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Here and There on the Turf King Saxon Not Discoverys Peer May Settle Case in Suburban Identify Good Buy for Vander-bilt Washington Park Renovated t King Saxon continued his remarkable winning record by taking the Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Saturday, outgaming Singing Wood, Only One and Discovery in a driving finish. Under an impost of 118 pounds, the four-year-old son of Saxon and Poltova, by George Smith, which C. H. Knebelkamp acquired out of an ordinary claiming race, gave weight to all of his eight opponents except Discovery and Ladys-man. He was in receipt of two pounds from the latter and nine from the Alfred Vander-bilt star" and it is questionable if he gave the son of Display and Ariadne a nine-pound beating. The Metropolitan wasnt run just to suit Discovery or he might have been closer up at the finish. However, the race gave John B. Campbell much to go on in arranging his weights for the Suburban Handicap, for which King Saxon, Discovery and Cavalcade appear the leading candidates. A bold free-runner, King Saxon was able to move right to the front in the Metropolitan and he held the lead to the end under careful rating from Cal Rainey. Both Singing Wood and Only One were on top of the pace all the way and had no excuses, whereas Discovery was blocked on the inside in the early stages and attempted to baar in towards the rail when making his run on the outside through the stretch. Discovery always has had a fondness for racing near the inner rail and he wanted to, do so in the Metropolitan, but he didn!t get his wish and: was beaten, although putting up a fine, courageous effort. Many observers are satisfied King Saxon is not the superior of Discovery at level weights at one mile, judging them both by what they did in the Metropolitan. All the more interest will be attached to the Suburban renewal because of the outcome of the Metropolitan. Had Discovery taken the mile test, King Saxon would have been eliminated to some extent as a talking point for the mile., and a quarter special j scheduled for Memorial Day. Some doubt exists as to King Saxons ability to hold his speed over the longer distance, but Knebelkamp is well satisfied the longer route will not find his star at a disadvantage. He is a colt that can be rated to a certain extent, but in most of his races he has found it necessary to go" to the front and the longer the races in which he participates the more apt he will have to take up the pacemaking role. Unable to win the Metropolitan with Discovery, Vanderbilt had the pleasure of taking the Granite State Handicap at Rockingham Park with Identify, which gave the master of Sagamore a Toboggan Handicap triumph early in the week when Discovery was unable to come through under his burden of 130 pounds. Identify led all the way in the Granite State, to score handily, Continued on twenty-seventh page. HERE AND THERE 0M THE TURF Continued from second page. and his performance was such that Vander-bilt and his able trainer J. H. Stotler probably wished they had kept him at Belmont ; Park to be a funning mate for Discovery in the Metropolitan. He might havc-changed "" the complexion of the latter event by running along with King Saxon in the early stages. As in the Granite State in which his weight was 108 pounds, Identify would have gotten into the Metropolitan under light weight. i Identify has proven a most fortunate acquisition for "Vanderbilt, who obtained him at Pimlico last fall from Morton L. Schwartz through the claiming route for ,500. He more than paid himself out in the short time left before the end of the season, run- ning second to Thursday in the Riggs Handicap, and then accounting for the Prince" George Autumn Handicap. This spring the four-year-old son of Man o War and Footprint, by Grand Parade, began his campaign in the Harford Handicap, which was won by his stablemate, Dreel. He also was un placed in the Philadelphia Handicap, but he flashed improvement to run Ladfield to a nose in an overnight handicap at Pimlico,. following that effort with his imposing success in the Toboggan. The end of his usefulness does not appear in sight. Early visitors to Washington Park, whose thirty-one day meeting will be inaugurated Saturday, have found a complete transformation in the plant constructed by Thomas E. Bourke, and operated through some good and some lean years by the American Turf Association. With a feeling of confidence, in the outlook for Chicago racing, the new owners of Washington Park have gone to great expense to make the changes they felt were necessary to put the plant in first-class condition. Much repair work was. done and all the buildings were painted. Formerly the clubhouse and grandstand were almost entirely taken up by boxes, but many of these have been taken out to make way for ordinary seats. New approaches to the clubhouse boxes and seats were constructed, while the betting arrangements in both enclosures were reversed from what had been the case formerly. Other improvements included the installation of an all-electric totalizator and a new. loud-speaking apparatus, also new wagering accommodations at the top of the clubhouse and one the mezzanine floor of the grandstand. In connection with the public address system, a microphone will be placed in the starters stand, so the public will be able to head that official as he tells the jockeys and his assistants what to do. A club similar to the Turf and Field in New York, Post and Paddock at Arlington Park and the Los Angeles Turf Club has been organized and , separate quarters have been set aside at the Homewood course. Another building may be constructed for the use of the club next year. The many changes in the track, plus the arrival of many prominent stables, have given the Chicago racing public something to look forward to, and a tremendous attendance is expected Saturday.
