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t-------------------------- - -1 Here and There! on the Turf Seabiscuits Impost Highest Yet j 00,000 Handicap Seems Solid J Stagehand Up Two Pounds on j Scale Widener Comparison Awaited j Webb Everetts assignment of 134 pounds for Seabiscuit to carry in the Santa Anita Handicap is more than the horse has shoul-v dered so far in his illustrious career and it may be more than he ever will be called upon to take up by owner Charles S. Howard. Most probably, the allotment will keep Sea-biscuit at Columbia until after Charles J. McLennan mekes his announcement of the Widener Challenge Cup imposts on January 4, although the horse may be remaining at the South Carolina training grounds for such an important reason as the possibility of a special race at Hialeah Park involving War Admiral and such other outstanding thoroughbreds as Lawrin, Stagehand, Pasteurized and Dauber. Even if such a race is staged, the chances that he will be shipped to Santa Anita for the 00,000 Handicap will continue strong. The Santa Anita will be run for the first time next March 4 with the top weight at more than 130 pounds, the arbitrarily fixed maximum for the first four runnings. Whether due to the criticism of several outstanding sportsmen, including John Hay Whitney, during the past year against handicaps with such weight limits or some other reason, announcement was made several months ago that the restriction would be removed from the Santa Anita Handicap. Nevertheless the condition did not prevent the race from attracting 107 nominations and furthermore, War Admiral would have been named, as he was last year, but for the illness of Mrs. Samuel D. Riddle, who didnt wish her husbands famous horse to be too far away from her Philadelphia home. Riddle has had the desire for some time of shipping War Admiral to the West Coast, but there seems no chance of it now. Regardless of what Seabiscuits owner thinks of the Santa Anita weights, secretary Everett has been given a better opportunity of making a more solid handicap out of the race. With an arbitrary maximum, he would j have been compelled to scale down the other leading candidates more sharply than he has done, thereby penalizing those whose records demand that their imposts be low. Even though he did not like the idea of asking Seabiscuit to carry 134 pounds, Howard shouldnt find too much fault with the handicap because Everettrhasnt been lenient with those horses considered the champions most dangerous rivals. That is evident in the assignment to Stagehand of 128 pounds and to Dauber of 124 pounds. In his nose victory over Seabiscuit in the last Santa Anita Handicap, Stagehand carried 100 pounds, six under scale, as the former had one over. Everett holds a higher opinion of Stagehand, as he well might do, but Maxwell Howards colt continues to be rated inferior to Seabiscuit. Seven pounds on the scale separated the two horses last March and the difference in the new handicap is five pounds, representing the weight over the standard assigned the Hard Tack veteran. The horses of the Howards, no relation, finished the 1938 edition of the worlds richest race six lengths ahead of Pompoon, which had up 120 pounds. In the unbeaten field were Aneroid and Amor Brujo with the same imposts, Top Row with 123 and Liga- ConUnued on twenty-seventh vage. HERE AND THERE ON THE TURF Continued from second page. roti with 122 pounds as well as the usual group of horses with forlorn chances. In beating Pompoon six lengths with him so weighted, Stagehand and Seabiscuit really accomplished something. Now, Seabiscuits owner shouldnt object too loudly about Santa Anita weights because his horse can handle 134 pounds much more comfortably than most of the others with their lighter assignments. With so many of the Santa Anita eiligi-bles also entered in the Widener, the weights for the latter race are awaited with increasing interest. The comparison between them will be a factor in determining which of the two events will be selected for some of the other horses. It is unfortunate that the Hialeah and Santa Anita seasons are such that the two winter classics couldnt be separated by a couple of weeks instead of being scheduled the same day as they were last winter and are again for next March 4. If they were spaced, more than one enthusiastic owner could be induced to try for both of the rich specials, even though nearly a week would be required in getting from one point to the other. However, Hialeah offers the Widener on the final day of its meeting and Santa Anita stages its classic on the semi-final Saturday, at a time when its rainy spell usually is at an end.
