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Here and There on the Turf Fompoon Deserves Titular Honors Won Futurity in True Fashion Count Arthurs Race His Best of Year ;; Discovery Lame After Last Effort Pompoon must be accorded the honor of being the champion two-year-old ot the current season. His victory in the Futurity Saturday was as impressive as it could be, considering that Jerome H. Louchheims col-orbearer carried top weight of 127 pounds and was blocked during the early stages of the , six and one-half furlongs dash, then came away smartly to score by four lengths in I track record time. The Futurity culminated i a highly successful season for the bay son of Pompey himself a Futurity winner and Oonagh, by Friar Rock, even though Pompoon lacked stake engagements. Perhaps it was for the best that the colt did not have any dates from the National Stallion Stakes early in June until the Junior Champion in mid-September, because now- that he has been set aside until next season it can be said that he wasnt strenuously campaigned and retired just as sound as when he started out whilo being a matured and developed horse. Pompoon, which Louchheim purchased as a yearling for ,000 from William R. Coe, can base his claim to the championship on more than his Futurity victory as he lost only one previous decision in six starts, and then only because he was called upon to take up 130 pounds in an overnight handicap when making his first start after a two months rest. Enveloped by horses soon after the start of the Futurity as John P. War came crashing over from the extreme outside, and smacking Privileged, Pompoon was eased back by Harry Richards and then steered to the outside of four horses before making his run forward. Advancing on the inside of one horse, Pompoons silks of orange and white glistened for the first time in view of the crowd when the race was about half over. Continuing to gain willingly under a hand ride, the Pompey colt worked his way forward until he was a length in front with les than a quarter mile to go. With Richards taking no chances as Privileged attempted to range alongside on the inside, Pompoon responded to the whip to continue to draw out until he was four lengths clear and had completed the journey in l:16w. No colt ever won the Futurity with such a splendid display of power, and Pompoon undoubtedly goes into winter quarters as somethng of a favorite for next seasons three-year-old specials. scnsational manner in hhf for the Eastern Shore accounted which he am5j , , also possesses a on W D, HERE AND THERE ON THE TURF .Continued from second page. must be remembered that Pompoon defeated him easily in the National Stallion Stakes this spring. Both colts went into that event undefeated. In the Havre de Grace race the Man o War colt took the measure of Maedic, the Saratoga two-year-old champion, as well as of Orientalist and Bottle Cap, the two best youngsters developed in the West, with the exception of Case Ace. The latter colt was forced into retirement before he had the opportunity to demonstrate to the East the speed and shiftiness which marked his Arlington Futurity victory. When the experimental handicaps of John B. Campbell, Frank J. Bryan and Joe McCarthy are released later in the year, they unquestionably will show Pompoon at the top and it will not surprise the writer if he is rated well above his nearest contemporary. Some observers may say the 1936 two-year-olds are an ordinary lot, but it is very doubtful if they can say that of Pompoon, and he apparently has every right to develop into the same sort of a three-year-old. Philadelphia owners were prevented from making a clean sweep of the three stakes on Belmont Parks closing program when Fire-thorn was unable to start in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. The Sun Briar colt, which apparently was in need of his effort in the Manhattan Handicap, Wednesday, did not come out of that engagement in condition satisfactory to trainer Preston Burch, and Walter M. Jeffords had to rely on Jean Bart and Giant Killer, a pair of average three-year-olds, for his representation in the Cup. They were unable to match the ability of cither Count Arthur or Memory Book, and victory in the two-mile race went to Mrs. J. Hertz colt, whose sire, Reigh Count, was successful in the same event eight years previously. Count Arthur, runner-up to Fire-thorn in the Gold Cup last fall, began the present season in very disappointing fashion, but since being taken over by Lon Johnson he has improved steadily, as have most of his stablemates, and his effort Saturday was his best of the current campaign. Discovery came out of his disappointing engagement in the Havre dc Grace Handicap lame, his owner, Alfred G. Vanderbilt, has informed the writer. The trouble has not been located exactly, but trainer J. H. Stotler believes the ailment has been with the five-year-old most of the season because of the awkward manner in which Discovery warmed up for his races and his failure to show any speed in many of his performances. Because of his condition. Discovery probably will not race any more this season and unless the trouble can be found and corrected the Vanderbilt star will not go into competition again. Should he overcome the ailment. Discovery may be sent to Miami for a winter campaign or put back into training next spring, but a decision cannot be expected for some time yet. Vanderbilt hopes to learn that the trouble was the cause of Discoverys poor races because he wishes to escape the belief that the horse had gotten sour and cunning, as so many of his strain have done.
