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Here and There on the Turf Bluebeard Sale Important Head Play After Philadelphia Three-Year-Olds Rated Highly Illinois Switches on Passes 4 One of the most important horse transactions so far reported this spring is that of Bluebeard, which Mrs. R. H. Fairbanks of Indianapolis purchased from William R. Coe the other day. Bluebeard is a candidate for the Kentucky Derby, but is riot rated very highly by the experts because sprinting appears his best game. However, the son of Blue Larkspur and Herodias is a colt of great speed and considerable class, as he proved at Santa Anita Park where he captured the San Pasqual Handicap, at six furlongs, under 114 pounds, and the Santa Catalina Handicap, at one mile. He led most of the way in both races, defeating Polish Beau, Moonson and Morning Mail in the San Pasqual, and Sound Advice, Pitter Pat and Ann ORuley, among others, in the second. The Santa Catalina was run over a sloppy track, and the Coe colt just lasted to defeat Sound Advice. Bluebeard was considered a very promising youngster last summer by Hugh Fontaine, manager of Coes Shoeshone Stud, and the colts first trainer, but the son of Blue Larkspur did not come around as expected and won only his first start. Taken over by Clyde Phillips in the fall, Bluebeard lived further up to his promise after reaching California, where he won three of his nine starts, including the two stakes already mentioned. In the Santa Anita Derby, which was at one mile and a sixteenth, Bluebeard set the pace until reaching the stretch, and then weakened to finish fifth back of Gillie, with Whiskolo second and Demonstration third. The Blue Larkspur colt immediately becomes the star of the stable being assembled by Mrs. Fairbanks. Wife of an Indianapolis newspaper publisher, she entered racing during the Hialeah meeting by purchasing Vanished and Gamaliel from George D. Widener. She then bought eight fair platers from Ed Haughton, but, desiring better horses than these, she instructed her trainer, Art Goldblatt, to be on the lookout for them. Bluebeard is the first of these to be selected Goldblatt also made inquiry about Ladys- man, but evidently the price was a bit high. Fontaine considers him a first class prospect for the stud. J. Thomas Taylor, Kentucky horseman, who has done very well with the campaigners belonging to the Warm Stable and to Mrs. Silas Mason, has moved on from Churchill Downs to Havre de Grace, making the trip on short notice because Mrs. Mason desired to be represented in the ,500 Philadelphia Handicap, which is set for decision at the Harford course April 27. With Discovery coming along slowly in his training, Head Play may go into the Philadelphia as the starting top weight, and if the track should be muddy he will be very hard to beat, as very few other horses in the country appear so proficient in mud running. A dry track makes a difference to Head Play, but on occasion he bears down very determinedly with the going in excellent condition. Being fractious at the post and starting most of his races from outside the starting gates, Head Play may be caught at a disadvantage in the Philadelphia, whose distance is but a mile and one-sixteenth and permitting only a short run to the first turn. John B. Campbell, new handicapper for The Jockey Club, doesnt think so much of the older horses entered for the Paumonok Handicap in comparison with some of the three-year-olds entered for the dash of six furlongs which features the opening program at Jamaica a week from Saturday. According to the scale, the Brookmeade Stables Psychic Bid, winner of the Hopeful Stakes last year, is the top weight at 116 pounds, which is scale for a horse of this age. Mrs. John Hay Whitneys Singing Wood is considered best of the older horses in the Paumonok by Campbell as his assignment of 126 pounds is four below the scale for a four-year-old. The Greentree Stables National Stallion Stakes winner, Plat Eye, another three-year-old, is . rated only one pound below Psychic Bid. It would not be surprising if both of these colts started as they are now at Belmont Park, and training reports say they are in good condition. Three-year-olds have been frequent winners of New Yorks opening day feature, Sgt, Byrne having scored last year; Mei Foo in 1929; Polydor in 1928; St James in 1924, and Zev the previous spring. Inquisitor and Red River, both three-year-olds, took the first two runnings in 1906 and 1907, while Coquette was victorious in 1915. The Illinois State Racing Commission took action late last June to abolish the complimentary list at all tracks. Arlington Park was the first of these to follow this policy with Hawthorne, Lincoln Fields and Sportsmans Park following, and that it did not. work out successfully is seen in the attitude adopted by the board Wednesday to permit the tracks to do as they please in the matter of passes. Some of the associations may be expected to go back to their former practice of being quite liberal, while others probably will attempt to be more exact about whom they will grant the courtesies of their, tracks. The pass situation always has been Continued on twenty-second page. HERE AND THERE ON THE TURF Continued from second page. a difficult one for race tracks in communities where the complimentaries have been easy to get, but in places where the public has not been accustomed to the free tickets there has been little trouble and the associations have been able to obtain the revenue from the gate which they deserved. The passes are very limited on the metropolitan circuit, while at Santa Anita during the past meeting there were none at all. Of course, in New York the tracks principal hope for revenue is from the gate, but where a mutuel course is able to operate without ducats it should decrease the take in ratio to the amount of money derived from admissions.
