to every success that can a |j come to his new publication. Present t I , ! plans are that The Thoroughbred will I he continued as a monthly until autumn, , I I when it is proposed to make it a weekly ■ a! of the turf. v
