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Here and There on the Turf Fans Watch Omaha Today Effort Determines Suburban Status Added Starter Evil Fops Up Again I Bradley Goes to West Virginia Since his easy victory in the Preakness i Stakes, in which he displayed sufficient f speed to have been in a position to go to the front before the end of the first mile, Omaha has been sharpened up for todays renewal of the Withers Stakes. This is only a mile test, and Omaha is favored to win it, even though his trainer, James Fitzsimmons, frankly admits that William Woodwards home-bred colt, by Gallant Fox, from Flam-bino, by Wrack, would be much better off going a, mile and a quarter. The Woodward , colt most likely would not even have been considered for the Withers had the race been scheduled for any track other than Belmont Park, which affords him a long, straight run to the first and only turn, a wide, sweeping one; Upon Omahas performance today hinges the nature of the conversation that will arise between owner Woodward and trainer Fitzsimmons regarding the colts appearance in the Suburban Handicap, Saturday, May 30, in which he would engage Cavalcade, King Saxon, Discovery and other leaders of the older division. If the reigning three-year-old sensation should get by todays f. tussle without being called upon for a terri fic struggle, his chances of starting in the Suburban naturally would increase. A hard race would have the effect of allaying the enthusiasm of his connections. Any calculations Woodward and Fitzsimmons may have regarding the Suburban hinge on the Belmont Stakes which is Omahas next real objectve. Omaha will not be a Suburban starter if his board of strategy believes the effort will hurt his chances for the Belmont, whose value will be four times that of the handicap. Favorable to Omahas chances of accepting in the Memorial Day feature is the fact that the Belmont is not run until nine days later. With the Belmont close after the handicap, Omaha would not be considered for the latter event. As the Suburban is at a mile and one-quarter, it would serve as an excellent stepping stone for the Belmont, which is over the twelve furlong distance, just as the Withers can be used as a tun- ing-up for Thursdays special. The Wood- ward colorbearer is taking a chance in the L Withers today and he can not afford to be I caught in any trouble at any stage of the comparatively short race.. A progressive step was taken in New York racing when the time for closing the entries was moved forward a couple of hours. The : change has enabled racing secretary John B; Campbell to arrange better programs. Now the powers that be in, the metropolitan sport are called upon to, do something more to promote the welfare of racing by abolishing tae added starter evil, the Jatest bitter taste of which was encountered at Belmont Park Thursday when J. P. Smith placed Miss Merriment in the .lineup for the Hollis Claiming Stakes 4png after the regular clos- ; ing-of entries. The daughter of High Time won an easy victory much to the. discomfort of many patrons, who would have backed her hadrthey an opportunity to compare her chances rwith those of others in the field. - The New York State Racing Comission, new edition, has tried very diligently to improve conditions for the public and it will be doing something more for the real supporters of the sport when it rules out the privi- lege of adding horses to stakes after the regular time of closing the entries. A trainer certainly has an idea of starting a horse in a stake a day before the event is scheduled to be run and with the rule in force that a candidate must be named at the regular time of closing, the public would not be thrown into a state of consternation through a late addition to the field. Added starters are not permitted in any other state and the practice works without complaints from the horsemen. The same could prevail on the metropolitan circuit. The new West Virginia State Racing Com-; mission is following the action of other similar bodies in having a representative steward at the tracks under its supervision. As with New York, Illinois and Maryland, the West Virginia commission has appointed a man with much experience in this profession in Thomas C. Bradley, of Lexington. Bradley goes to Charles Town from Aurora, where he has been serving with John I. Ire- land and C. J. FitzGerald. Judge Bradley, a i former mayor of Lexington and sheriff, quit public office to become a steward on the , Kentucky tracks and in later years he has extended his activities to tracks in other states. He has been connected with racing for many years in other capacities as well and is known as the man who paid ?100 for Rustle when that mare was carrying a colt which turned out to be Wise Counsellor. Bradley sold Wise Counsellor as a two-year-old to Frederick A. Burton and John S. Ward for 6,000 and he proved a good purchase for all persons concerned.
