view raw text
t n Here and There on the Turf Pompoon Slowed Up in Long Trial To Revive Hawthorne Gold Cup Only One Returns to Form Blue Grass Derby Hopes Dwindle i In preparation for the Wood Memorial Stakes, -which will occupy his attention on Saturday, as well as the Kentucky Derby, Pompoon worked a mile and a quarter, the route of the Churchill Downs classic, in 2:08. If the trial came on top .of the Derby, the ton of Pompey and Oonagh could have been expected to have gone in faster time, but as the Wood is over a considerably shorter distance excellent reason can be seen why trainer Cyrus Field Clarke did not call for greater speed. Pompoon promises to be a top-heavy favorite in the Wood because of the steady manner in which he has trained, plus his convincing victory In the Paumonok Handicap, and if he should win Saturdays stake at Jamaica In the manner expected of him by his numerous admirers he probably will be the same sort of choice In the Derby, regardless of War Admirals triumph in the Chesapeake and what the western-trained candidates may show at Keeneland and Churchill Downs. There Is something about Pompoons workout, however, which may strike a despondent chord among those of his partisans which go into detail as to how a horse should spread out his speed. Jerome H. Louchheims capable colt shortened his stride considerably in the final quarter, which required :27, whereas the previous quarter had taken :256. He went the first quarter in :24 and the second two furlongs In :25M. However, too much attention may not be given the slowness of Pompoons final quarter at this time, because it is the first time he has been asked to go the distance and it would be only natural that he should become tired. If he is unable to display improvement in his final trial over the Derby distance then the time has come for his friends to feel blue about his chances. Until that time arrives Pompoon truly deserves the spot of favoritism he now holds among the Kentucky Derby candidates. As expected, the Chicago Business Mens Racing Association, operators of Hawthorne, Gold Cup, but will renew the Hawthorne under handicap conditions. This m He and quarter affair will be endowed with 5.-000 a added, which should be value enough to Staid "outstanding older horses romother Earts of the country, as well as from the midwest The Gold Cup was not run last vear when the Cicero course raced during the feature being the Chicago May and June, dates come later in Derby, but now that its ihe season it Is only proper that Charles Bdwill and his associates should revive an event that stands so high among the nation7 important contests for older horses affair f the When it was a welght-for-age Gold Cup frequently attracted only a small number of starters, so the conditions were changed to a handicap in the hope that a larger and better balanced field would go postward. Young Dabney C. Harrison, who succeeded his uncle, the late Capt Phillip M. Walker, as the trainer for Mrs. Deering Howe and other patrons, must feel quite pleased in bringing back Only One to score at the first asking after having been an absentee from competition since the autumn of 1935. The son of Lucullite and Orissa, now a five-year-old, took up top weight of 120 pounds and handily mastered six other fast horses over the six furlongs route at Jamaica, winning by two lengths over Clodion, Walter A. Carters three-year-old hope. The latter colt also was making his first start of the season and displayed an effort encouraging enough to his owner and trainer that he should announce that Clodion will be an opponent of Pompoon in Saturdays running of the Wood Memorial Stakes. Grey Golds failure to come back from his recent performance in which he defeated Billionaire and Brooklyn has caused the Blue Grass contingent to attach less Importance to the chances of the Kentucky Derby horses which have trained in that sector. Grey Gold, with none of the advantage at the start he enjoyed in defeating the Bradley team, was unable to keep up with the leaders and only a late burst of speed carried him Into third place back of Old Nassau and Navarre. In his previous two starts at the Keeneland meeting Old Nassau had demonstrated very little ability. Galsuns failure to accept the issue in the event was- a disappointment to the crowd, but trainer Frank Kearns decided It was bet ter not to put the colts races too close together. Billionaire and Brooklyn had their final trials for the Blue Grass Stakes over the private course at Idle Hour Farm, so whether they displayed any improvement will not be known until it is seen how they perform under colors tomorrow afternoon.
