view raw text
---------------------------- Here and There on the Turf Count Morse Shooting for Derby His Half Sister Failed Last ! Year Shows Promise as Three-Year-Old May Revive Blue Grass Stakes i,....,.. ......... .------.--a Accompanied by something of the trumpets blare, Nellie Flag went from Calumet Farm to Churchill Downs a year ago to become the second filly winner of the Kentucky Derby, but history tells us that she was unable to fulfill her mission although she ran a good, game race in the gruelling mile and a quarter test Her younger half ; brother, Count Morse, departs from Calumet today for the Louisville track to see what he can do about capturing Americas most popular horse race for Warren Wright, the Chicago sportsman; but the son of Reigh Count and Nellie Morse, by Luke McLuke, will be leaving his home grounds in unostentatious fashion and probably will arrive at Churchill Downs the same way. He will have only Pharosay, another three-year-old with him, as trainer Bert Williams will leave the remainder of his large band at the farm. Williams has nothing to say whatsoever about Count Morse, except that the colt has done everything asked of him at the farm, his final speed trial being a mile in 1:43, over a six furlongs track. This is about the equal of a mile in 1:41 at Churchill Downs. Back of that eight furlongs effort have been plenty of galloping and slow workouts, and the Reigh Count colt is sufficiently muscled up for hard work. Yesterday he was asked for speed over a shorter distance, as he will run at Churchill Downs, Saturday, in a seven furlongs sprint, and he probably will work out. After that performance in competition Williams may decide to run Count Morse again during Derby week in a longer race. Eddie Arcaro will be at Louisville to handle Nellie Flags half brother in his engagements. Count Morse has the breeding to be a good three-year-old, but he will have to improve considerably over what he displayed in public as a juvenile. However, his connections have a very high regard for him and believe he will develop in keeping with his breeding. His sire, Reigh Count, came to hand late in his two-year-old form to be a smashing second in the Belmont Futurity and take the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes with a fine performance, but he was a much better three-year-old when he won the Derby without benefit of a preliminary race and after overcoming a serious injury he took renewals of the Saratoga Cup, Lawrence Realization and Jockey Club Gold Cup, and as a four-year-old was second in the Ascot Gold Cup and winner, of the Coronation Cup. Nellie Morse, dam of Count Morse and Nellie Flag, was one of the few fillies ever to capture the Preakness Stakes. In seven starts beginning late in August, Count Morse had to wait a month before graduating at the expense of Her Reigh, Snow Fox and similar maidens. Previously he was a factor in sprints won by such competent youngsters as Chancer, Reaping, Sea-biscuit, Kievan and Mad Mahdi. After his graduation effort, the Calumet colt started in the Champagne Stakes and finished fifth, but came out of the race with bucked shins. They recovered sufficiently for him to be used as a workmate for Sun Teddy, which was being prepared for the Futurity, and in that trial Count Morse proved the faster but the task again forced him to the side lines but left no after effects. Sun Teddy gave a fine exhibition in the Futurity in finishing fifth, so Count Morse loses nothing by the comparison. Regardless of what Count Morse does in the Derby, his connections believe he will not reach his peak form until later in the season. A revival of the Blue Grass Stakes is promised by the Keeneland Association in a letter mailed out lo prospective members of the club to be operated in conjunction with the new Lexington track. This event of a mile and one furlong for years was the Continued on tvjenty-third page. HERE AND THERE ON THE TURF .Continued from second page. spring headliner at the old Kentucky association track and annually was regarded as one of the most important preliminaries to the Kentucky Derby. Its last running was in 1926 when Bubbling Over set a new track record of 1:49 in winning off by himself and he went on to take the Derby in the same manner. In its inaugural in 1911 Governor Gray was victorious with Meridian second and this order was reversed in the ensuing Derby just as it was in the 1921 renewal of the Downs classic with Black Servant and Behave Yourself. Donerail was another Derby winner that found the Blue Grass Stakes a convenient preliminary, although a second to Foundation was the best he could get in the latter race. No announcement has been made as to the conditions of the proposed revival of the race, but it probably will be over the same distance with the added value likely to be as much as 0,000.
