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Here and There j on the Turf j i Sickle Tops Sires Again j Brother Is in Second Place j Insco Newcomer Among Leaders j Wise Counsellor Stands Well ! v Nothing can happen during the few remaining days of the year to prevent Sickle from being the leading sire of 1938, dupli-eating the honor he achieved two years ago When Brevity and Reaping Reward were his .outstanding performers. With the strong - aid of Stagehand, which alone contributed about half of the more than 25,000 in earnings of his sons and daughters, Sickle is more than 00,000 ahead of his nearest competitor, Pharamond II., and, by the way, his younger brother. Both are sons of Phal-aris and Selene, by Chaucer, the one owned by Joseph E. Widener and standing at El-mendorf, Pharamond U. at Beaumont Stud. Three-fourths of the latter belong to Hal Price Headley, the remainder to Christopher J. FitzGerald. Pharamond II. holds a slight advantage over the up-and-coming Insco, but he is not likely to be displaced. Without Stagehand, Sickle undoubtedly would be down in the list, although still in the first ten, because altogether his get have won well over 100 races, placing him fifth in this respect. The Widener stallion took the lead during the first three months of the season when Stagehand won -the 0,000 Santa Anita Derby and came back a short time later with his thrilling and, sensational triumph in the 00,000 Santa Anita Handicap. During the summer Stagehand wasnt able to contribute so much to the total earnings enjoyed by his sire, but others of Sickles sons and daughters, headed by Cravat, kept busy. Sickle was imported a few years ago by Widener in a deal with Lord Derby, in which Stefan the Great was returned to his homeland, the Philadelphia sportsman having an option on the horse which he subsequently exercised, paying, it is reported, 00,000. Pharamond II. hasnt been quite as flashy as his elder brother, but he has come up the ladder steadily, having been seventh on the list in 193G and fourth last year when Menow, his best son to date, topped the two-year-olds with his Belmont Futurity victory. Menow was Pharamond II.s best representative this season, although he went out of action in early fall in the Havre de Grace Handicap. This speedy colt did his best collecting in the 0,000 Massachusetts Handicap, in which War Admiral went unplaced for the first time in his career. The Pharamond II. horses didnt win quite as many races as Sickles get, but they were in the money on more occasions. Needless to say, the books of both of these horses for next season were quickly filled, even though a stud fee of ,500 is asked for each one. Insco, with a fewer number of performers j than any of the leaders, is a newcomer in the high places, mostly because of the efforts ,of Lawrin and Inscoelda. The son of Sir Gallahad IH.Starf light, by Sunstar, she a sister to North Star III., a leading sire himself not many years back, stands at the Kansas farm of his owner, Herbert M. Woolf, who had to establish the horses record almost entirely through his own breeding operations. Insco has come up so smartly because of the splendid ability displayed by .Lawrin, Inscoelda and others, that numerous outside breeders contemplate shipping mares lo his court next spring. Located in Kentucky or one of the other breeding centers, Insco would have a better chance, but Woolf wants him where he can see him, and he has assembled a promising band of mares. All of the other sires in the first ten are familiar figures, Bull Dog being fourth and Stimulus fifth. The Porter, leader a year ago, was right behind Stimulus at the last accounting and might supplant that horse in fifth position. Next in order are Man.o War, Wise Counsellor, Pennant and Hard Tack, the last-named being in the group only because of the exploits of Seabiscuit. In the next ten are a pair of newcomers, Challenger II. and Jamestown, the former due to Challedons fine work in the two-year-old division, and the latter because Specify and Johnstown did so well. Both appear to be coming, sires and may enjoy higher ratings a year hence as some of the older stallions, such as the dead Pennant, drop out. Wise Counsellor, whose get won the most races in 1937, again holds that distinction, but by a wider margin. He beat Reigh Count by two last year, but is more than a score ahead of that horse and Transmute, his nearest rivals.
