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....... ........ . ........... . t Here and There on the Turf Pompoon Impressive in Debut May Race Again Before Wood Jamaica Changes Please Public Thompson Engages Two Riders t. ....... ...... ..............4 Pompoon, which may become the first winner of the Belmont Futurity to triumph in the Kentucky Derby, for which he opened as the future book favorite, distinguished his return to competition as a three-year-old with a hard-earned triumph in the Faumo-nok, the Metropolitan circuits historic inaugural sprint. Thursdays triumph of the leggy son of Pompey Oonagh was brilliantly achieved, because he was called upon to shoulder scale weight of 116 pounds and to run the six furlongs in 1:11, three-fifths of a second slower than King Saxons record for the Jamaica course, to defeat Tintagel by a neck. Marshall Fields four-year-old had the benefit of seasoning through campaigning at Hialeah Park, and the Jamaica course, especially with its short stretch, suited him better than the Florida track, hence the exacting manner in which he tested Pompoon. Jerome H. Louchheims good colt had been in New York hardly a week, coming from training quarters at Columbia, but a flashy workout in which he went six furlongs in 1:1214 satisfied the public as to his fitness and he ruled the choice. Moving up on the turn in the manner of a good colt, Pompoon was lapped on Tintagel as they straightened out for the run home, but it was not until the final sixteenth was reached that the Pompey colt was able to match strides with his older adversary. After a few flecks of Harry Richards whip, Pompoon had Tintagels number and he drew away gradually to enjoy a neck advantage at the finish. Tintagel finished well ahead of Fraidy Cat and the others, and so most of the large crowd which made the Jamaica opening just about the most auspicious in Us history, was Impressed with Pompoons first effort of the season. His trainer, Cyrus Field Clarke, came in for much praise for having the colt in such sharp condition, and it is generally believed that Pompoon will be able to advance to his next engagement, the Wood Memorial Stakes, without difficulty. With the Wood Memorial set for decision two weeks from today, Pompoon has ample time to make ready for the mile and seventy yards distance if he is not up to the effort right now. With the Kentucky Derby coming only a week after the Wood, very likely the Louchheim star will be handled in a manner better fitting him for that mile and one-quarter engagement than for the shorter route of the 0,000 Jamaica attraction. A possibility is that trainer Clarke will elect to start Pompoon again before the Wood in order to give him further seasoning, but he knows his horse, having developed and brought him through a campaign last year that resulted in six victories in eight starts, including the Belmont Futurity, Junior Champion and National Stallion Stakes. Jamaicas numerous changes and Improvements made a great hit with the tremendous crowd present for the opening, and the Metropolitan Jockey Club appears in a fair way to enjoy its most successful meeting in many, many years. The clubhouse practically has been made over, and it is no longer antiquated. Consequently, many clubhouse patrons who have remained away from Jamaica in the past because of the lack of accommodations may be expected to visit the course more frequently hereafter. A general Increase in stakes and purse distribution had the effect of bringing out good fields for the opening and, among patrons and horsemen alike, the feeling prevailed that the "big apple" was more so the "big apple" than ever. Prosperity should reign throughout the remainder of the twenty-one days meeting, even though spell of inclement weather may be encountered. H. J. Thompson, trainer for E. R. Brad ley, has clarified the situation involving Continued on twenty-eighth page. HERE AND THERE ON THE TURF Continued from second page. George Woolf and Basil James as riders of Brooklyn in the Kentucky Derby. He states that Woolf, who has a penchant for riding only in important stakes and does very well when up on a decent mount, has been engaged for the race and that James, leading rider of last year in number of victories will ride for the stable during the Keeneland meeting. Thompson says he may not know until the day of the race who will ride Brooklyn or who may be astride Billionaire, although he plans to have Woolf exercise one or the other in the final trial. Quite possibly, if Woolf reaches Kentucky before the end of the Keeneland meeting, Thompson may use his services in the Blue Grass Stakes, in which both of the Bradley colts are engaged. The western veteran may have a mount in the Texas Derby today, and he can reach Kentucky in a few days via any modern means of transportation.
