view raw text
Here and There ! on the Turf i Bold Venture May Go to La- tonia Appears Best Spot for Him Withers Shapes Up Well I Aim of Six Fast Colts J V Brevity may not be able to obtain revenge from Bold Venture in the Withers Stakes, ■which will be renewed at Belmont Park this coming Saturday, because Morton L. Schwartz colt likely will pass up the mile event. If he does any racing at all this week, the son of St. Germans and Possible will do it in the Latonia Derby or Illinois Derby, the former preferably. The former event, which is at a mile and one-quarter, is to be renewed Saturday and the Illinois Derby at nine furlongs will feature Auroras closing program Friday. Added value of the Latonia Derby is 5,000, but an extra ,000 is offered Bold Venture because of having won the Kentucky Derby. In all the years that Matt Winn has offered this bonus to the colt winning both the Kentucky and Latonia Derbys, the double has not been accomplished. The sum of 2,000 is added to the Illinois Derby, an increase of ,000 over last year, when Sun Portland defeated Roman Soldier. Schwartz and his trainer. Max Hirsch, are agreed the next major objective of Bold Venture is the Belmont Stakes, in which Brevity will get his chance to prove his superiority over the Derby winner. That mile and a half classic is set for June 6, but in the meantime Bold Venture has an opportunity of picking up a sizable purse. He is expected to pass up the Withers because he would be at a disadvantage coming back off a mile and three-sixteenths race to run a mile against colts that have, been sharpened up for an eight furlongs test. Omaha tried it last year even with two weeks intervening and was unsuccessful. The Schwartz colt is thoroughly primed for a mile and a quarter effort, the trip to Latonia from Baltimore is shorter than to Aurora and the purse is larger, Latonia appears in line to attract the Kentucky Derby winner and with Ira Hertford riding. The Withers promises a very keen contest ■MM though Bold Venture may not be a participant. Delphinium will go into the race ready to give all his speed and, judging by what he has done this spring, he will have to be caught. Brevity has had two weeks in which to overcome his Kentucky Derby preparation and within another week should be able to display a top effort at a mile. Josrph E. Wideners good son of Sickle and Ormonda does not require as much work as most of his contemporaries, which is making trainer Peter Coynes task easier in bringing him back from a mile and a quarter race to one at eight furlongs. Although Brevity was compelled to race from far back in the Derby because of his slowness in getting into stride, whatever the reason may have been, he is a speed burner of the first magnitude, as was demonstrated in the Florida Derby, in which he led all the way in running the mile and a furlong in 1:48%. Red Rain, C. V. Whitneys promising colt, is another highly regarded Withers prospect. The son of Pennant and Dustemall suffered a narrow defeat at the instance of Delphinium in his first effort of the year and is Continued on ticcntythird page. — — — w __ HERE AND THERE ON THE TURF Continued from second page. sure to improve over that performance. It is no disgrace to be beaten by Delphinium at a mile. Coldstream is another colt that must be considered in the Withers calculations. The son of Bull Dog and Nimble Hoof is a very fast colt and appears a much better miler than a stayer. He displayed a good, even effort in the Derby and over a distance more to his liking Charles B. Shaffers colt may make plenty of trouble. Other Withers prospects of considerable quality are E. R. Bradleys Bien Joli and John H. Whitneys Mr. Bones, with the latter having a sizable following already. Pimlicos meeting, which ended Saturday, was not quite as successful as th-a corresponding term a year ago, but officials of the Maryland Jockey Club do not attribute the decline to any absence of public interest. They continue to maintain that a natural increase in interest has takan place, but Pimlico has suffered too greatly from the cgmpetition for the good horses offered by Larragansett Park and Belmont Park. The opposition of Belmont Park always has been felt at th-a Baltimore course, but Narragan-sett staged its first meeting earlier than usual and took many of the stables that ordinarily would have remained in Maryland throughout the spring season because of being in a position to offer larger overnight purses. As a consequence the Pimlico sport to a great extent has been forthcoming from horses of the cheaper grade, many of which will be found at Hagerstown this week. Patrons of the Maryland tracks are the most sophisticated players in the country and any time a worthwhile program Is offered the attendance shows a sharp increase. Last year during its twelve-day meeting Pimlico averaged 36,000 in the "tote," while during the first fifteen days of th-a sixteen-day meet, which ended Saturday, the average play was 92,235, so a Preak- ness Day handle of 56,000 was necessary to equal the 1935 level and it wasnt forthcoming.
