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Here and There on the Turf Disasters of Saturday Ruling Against Equipoise Success at Churchill Downs Suggest Another Claiming Rule Never in its long and glorious history was there a more calamitous running of the Metropolitan Handicap than that of Satur ¬ day at Belmont Park One of the most colorful thoroughbreds in racing Mrs John Bosley Jrs Chase Me was destroyed and C V Whitneys magnificent champion Equi ¬ poise was disqualified after he had convinc ¬ ingly proven himself much the best of the notable company companyThe The fatal accident to Chase Me could not be blamed on the running of the race His jockey Fred Slate had explained after the accident that the gelding had broken his leg In the running and that was his reason for falling fallingThe The disqualification of Equipoise was a just ruling though it was naturally unpopu ¬ lar when it took the big prize away from the gallant little chestnut and robbed him of his chance to be the only horse to be winner of the Metropolitan Handicap on three occa ¬ sions Some in the vast throng that watched the running did not agree with the ruling but the foul was a palpable one and as a matter of fact was not denied by Sonny Workman who rode the son of Pennant and Swinging SwingingWorkman Workman offered as an excuse that his mount bore in and he was unable to prevent his impeding Mr Khayyam The stewards evidently did not consider that the excuse was a valid one for they later imposed a suspension of eighteen days on Workman i It is always unfortunate when a ruling takes the race away from the best horse Equipoise would have won the Metropolitan Handicap without fouling Mr Khayyam had Workman been able to keep him straight and the interference had no bearing on the result For that reason there were those who criticized the ruling But the fact re ¬ mains a foul was committed and the ruling Was justified for the rules demand that any horse that impedes another in a race shall be disqualified It is mandatory and does not disqualifiedAnd say may be disqualified And there cannot be one interpretation of the rule for the champions and another for platers The fact that it was a Metropolitan Handicap and the champion should make no difference The cheapest plater and the most brilliant champion must look alike in the administration of the rules The next intended appearance of Equi ¬ poise is in the mile and a quarter of the Suburban Handicap to be run May 30 He was winner last year carrying 132 pounds just the weight he carried Saturday and in that running he led home W R Coes Oscu lator which scored over him at Havre de Grace ApprenticeThe and James Butlers Apprentice The Suburban is of 5000 added just twice the amount with which the Metropolitan was endowed and while it was unfortunate that the prize of Saturday could not be added to the winnings in the climb to the top helpWhether this old handicap is more of a help Whether or not the stewards will lift the suspension of Workman to enable him to ride Equipoise in the Suburban is not known It is hoped that he will be granted permis ¬ sion for he knows the horse and the horse knows him Any jockey that was not ac ¬ quainted thoroughly with Equipoise and his big heart might readily have given up the struggle in the Metropolitan Handicap when so far back of the contention contentionWorkman Workman knew his mount and he was willing to circle around that entire field It was a tremendous contract for the cham ¬ pion but he met the call gallantly even though it went for naught Seldom if ever did Equipoise run a better race than this one in which he was disqualified Saturday marked the end of the Churchill Downs meeting at Louisville and it brought to a brilliant close the most successful ses ¬ sion of sport staged there since 1930 Mon ¬ days racing was a charity day program It was officially announced that both the at ¬ tendance and the betting was fifteen per cent over that of last year and the interest was carried right through to the closing day and the running of the famous old Kentucky Oaks v Unfortunately this running probably brought about the elimination of another of the best fillies of the year when Charles T Fishers Far Star carrying the Dixiana silks was so badly lamed in the running that she may not be brought back to com ¬ petition The daughter of North Star III and Miss Jemima was making her first start of the year and in defeat she proved her high qual ¬ ity She carried the burden of the pace for that mile and a furlong gallop until the stretch was reached There after she had broken down she carried on with rare cour ¬ age to save second place though she was easilybeaten by Fiji which raced under the banner dfthe Young Brothers Last year Mr Fisher was particularly well equipped with two such fillies as Far Star and Mata Hari and many good judges were of the opinion that Far Star was the better of the pair Mata Hari was trained for the Kentucky Derby while Far Star was re ¬ served for the Oaks Mata Hari after show ¬ ing brilliant speed in the Derby was soundly beaten and now Far Star by reason of in ¬ firmity failed in the Kentucky Oaks OaksAltogether Altogether with the happenings at Bel ¬ mont Park in the Metropolitan Handicap and the breaking down of Far Star in th Kentucky Oaks the big racing day was one df regrettable casualties Continued on eleventJfpdge HERE AND THERE ON THE TURR Continued from second page The Thoroughbred Club of America has come out with a proposed change in the claiming rule now in effect in Kentucky The reason given for the change is that the open claiming rule is working an un ¬ duehardship on breeders who find it dif ¬ ficult to dispose of their stock profitably when it has become so easy to pick up fit horses from claiming races racesThe The club would amend the rule requiring that any claimant must first have a ihorsa entered in a claiming race the same day and that he must have owned such liorse for at least fortyeight hours hoursProbably Probably the open claiming rule may have had some effect on farm sales and there is a reason for this amendment but It is purely a selfish one as is set forth by the breeders Their1 only plea Is that it hurts their sales It is not set forth that the amendment would do other than help their market marketOf Of course the market should always be sustained but there should be some better reason for changing a good rule than that set forth Like the Michigan rule this would ruin the very idea of open claiming and would limit the claiming to those racing platers and further that to be eligible the claimant must start a plater the same day he makes the claim Many efforts are being made to break down the open claiming rule and it has been broken down in some sec ¬ tors but it remains the best rule to be ap ¬ plied in claiming races Another reflection of the returning pros ¬ perity of racing in New Tork is had in the liberal responses that have come to the offerings of the United Hunts Racing Asso ciation for its coming meeting This one day of sport is to be conducted at Roslyn June 1 and never before have the nominations been so generous A total of 109 entries were received for the fiye events listed and an additional race is the ladiestoride event that was added to the program last year This race as its name indicates brings out the lady riders and will be run before the regular program programOf Of the five races that have closed two ara over the brush course twoover the hurdles and one of a mile and a half on the flat with amateurs to ride rideRhode Rhode Island is the newest racing state The bill for a parimutuel law has been passed with a tremendous majority and al ready plans are going forward for two meet ¬ ings Lou Smith who met with such phe nomenal success at both Rockingjam Park in Salem and in Houston Texas will con ¬ struct a track at Cumberland and Walter ID 0Harapropases a session at the old harness track at Providence ProvidenceThere There will be an arrangement of racing time so that the meetings will not he lilt conflict
