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GREAT DISPLAY OF SPEED I ♦ Blue Larkspurs Mile in Withers 1 Stakes Fastest in Long Time. $ Rcrails Several Notable Performances of This and Past Two Years — Mary O.s Two Speedy Kaces. • Since Blue Larkspur, in the Withers Stakes, ran the fastest mile recorded in this country in several years, a great deal of "fan" con- I versation as taken the turn of speculation as to whether 1929 is to be a year notable for speed performances. Chicago, more than any other section, may reasonably look forward to thrills of this character, for not only will Blue Larkspur soon be running on the local courses, but there already are horses noted for speed active at Washington Park and pointed for aome of the important stakes to be run here. Misstep ran the fastest mile of 1928, and it was done at Lincoln Fields, the scene of some of the greatest speed performances of recent years. Golden Prince broke a track record at Tijuana and equaled another. Vermajo, which also may be engaged here, holds another Tijuana record. Chicago, which ran two of the fastest miles on the continent in 1927, and Sun Edwin, which ran one of the fastest miles in the East last year, both are eligible for stakes to be run on the local tracks. A number of other very fast sprinters that will be seen in action here later could be mentioned. Blue Larkspurs mile in the Withers was timed in 1 :36, the best time that has been made since Missteps 1 :36Vs at Lincoln Fields last July, and it was the first mile run in 1 :36 flat since Mary O. performed the remarkable feat of turning in two miles in this identical time within a space of four days at Lincoln Fields in August, 1926. Lincoln Fields was the scene of another mile in "under thirty-seven" last year when Sankari was timed in IM%. Canaan, at the same track and in the same month ran a mile In even 1 :37. Of all these performances Blue Larkspurs at Belmont Park last week may be considered the best since he had up 118 pounds. Misstep, In his near-record exhibition, carried two pounds less. Sankari, when he registered his 1:36%, had up only 111 pounds. SPARKLING SPEED. Whenever mention is made in Chicago of exceptional time the two races of E. B. Elkins Mary O. are recalled. Mary O. was a three-year-old filly by Friar Rock — Stickpin, by McGee. Though regarded a fleet filly, such an accomplishment as a mile in 1 :36 was hardly to be expected of her, much less a quick repitition of the same feat, when she started in the Southmoor Hotel Purse Aug. 19, 1926. But what reasonably could have been expected was a very fast mile as sev- i eral of the starters, particularly Barbara and | Chicago, were somewhat distinguished for speed. A few days before that Chicago had run second to Iron Mask II., when he established a new mile record for Lincoln Fields of 1 AS14. Mary O., it is true, had just a short time before this won a race at Coney Island in the good time of 1 :38 flat for the mile, but it didnt cause any excitement as time that was considered somewhat unusual on a good many other tracks had become common for Coney Island. More important at the time than either Chicagos race behind Iron Mask II. or Mary O.s victory at Coney Island had been Barbaras j last previous performance right here on the l Lincoln Fields track, for she had been beaten I only a nose by Smiling Gus when that colt established a new track record of 1:45% for the mile and one-sixteenth. SPECTACULAR CONTEST. That was only two days before Barbara, Chicago and Mary O. hooked up for the Southmoor Hotel Purse, and it will be seen by this that records had begun to fall rather rapidly at the Crete track, but the best was yet to come. Barbara was backed into favoritism in the Southmoor, with Chicago second choice and Mary O. third choice. Mary O. did not break from the barrier as though she were going to come anywhere near the track record, much less to lower It by two and one-fifth seconds. She was away next to last in a seven-horse field and she was one of the rear runners until reaching the head of the stretch, where she shot by the entire flock in front of her and won going away in 1 :36 flat. Barbara had raced herself into exhaustion setting a fast early pace, but held on to get third place. Chicago had raced with her for about a half-mile and then slumped out of it. Recollection finished second, two lengths behind Mary O. Mary O. and Barbara were in that race at equal weights, 101 pounds. Chicago had up 112 and Recollection 109. On Aug. 23, four days later, three of this group — Mary O., Chicago and Recollection — went in the Thornton Purse, another mile contest. Mary O. picked up only one pound. Chicago dropped off eight pounds and Recollection five, this pair being equally weighted at 104 pounds. This time jockey R. Jones, astride Mary O., let Chicago make the pace, which up to the three-quarters was a fraction faster than that Barbara set in the previous race. Confidently he held Mary O. off the pace until the stretch was reached. Mary O. then passed Recollection and Chicago and outfinished Chicago by a half-length in the Identical time she had set up as the track record the few days before, 1 :36.
