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,..-------.-... .... ...f Here and There on the Turf El Chico Rated Well Ahead McCarty Grades Two -Year-Olds Not Listed According to Promise j Differences Are Cited l. 4 Joe McCarty, the sage of Saratoga, has come forward with his annual handicap of the two-year-olds, and as well might be expected, El Chico heads the division. It is also customary that Frank J. Bryan and John B. Campbell grade the juveniles, although the former possibly may not undertake the task this year. At the outset, let it be understood that McCarty rates the two-year-olds as such, whereas Campbell, official handicapper for The Jockey Club, releases what is known as the Experimental Handicap, a listing of the juveniles with their promise as three-year-olds taken under consideration. All of these handicaps neglected Stagehand last year, and if Lawrin was mentioned, he was well down on the list, but that was no fault of the experts. Both were insignificant as two-year-olds, although Lawrin did manage to win a race ! or two before his next birthday. El Chico is placed well ahead of the others In. the McCarty gradings with an assignment of 130 pounds, eight over scale and four above ,the next colt, the Belmont Futurity winner Porters Mite. William Zieglers unbeaten flash couldnt win the Futurity because he was not eligible to it. A pound before Porters Mite is Eight Thirty, which finished so close to the western colt in the Futurity after having given El Chico a couple of stern chases at Saratoga, whereupon Johnstown is placed fourth at 123 pounds, three pounds more than Third Degree, which led him home in the Futurity. At scale weight are Challedon, victorious in the Maryland, New England and Pimlico Futurities, and the unbeaten Xalapa Clown, whose best effort was in winning the Ards-ley Handicap and is the number one candidate for the Endurance Handicap at Bowie Saturday. In the same group with Third Degree at 120 pounds are Benefactor, Gilded Knight, Volitant and Lovely Night. Tops among the fillies is Inscoelda as she well might be, considering her score in the Arlington Lassie Stakes, her fine performance in the Selima and her triumph in the ; Walden Handicap, the best of all. In Mccartys figures, assigned 118 pounds or four under scale, she is regarded as the seventh two-year-old of the season, but unlike El Chico, the daughter of Insco and Griselda is not given such a wide margin in her division, as Dinner Date is rated a pound below the Missouri-bred. Dinner Date was second to Inscoelda in the Lassie and also finished behind her in the Selima, in which both were beaten by Big Hurry, a filly notched at 115 pounds, one under the speedy Smart Crack. McCarty makes no mention of Basswood, whose lone winning effort at Pimlico caused some observers to consider her one of the outstanding three-year-old filly prospects for next season. Even though McCartys handicap may have been based purely on what they displayed, we disagree with him in several instances. Porters Mite undoubtedly gained his position because of his Futurity and Champagne victories, both attained over the straight course at Belmont Park. Eight Thirty probably was the better colt, as he demonstrated at Saratoga and his partisans believe the son of Pilate would have won Continued on twenty-third page.J HERE AND THERE ON THE TURF Continued from second page. the Futurity had his training not been interrupted by an injury. As it was, he was charging stoutly at the conclusion of that dash of six and one-half furlongs, his first outing over a straightaway. Challedon is placed below Johnstown, although he had beaten Third Degree in the Pimlico Futurity after the latter had outgamed the Belair colorbearer in the Belmont Futurity. John-town, however, probably had Challedons number at six furlongs. With McCartys handicap at hand, we are anxiously awaiting Campbells Experimental Handicap to see the comparison with how the youngsters are rated as prospects for next season. To our ofttimes dull way of thinking, Challedon, Benefactor and Volitant hold equally as good promise for 1939 as El Chico, because they are expected to improve, while the son of John P. Grier and La Chica attained his peak as a juvenile and mile and one-quarter races might prove beyond him. Eight Thirty, Xalapa Clown, Third Degree, Gilded Knight and Lovely Night likewise gave indications of proving better during the second year of campaigning. El Chico may confound his critics, however, and prove one of the few two-year-old champions able to carry over his speed to the following season when a greater premium is placed on courage and stamina.
