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Here and There on the Turf i Head Play Compiles Good Reo ord Dangerous at Level Weights i Roman Soldier Sale Hits Snag Narragansett Ready to Open Enough perhaps has not been written about the remarkable record Head Play has maintained this season Mrs Silas B Masons veteran campaigner having just ac ¬ counted for the Derby Week Special at De ¬ troit for his seventh victory of the year It was his fifth in a stakes event and shot his earnings for the season to well over the 50000 mark The fiveyearold chestnut son of My Play and Red Head by King Gorin has not picked any soft spots to do his winning but has accomplished it at Santa Anita and Bay Meadows on the West Coast and at Belmont Park and Detroit in the East and Middle West He also has per ¬ formed at Havre de Grace and Pimlico but was unsuccessful at these Maryland courses although managing to take second honors in the Dixie Handicap HandicapMost Most important of Head Plays triumphs was accomplished in the Suburban Handi ¬ cap at Belmont Park in which he picked up 114 pounds to run the mile and one quar ¬ ter in the good time of 202 to bring about the defeat of Discovery Only One Identify King Saxon and others Cavalcade was in this field but tumbled his rider at the istart and the Mason camp is not claiming any added honors for their star in this respect ¬ ive However Head Play defeated last sea ¬ sons threeyearold champion fair and square in a mile preliminary to the Suburb ¬ an so Cavalcade has a score to settle with the Mason colorbearer if and when they clash again which promises to be in the formers next engagement the Detroit Challenge Cup a weightforage affair card ¬ ed for June 29 29Altogether Altogether Head Play has seen competi ¬ tion in thirteen events this season only four of which were in overnight contests Under the direction of trainer J Thomas Taylor he began his campaign at Santa Anita and after a slow careful preparation which included defeats in several races Head Play crashed through to his first vic ¬ tory in the San Antonio Stakes which caused him to be well supported in the 100000 Santa Anita Handicap He failed to run to expectations in this contest how ¬ ever but captured the San Juan Capistrano Handicap before departing from the Los An ¬ geles track Moving north to Bay Meadows he made a runaway of the Bay Meadows Handicap and then was shipped to Churchill Downs for a rest In a sudden switch in plans the My Play stallion was hustled aboard a train for Havre de Grace to appear in the Philadelphia Handicap He failed to get anything but did better in his next out ¬ ing in which he finished second to Only One in the Dixie DixieTaylor Taylor had Head Play back into tiptop condition again at Belmont Park and the horse led all the way over the mile route in the race in which he brought about the decisive defeat of Cavalcade Displaying the same form in the Suburban Head Play raced in close pursuit of King Saxons steady pace until reaching the stretch where he ran by the Knebelkamp speedster to triumph by a length and a half over Dis ¬ covery with Only One third At Detroit Thursday the Mason colorbearer was asked to take up scale weight of 126 pounds and to give eight pounds to Stand Pat and two to Azucar which he did nicely in coming from behind the pace in the stretch to fin ¬ ish out the mile and a furlong in 151 de ¬ feating Stand Pat by four lengths The latter had defeated Head Play in the Phila ¬ delphia and Azucar had beaten him in the Santa Anita Handicap HandicapHead Head Play would appear to hold Azucar safe in the Detroit Challenge Cup with both carrying the same impost of 126 pounds but the supporters of Cavalcade and Discov ¬ ery undoubtedly entertain the notion their favorites can beat Mrs Masons star under level weight assignments The son of My Play was in receipt of nine pounds from Discovery when he scored by a length and a half over Alfred Gwynne Vandervilts good colt in the Suburban while he had eleven from Cavalcade in the mile overnight affair in which he defeated that fellow by three lengths However Robert A Smith makes no secret of the fact that he was not as satisfied with Cavalcades condition that day as he was when the Brookmeade ace was sent out for the Suburban In the Challenge Cup which is at a mile and three sixteenths Head Play is to be regarded as a dangerous foe however because he will give an excellent account of himself if in a running mood despite the absence of a weight allowance Mrs Mason is to be congratulated for her sportsmanship in sending Head Play after the race despite the fact that her horse would continue to receive weight from Cavalcade and Discov ¬ ery further down the line lineFailure Failure of William Woodward to ship Omaha out for the Detroit Derby is believed to have been a deciding factor in causing William Sachsenmaier and Phil Renter from accepting the handsome offer made for Roman Soldier by Mrs R B Fairbanks Indianapolis sportswoman who entered rac ¬ ing during the winter Sachsenmaier and Renter coowners of Roman Soldier right ¬ fully may feel that the chance of their colt in todays renewal of the 25000 Motor City special are vastly better with Omaha out of the way and for that reason their good runner is worth more than the amount offered for him Roman Soldier has been a muchused colt this season however and hlsef fort today shbuld how whether or not it is imperative that he be given a long vacation Narragansett Park begins its second year of operation Wednesday when Walter OrHara opens a meeting that runs through July 6 Since the Rhode Island course end ¬ ed its inaugural season last fall many changes and improvements have been made to the plant including the all important construction of new stables to accommodate the added demand for stabling room The beautification scheme has been carried to further completion and the clubhouse has been enlarged to a considerable extent Much work also has been done on the track proper with the idea of making it as safe as possible a matter that will be very pleas ¬ ing to horsemen who are hot so much con ¬ cerned with the speed of the course as with its safety With the peak of spring and summer racing in New York passed with the close of Belmont Park Narragansett Park will draw many good horses from the metropolitan circuit as well as most of the better stables that have been at Rocking ham Park so the patrons of the Pawtucket course should not want for excellent sport
