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RISE AND FALL OF STARS Twenty Grand, Sun Beau, Top Plight and Mate Leaders Jamestown, Equipoise Fail. - " A list of the most prominent race horses and conspicuous performers on the American turf during the year just gone by, would have to contain the names of Twenty Grand, Top Flight, Mate, Sun Beau, Plucky Plajji Mike Hall, Burning Blaze, St. Brideaux, Spanish Play, Tick On, Clock Tower, Dr. Freeland, Kakapo and Green Cheese. There were other sterling racers in action, the foregoing list not presuming to name all that kept racing fans deeply interested in the large number of stakes that were con tested on the major tracks of the country from early spring to late fall. Those named, include the greatest money-winners who were, with rare exceptions, of course the great stake-winners. Top Flight, the two-year-old champion and a filly at that, led all the money-winners of the year and was the only one with that rarest of distinctions, a perfect record. She was winner of the Futurity Stakes, Pimlico Futurity and five other great races. Twenty Grand, the second in money rank, was winner of the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, Dwyer Stakes, Jockey Club Gold Cup and other notable events. Mate won the Preakness Stakes, Amer ican Derby and Classic Stakes among others. Mike Hall, which was retired afterwards, won the Agua Caliente Handicap, richest stake for aged horses. Sun Beau won the Arlington Cup, Arlington Handicap, Hawthorne Gold Cup, Lincoln Handicap and several other events, and became the leading money-winning race horse of all time. Plucky Play won the Hawthorne Handi cap, Stars and Stripes Handicap and Rigga Memorial. Spanish Play won the Louisiana and La-tonia Derbys. Burning Blaze won the Eastern Shore Handicap, Post and Paddock, and Richard Johnston Stakes. Dr. Freeland won the Speculation Claiming, Yorktown and Southern Maryland Handicaps. Tick On won the Hopeful Stakes. St. Brideaux won the Latonia Championship Stakes. Kakapo won the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes. Green Cheese was the largest money-winner among the steeplechasers as a result of his victory in the Grand National Steeple chase Handicap. Only two of these notables of 1931 were among the top ten in the 1930 financial column. These were Sun Beau and Mate. Gallant Fox, 1930 leader and holder of the world money record until Sun Beau passed his mark, during last season, was retired after his great accomplishments of 1930. Equipoise, second to Gallant Fox that year, ran three races in 1931, his last, the Preakness Stakes, in which -he was unplaced. Equipoise was an ailing colt early" in the spring and for a long time, the source of his trouble baffled his trainer and the experts. Early in the-major season, it was decided to retire him for the year. Jamestown, contemporary and rival of Equipoise in their first season, was third among the 1930 winners, but in 1931 he ran only five races, winning three, including the Withers Stakes. His last start was in the Shevlin Stakes, in which he finished third and last to Sir Ashley and Danour. He was fractious before the start, then bore out and sulked during the running of the race.
