view raw text
Here and There on the Turf Coventrys Preakness. A Triumph for Duke. Blasted Derby Hopes. Laverne Fators Feat. There was more drama in the running of Ihe 0,000 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Friday than is ordinarily crowded into a whole afternoon cf racing. When Coventry flashed across the finish four lengths in front of Backbone he places the seal of success upon the return of the veteran William Duke from France. When the sen of Negofol raced past the leaders in the stretch and cantered across the finish winner of Marylands greatest race, he made it possible for Gifford A. Cochran to feel the thrill of winning a great stake race, an experience that the New York sportsman has en joyed all too seldom, when the extent of his turf expenditures is considered. But mere than anything else Coventry was able by that brief rush through the Pimlico stretch to justify in a large measure the 40,000 investment made by his owner two years ago in six Xalapa Farm yearlings. That deal was a topic of discussion among horsemen for several months after it was negotiated at Saratoga. Last year horsemen recalled it occasionally with cynical grins as the expensive Cochran purchases proved one by one their lack of top form in competition. Almost everybody had forgotten about Coventry, the son of Negofol and Rose Queen, which did not face the barrier at all as a two-year old. This member of the 40,000 group apparently was such a doubtful quantity, even up to the time when entries closed for the Kentucky Derby, that he was not named for the Churchill Downs feature. When he started for the first time at the United Hunts meeting he finished second and then he was badly beaten in the Wood Stakes at Jamaica last Saturday. It was not surprising that he should have b:en practically ignored by the patrons of the mutuels at Pimlico Friday. But Coventry had been learning his racing lessons in those two starts previous to the Preakness Stakes. William Duke, who was considered one of the greatest trainprs in France when he accepted Mr. Cochrans offer and repatriated himself after twenty six years, was gradually bringing this colt up to his best form. Clar ence Hummers skill was another factor. Whether Coventry would have won if Mc Atce had not been so utterly unable to realize what a suicidal pace he was setting with Harry Payne Whitneys Backbone, mast remain a question, but in any case Kummer kept his head and saved the Cochran colt until he was ready to make his try for the race. When in the stretch the comparatively fre.-ii Cov entry raced past his opponents with ridiculous ease to win in a canter by four lengths. It is unfortunate that Coventry wa3 not named for the Kentucky Derby, but he should have ample opportunity in other stakes to confirm the form which he showed in the Preakness Stakes. In the face of his per formance he must be accepted as one of the good three -year -olds of the year, at least until something develops to indicate the contrary. William Duke has made a wonderful start in his task of rehabilitating the Cochran rac ing fortunes. In a few months he has accom pushed the apparently impossible by develop ing a rich stakes winner, in a stable which he himself considered practically hopeless, after a first examination upon his arrival from France. The Cochran colnrs will no doubt assume im portance on the American turf this year com mensurate in some degree with the position which the owners financial outlay appears to justify. Few racing stables in this country have been fortified with more expensive purchases than that of Mr. Cochran and yet the I success of the establishment under previous trainers has been, to say the least, indifferent. There was an inclination in some quarters to assume in advance that trainer Dukes long absence abroad would make it impossible for him to adapt his methods to American conditions, but his success with Coventry is another indication that fundamentally the training of thoroughbreds must be much the same in all quarters of the globe. Superficially, trainer Dukes methods may appear strange to those who have been accustomed to watching the conditioning of horses in this country, but they are based upon the same principles and have the same ends. As for the results, it seems that they are going to speak for themselves. The Preakness Stakes running appears to have; eliminated from serious consideration sev 1 eral supposedly dangerous candidates for the 1 Kentucky Derby. Swope and Single Foot met with ill luck when they were caught in a , jam and were pulled up. Their showing ae I cordingly may be discounted to some extent. 1 1 , I But even that misfortune could have been overcome if they had been horses of really high class. Chantey, the Greentree Stable colt of which much was expected, also had a little trouble in the running of the race, but he was soundly beaten and it will take nothing short of a form reversal to give him a win ning chance in the Kentucky Derby. Almadel, the Hal Price Head.ey Derby colt, finished third. He was the only western representative in the Preakness and his reputation was enhanced rather than damaged by his showing. While the Preakness Stakes rather over shadowed everything else in a racing way on Friday, Laverne Fators feat of riding five winners out of five mounts at Jamaica must not be overlooked. The Rancoca? rider, fated to play second fiddle to Earl Sande in past years, when both were under contract to the Sinclair establish men., may be expected to make an improved showing now that he is first jockey for the stable. Only one of his five winners on Fri-day carried the Sinclair cclors. The Rancocas Stable will be without the services of the younger of the Fator brothers for some time as a result of his injury in the first race Friday, but it appears that the elder Fator will be well able to carry the burden satisfactorily, if he continues to ride in such rare form. * - - — ! — —
