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I # Here and There on the Turf 4 I • The new Australian starting barrier, which • has been used for some of the races at Belmont Park, does not seem to be a suitable device for American racing, no matter what euccesses it may have met with abroad. This gate has been used in starting of juveniles at the four and a half furlongs mark in the Widener Course and, too often, something has gone amiss with its operation. Saturday, in the fifth race, a horse was caught in the device, lifted from his forefeet and his rider thrown, while it is possible the colt Itself, Desert Light, in the stable of Mrs. Graham Fair Vanderbilt, may have received injuries not at first discovered. This came from the inner side of the barrier not releasing promptly and, as the colt attempted to break, he was caught, and there have been various times that the machine has failed to work promptly. The fact that the strands of rope, from which the barrier is built, are strong enough to prevent a horse from breaking through, make the barrier a menace when anything goes wrong ■with the mechanism that releases the contraption. This was pointed out in these columns when the barrier was under discussion dur- ing the winter months. It was also pointed out that it would take some time for American riders and horses to become accustomed to a barrier that is not readily broken, as is the older machine that has been in use. There is real danger in this new device from the manner in which American horses have been accustomed to start, as was evidenced in the case of Desert Light, Saturday. Another argument against the continued use of the Australian barrier is the fact that the accident to the two-year-old last Saturday will tend to make the riders a bit more timid of the contraption. If they have not absolute confidence in its working promptly, jockeys will hesitate to send their mounts away from the post running. With the old barrier there was no such a thing as the tape throwing a horse down or seriously injuring a rider. The tape was light enough to break readily and prevent such an accident. It may be argued for the Australian gate that it inspires a greater respect for the starting line among the riders, when they know it can not be broken through, but that is more than offset by the danger in its operation when any part of the releasing mechanism goes wrong. In connection with the starting it is confidently hoped that when the racing scene shifts over to the Aqueduct course of the Queens County Jockey Club there may be seen the first New York application of the stall gates. The matter has been under consideration for some time and horsemen generally, as well as the racing public familiar with the stalls, would welcome such a change. Mars Cassidy would willingly accept the stalls to do the starting and Aqueduce would be an ideal racing ground over which to give the device its trial. Misstep, the sturdy son of Upset and St. Theresa, that races for Leo J. Marks, has begun the year auspiciously by taking the "Washington Park Handicap, the inaugural feature at the Homewood course. It was a three-quarters dash that engaged a truly good band of sprinters, and for a first start of the year, the victory was an impressive one for the reason that the son of Upset ■was giving away weight to every starter. This is the same Misstep that was such a good second to Reigh Count in the running of the Kentucky Derby of last year and he wound up his three-year-old campaign brilliantly when he earned ?43,000 by winning the Gadsden D. Bryan Memorial Handicap at Bowie last November, leading home Victorian by a scant margin, while others in the field were Nassak, Sun Beau, Jock, Display, Distraction, Chance Play and others of quality. The opening feature of the day at the Homewood course was welcomed by an exceptionally large crowd. The new course — for it has been practically rebuilt — was a revelation in beauty and convenience and it "was evident that much had been accomplished in the idle year ; there was no racing at Washington Park last year. A goodly number of horses were shipped from New York to take part in this Chicago racing and two of the most important consignments were those of W. R. Coe and Harry Sinclairs Rancocas Stable. One of the Coe invaders was successful when Caruso, the well-named son of Polymelian and Sweet Music, won the five-eighths dash for juveniles, but the Rancocas horses did not do so well. Mowlee was the representative to carry the Sinclair silks in the Washington Park Handicap and he was well beaten, while Donnay, another to carry the white and green silks, had no better fortune. The class of horses destined for racing over the Chicago circuit is of a better class than ever before and nothing but a first-class horse will have a chance. With the exception of W. S. Kilmers Sun Beau, all of the highweights among the other horses in the Suburban Handicap to be run at Belmont Park Saturday have been seen under silks this year. Joseph E. Wideners Chance Shot, the top weight and under a burden of 126 pounds, has had one outing this year. That was at I Belmont Park on May 21, when he was beaten by Robert L. Gerrys Ironsides in a mile and a sixteenth dash. The son of Fair Play-was carrying 12i. against the 112 taken up by the Gerry four-year-old. That is a race that probably did some good in the preparation for the Suburban of Saturday. Second on the list comes Edward B. McLeans Toro, recent winner of the Grainger Memorial at Churchill Downs. This fellow is rated just a pound under Mr. Wideners horse and there is no question of his readiness. Petee-Wrack, J. R. Macombcrs winner of the Brooklyn Handicap and conqueror last year of both Reigh Count and Victorian, in the running of the Travers at Saratoga, seems to have earned his 124 pounds and he Is probably at the top of his form. Then comes Sun Beau, which has not yet been brought to the races and his impost is 123 pounds. Just a pound less has been assigned Diavolo, from the Wheatley stable, and this fellow has to his credit this year a ▼ictory in the Dixie Handicap at Pimlico. In that running he nosed out Victorian, which now races for the Warm stable, while Walter 2. Salmons old Display raced third. Largely on that race Diavolo is required to give Victorian two pounds, while Display is in under 118 pounds, not much weight for this old fellow when he is in a running mood. Ironsides, which has been brought back a good horse this year by George Odom, is required to shoulder 117 pounds. Thus it will be seen that should it so happen that only these older horses go to the post, the renewal on Saturday should be a worthy one. It will be remembered that Dolan furnished something of a sensation last year when Johnny Callahan skillfully brought him home the winner over Chance Shot. In both 1926 and 1927 Crusader was the winner and in the 1926 running Callahan had the mount. The greatest weight ever carried to victory in the Suburban was when H. P. Whitneys "Whisk Broom II. won the 1913 renewal under the crushing burden of 139 pounds, leading home Lahore and Meridian. That running is best remembered for the 2 :00 hung out as the official time for the running of the mile and a quarter. While it goes down in the record it is generally believed that the timer made a mistake and that the actual running time was more like 2:02. , I
