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New York By Bob Horwood Vertex Finally Arrives as Handicapper Son of The Rhymer Richly Deserves Honor Cohoes Appears to Be His Old Self Again JAMAICA, L. I., N. Y., May 6.— We imagine that trainer Joe Piarulli must have scanned the weights for Saturdays 5,000 Grey Lag Handicap with mixed emotions. The 130 pounds assigned Brunetti and Piarullis Vertex, a jump of six since his victory In the Campbell Memorial at Bowie, probably was a pound or so more than the former schoolteacher would have liked, but at the same time it means that Vertex has finally "arrived." Jimmy Kilroes estimate of the son of The Rhymer puts an official stamp on his achievements, which up to now have not quite sparked the imaginations either of the public or of horsemen. We well recall Johnny Neruds disappointment last fall when Gallant Man was retired shortly before the Pim-lico Special and his conviction that the blocky little son of Migoli would have no trouble handling Vertex. Nerud had not long before saddled Joe Schmidt to finish a good third to Vertex and Bardstown in the Trenton Handicap and he knew that Gallant Man could run away and hide from that horse. What he didnt know, nor did anyone else until last winter, was that Vertex won the Trenton under circumstances that would have made most horses stop before they had gone a quarter of a mile. The first reaction we heard to the Grey Lag weights so far as Vertex is concerned was, "Where does he go from here?" Meaning that a victory on the week end would soon see him "carrying the grandstand." That doesnt necessarily follow, as handicap weights depend on the competition which promises to become considerably more severe in the stakes ahead, such as the Metropolitan and Suburban. Greentree Stables Cohoes indicated on Monday that he has come back to the races at least as good as ever, and possibly quite a bit better. If the son of Mahmoud should win the Toboggan and Carter, he will probably not be too many pounds below Vertex in the Metropolitan. And Carleton Palmers Tharp, who was one of the better three-year-olds in England last year, now looks and acts as though he may be a serious factor before long. The invader may be ready for the Carter and has the Metropolitan on his agenda. Rate Piano Jim Light Threat As for the Grey Lag, we will be surprised if Vertex is troubled too much by Walter M. Jeffords Piano Jim, Windfields Farms Grey Monarch, Krestwood Farms Bing Bang and Howell E. Jacksons Cross Channel, who are his only definite rivals at this writing. Piano Jim demonstrated excellent form in Maryland, but has seemed from this corner to be no better than "useful." Grey Monarch finishes most of his races with a powerful rush, but one that is "too little and too late." Victories by Bing Bang or Cross Channel would be more surprising than was Manassa Mauler in the Wood. Mrs. Ada L. Rices Talent Show, who may come up for the week-end stake, seems only slightly superior to Piano Jim. Yesterday afternoon, Hirsch Jacobs was literally bubbling with enthusiasm for Promised Land, who had been under saddle for the first time that morning in about six months. "He looks better than Ive ever seen him," Hirsch said, adding, "his legs are cleaner. Hes come back sound before after having trouble; in fact, I was going to turn him out on the farm when he was a three-year-old, but his legs never looked as clean as they do now." Jacobs recently showed us the last X-rays taken of the ankle Promised Land injured last fall and the plates were clean. Promised Land will not be ready to return to the races before the Saratoga meeting in August, but there are plenty of stakes ahead of him in the fall. Dont Count Our Dad Out It might be premature to discard Our Dad as just another bubble because of his bad race in the Derby. Jacobs tells us that daughter Patrices colt suffered badly from his sore shins, while jockey Pete Anderson said he stumbled several times on the way to the post. You know. Stymie passed up the Derby because of sore shins, then was beaten a country mile in the Preakness. He came back to be third in the Shevlin, but was up the track in the Dwyer. You also know what he went on to accomplish later that year. By Tuesday morning. Our Dads shins had almost completely recovered. Because of this infirmity, the son of Palestinian will probably not be too dependable for at least a year, but he can run when right. Before jumping to the pardonable conclusion that the Kentucky Derby is above and beyond the rules of racing, the millions who clearly saw Sword Dancer repeatedly bumped by Tomy Lee might remember that there has never been a disqualification in either the Preakness or Belmont Stakes. And there has only been one disqualification for fouling in the much longer history of the Epsom Derby. That came in 1913, when Craganour was taken down in favor of the 100-to-l shot Aboyeur, after which responsible writers stated flatly that the original winner was the victim of his owners extreme unpopularity. No one has, to our knowledge, suggested that "anything goes" in the Preakness, Belmont or Epsom Deiby. We doubt that it has been the case with the Kentucky Derby and feel that this year the stewards acted according to their best judgment in a hairline decision.
