view raw text
; i j Here and There on the Turf Seabiscuits Race Creditable Loss of Ground Proved Costly Must Sharpen Up for Match Jacola Unbeaten at Laurel u . Seabiscuit was unable to win his last competitive test before his scheduled clash with War Admiral, but his performance in the Laurel Stakes was a very creditable one. It was the kind of an effort, however, in which both his partisans and the admirers of War Admiral could find favor. That the five-year-old son of Hard Tack and Swing On, by Broomstick, ran brilliantly is demonstrated by no other fact than he forced Jacola to establish a new track record of 1:37 for the mile, shading Jack Highs old mark by one-fifth of a second and that George D. Wide-ners colorbearer was one of the smoothest milers this country has seen. Seabiscuit was beaten less than three lengths so he wasnt so far off the record and he had 126 pounds on his back against 118 on Jack High and 102 on Jacola, the latter 15 pounds under scale. Those who would like to see Seabiscuit win a victory over War Admiral, may take heart because of his fine effort in the Laurel, especially as he successfully turned back every one of his opponents except Jacola and they included numerous fast horses and practically all stakes winners. He also had to run them down after being compelled to lose much ground going around the first turn, a feat many other good horses breaking from the outside post positions have been unable to do in mile races at Laurel. By his effort, the Charles S. Howard veteran at least demonstrated fitness for his forthcoming engagement at Pimlico and trainer Tom Smith wont be required to do so much with him during the next three weeks. The situation with him is not like it was at Belmont this spring when the more Seabiscuit trained the more trouble his knees gave him. Partisans of War Admiral may see in Sea-biscuits race a better chance of victory for their champion. Most everyone expects War Admiral to set the pace in their match and many experts believe that if Seabiscuit is to defeat the Man o War colt or even make Continued on thirty-fifth page. 1 J t 1 p - j 1 j. s t s 1 r B I l J e I. a r 1 e L- l r d 0 e HERE AND THERE ON THE TURF Continued from second page. trouble for him, he cannot afford to permit the latter colt to get very far away from him in the early stages. Seabiscuit didnt display the necessary early speed in the Laurel, or else he might have been the winner. Jacolo broke from alongside of him but had the speed to get a position around the turn and therefore was in greater readiness when called upon for her move. In all his recent races, Seabiscuit has had to come from well back and only in the Havre de Grace Handicap was he able to make enough distance to achieve victory. On the occasion of his match with Ligaroti at Del Mar, however, the Hard year-old had enough speed to go right along , with the fast South American horse, even though he had 130 pounds on his back and: was giving the latter fifteen pounds. The two horses went as a team all the way and the pace was very exacting but nevertheless Seabiscuit finished in the very smart time of 1:49 for the mile and a furlong. Whether or not Ligaroti has as much speed as War Admiral cannot be proven, although Califor-nians think he is as fast as they come. Considering that the Pimlico Special is to be started from a walkup, it is generally expected that Smith will do what he can in the remaining time to sharpen up Seabiscuit and having more than a passing acquaintance with quarter-horse racing he may get the desired results. Even though she returned a good price, Jacola was third choice in the wagering on the Laurel Stakes, an indication that the public had great respect for her capabilities, the three-year-old daughter -of Jacopo and La France, by Sir Gallahad HI., had won the Selima Stakes, and an overnight race at Laurel last fall, and history was just repeating itself as she had easily captured a preliminary event during the first week of the meeting. In her two prior efforts of the year, Edward Friendlys filly with the bad ankles ran a mile in 1:36 and then finished second to Idle Miss in the Ladies Handicap at top weight on the scale. So, with only 102 pounds on her back including Seabis-cuits nemesis, Nick Wall, Jacola had too much in her favor to be denied victory. Coincidental was the easy triumph of her half-brother, Johnstown, by Jamestown in the Remsen Handicap, featuring the close of a highly successful Jamaica meeting.
