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-------------- Here and There ; on the Turf ; Seabiscuit Best of Year fj ; Stagehand Worthy of Vote ! El Chico Undisputed Leader - Marica Gets Shade Over Esposa k Daily Racing Form has just published its poll of the best horses of the year by its trackmen and handicappers, of whom there is no better qualified group in the country. The writer happens to be a member of this staff, but bows to the superior judgment of his confederates. On the basis of the vote of these experts, Seabiscuit is the best horse of the year" as well as being the outstanding member of the handicap division, El Chico is the outstanding two-year-old, Inscoelda tops the fillies of that age, Stagehand the three-year-olds, Jacola the three-year-old fillies and Marica the filly and marc division. In every respect except the three-year-old leaders, the writer I agrees with his fellow workers. Our choice in J this particular division was Lawrin, even though it is agreed that Stagehand is well deserving of his selection. As a matter of fact, no outstanding, member of the three-year-old division was established during the past season, although Stagehand had ho opposition in proving the best money winner, not only among horses of his own age, but among all in the coun- I try. But after the son of Sickle and Stagecraft had captured the Santa Anita Derby and Handicap and came back following his : illness around Kentucky Derby time, he was I unable in most instances to defend his right j to championship ranking while shoulder- J I ing top weight. He was caught at a dis-advantage when the going was other than fast. The question arose that he was a good weight carrier. On the other hand, Lawrin, our choice, won the Kentucky Derby over horses which later defeated Stagehand in races giving him ample opportunity of proving himself the best three-year-old of the ! season. Perhaps we are wrong, which j would not be new, but the Insco colt appears entitled to the nod in a very close finish. As to the best horse of the year, quite a -discussion has been created. The poll of the experts gives that distinction to Seabiscuit, but it certainly wasnt unanimous. El Chico, undefeated and undisputed champion of the two-year-olds, was generously mentioned as a candidate for honors in this respect and , "War Admiral was suggested by a fair share of the experts. Believing that Seabiscuit had beaten War Admiral in a very fair and square manner, exerting his superiority by the convincing item of courage, the latter was eliminated in our calculations as a candidate for the honor of being the best horse of the year. The field therefore was narrowed down to El Chico and Seabiscuit, but it has been our policy not to give a two-year-old championship rating when a three-year-old or older horse had established a meritorious claim. The comparison between a two-year-old and ah older horse is similar to that of a high school football team and a college eleven. Many outstanding juveniles are failures in later seasons because the demands are so much greater and for that reason, unless a two-year-old is very outstanding, as El Chico undoubtedly was, he would be a choice for championship ranking only if the three-year-old handicap divisions were woefully weak. While there was little to choose between the .three-year-olds, Seabis-, cuit and War Admiral .were standouts among the older horses. Until Seabiscuit look his measure in the thrilling and mem- ! orable match held at Pimlico, War Admiral j was rated as the best of the older thoroughbreds and the writer is thoroughly con- j vinced that he could have beaten El Chico j at six furlongs with both carrying scale weight. The same is believed of Seabiscuit if he had been prepared for such a race. That, however, is a matter of opinion and we stand by ours. Other champions in the Daily Racing Form poll were Inscoelda, Jacola and Marica, but none gained their title by large margins. Inscoelda was given a large majority, but had not the stablemate of Lawrin won the Walden Handicap over such a good colt as Volitant she might not have fared so well in the vote over Big Hurry and Dinner Date. She split the pair in the Selima Stakes, a race well qualified to determine the leading two-year-old filly, but" in which she did not have the best of luck. Only one dissenting vote was registered against Jacola among the three-year-old fillies, that being for Handcuff, but the former would not have gained her rating had she not come along so powerfully during the Laurel meeting. Up to that time, Handcuff definitely had established herself at the top of the division. The closest voting of all was that for the best member of the filly and mare division, Marica getting the verdict by a count of 13 to 12. That was just about the margin between them. Marica easily overshadowed Esposa during the summer, but the former tailed off as the latter came on so that their positions were reversed in the fall. Marica, however, had bad ankles and was: irfetlred comparatively early on account of them.
