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JUDGES STAND by charles hatton LOUISVILLE, Ky., May 3.— The noted sire Blue Larkspur has been reported in a critical condition for several days now. Bob Kleberg only got "Blue" in the division of the Idle Hour horses last fall, you know, and the brown son of Black Servant was 20 at the time. But if this stallion is more or less moribund, the Texan has a splendid young sire prospect coming on in Assault, whom he bred at his vast King Ranch. Many of the pedigree pundits consider Blue Larkspur to be the best "tail male Domino" of late years, with the single exception of Equipoise, whose got have set a world-record average for "earnings per foal" of more than 5,000. Of course it is much too early to speculate at all intelligently on whether or not Blue Larkspur will leave an enduring male line of his own. The notion here is that he may be remembered best as a sire of running and producing fillies. Some of his sons have seemed too gross to train on soundly, but William Helis has rather a nice one out of Miss Blenheim for whom he paid Henry Knight 0,000 at the Spa sales last August. Only a few moments ago, Pres Burch came up from Lexington and enthused that "Bonnet Ann has a really good colt foal by Bull Lea." You may remember that this Blue Larkspur mare was fast enough to carry out Vagrancy in an Alabama and get herself disqualified. Of course, Myr -tlewood is the most famous Blue Larkspur mare, both as a runner and producer, but Olin Gentry has a high opinion of Bloodroot, and Royce Martins Spinaway winner, Our Page, is a prospect. AAA Assault did not much excite the dockers last spring, but he developed a lot of dash about the time of the Westchester and the Pimlico Special, and he amazed everyone at Jamaica one morning this week when he worked a mile in 1:37% over that course. Ordinances Bob Klebergs Luck With Stallions Varies Texan Inbreeds to Ekky Via Assaults Dam Booth Pleased With Valdina Orphan Babes Swing and Sways Son, Saggy , Is Md. Flier 1:38% is the official Jamaica mile mark, but very few races are carded at this distance, because of the short run to the first turn. A few columns back, we ventured to say that breeders might be overlooking a pedigree formula in neglecting to try inbreeding to Equipoise. It is interesting that Bob Kleberg now has a two-year-old filly by Stymies sire, Equestrian, out of Assaults dam, Igual, and both Equestrian and Igual were sired by the turfs "Chocolate Soldier." AAA Willie Booth does not pretend to be a pedigree expert, but he is an able horseman, and he tells us that he thinks William Helis stallion, Valdina Orphan, may have a future as a sire. "I have three of his two-year-olds, and two of them have some speed," says the New Yorker. It is good if scanty evidence. Probably you know that Valdina Orphan is a Texan by Hilltown out of Stepsister, by Broomstick, and that he beat Shut Out for the Dwyer in what was his smartest race. Valdina Orphan isnt the most agreeable stallion at Rancocas, but Booth says that his get are quiet enough in training. Booth fancies that Helis has two nice broodmare prospects in Earshot and the Hannah Dustin winner Elpis, who is by the Blue Larkspur mentioned above. Earshot is another Texan, by the way, and she is by the obscure Petrose out of a Bull Dog mare. Petrose now is standing in Kentuckys pennyroyal district. Were afraid he is by Peter Hastings, and *t is said that he disliked to go much farther than "across the street," but he nevertheless has sired stakes winners in Tropea and Earshot. The filly Earshot now is freshening at Rancocas for summer and fall filly-and-mare stakes, and Booth plans to race a number of the Helis horses at Arlingtou again this season. AAA Belmont patrons may see a better filly in the Fashion, but Calumets Bewitch will do until one comes along. This brown daughter of Bull Lea and Potheen won both her starts at Keeneland. She then won the first of what may be a whole series of stakes in the Debutante. Wright picked up Potheen in the sale of a draft of C. V. Whitney mares for 00, we think, and she foaled tne Lassie winner Theen and the Classic winner Pot o Luck before she produced Bewitch. The spring turf season in Maryland has turned out several good two-year-olds in Whirling Girl, Brandy Punch and Saggy. The colt Saggy set a somewhat dubious world record for four and « half furlongs in the Aberdeen, in which he diluted Brandy Punch so to speak. Saggy is owned by the Baltimorean Stanley Sagner, now has won all four of his starts, and is by the young Equipoise stallion Swing and Sway, who stands at Janon Fishers place in the Free State. AAA Pimlico will offer the first of a series of three Maryland breeders stakes on Monday. Out-of-state breeders disapprove of these homebred events, for reasons that are perfectly obvious to all. The Pimlico Breeders stakes has ,000 added and the race will come from among 67 two-year-old fillies that were made eligible last September. We shall not attempt to guess their present form, but several are recommended by stout pedigrees. For instance, Mrs. Dodge Sloane has a filly called She Dares that is by Challenger II. from the Black Helen winner Pomayya, whom we saw recently at Alfred Vanderbilts Sagamore. Henry Straus has in training a filly by Dauber out of the good producer Ladyinthemoon, dam of New Moon and the luckless Quarter Moon. Either of these could be a filly for whom nobody needs to make any special races.
