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Here arid There on the Turf Rosemont Impresses in Debut Is Preparing for Preakness Phillips High on Mantagna Accident Halted Special Agent . Another leading three-year-old prospect reached the races in first class condition .Thursday when Rosemont performed in very creditable fashion at Havre de Grace. The son of The Porter and Garden Rose, owned by William DuPonts Foxcatcher Farm, quit juvenile campaigning last fall with a very clever victory in the Eastern Shore Handicap, and a second in the Hopeful Stakes to his credit. The Delaware sportsman decided not to make a bid for the Kentucky Derby with Rosemont, and did riot nominate him, but he instructed trainer R. E. Handlen to prepare the colt for the Preakness, with the Belmont Stakes as a later objective, and his race Thursday was part of the schedule being followed in fitting him for the historic Pimlico stake. Rosemonts performance was such that connections of leading Kentucky Derby candidates may be very thankful he is not in the Churchill Downs special. With 116 pounds on his back, at least five more than carried by any of his nine opponents, Rosemont followed the pace set by the speedy Nautch in very close attendance until reaching the stretch, where he wore down the fIowe Stable colt in a long drive. Nautch had been seasoned by several previous efforts this spring and was in a position to test, Rosemont thoroughly, which he did. That Rosemont was able to defeat Nautch in the manner in which he did is ample evidence ,that the Foxcatcher colt has returned to the races in first-class condition and must be considered a serious threat for the Preakness and Belmont Stakes. While his distance running has never been tested, there seems little doubt on the part of his connections that he will be able to carry his speed over the longer routes. George Phillips, who has done very well ayUh the horses in the Maemere Farms Stable since that establishment came into feeing a year or so ago at the instance of pewitt Page, Connecticut sportsman, believes Mantagna. will be a hard horse to beat in todays running of the Wood Memorial Stakes at Jamaica, even though that colt has not been mentioned by the experts in the same calculations with Today, Psychic Bid, Plat Eye and Omaha. In his final preparation for the Wood, Mantagna worked over the Jamaica course and his exercise boy had all he could do to hold back the son of Sweep and Natica to a mile in 1:43. Phillips is confident Mantagna, which he purchased for the Connecticut sportsman early last fall from Joseph E. Widener, has improved so much that he is as good a three-year-old as there is in the country. His judgment will be amply tested this afternoon in the Jamaica feature. Mantagna was a disappointment in his racing under the Widener banner last summer, but he went right to winning after moving into the stable presided over by the veteran New Orleans horseman. During the winter at Hialeah Park he raced in very creditable fashion despite unsoundness and in the Florida Derby the son of Sweep ran second to Black Helen. Then in the Derby Consolation, a 55,000 added event staged at ,Tropical Park, he toyed with his opposition as he raced to an easy triumph. Phillips thinks Mantagna is far better now than he fwas in Florida and that over the longer routes, such as the mile and a quarter of the Kentucky Derby, he will be even more formidable than the middle distances. A peculiar accident which occurred several weeks ago at Columbia is keeping the Brookmeade Stables Special Agent out of the early stakes for three-year-olds. Special Agent was working one morning over the Columbia course in company with Young Native and Psychic Bid, when another horse broke away from alongside a pony and .wheeled in front of the Brookmeade trio. The riders of the latter colts were called upon to pull up their mounts sharply, and in the scramble Special Agent grabbed his quarter. The injury was not serious and is not expected by trainer Robert A. Smith to have any lasting effects, but it was sufficient to force the son of Sir Gallahad III. arid Malvina B. into temporary retirement and prevent his participation in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and other spring stakes. He was up to a fast mile workout when the accident occurred. Special Agent has just resumed galloping and he will be made ready for the Belmont Stakes, richest of Americas three-year-old specials, which is scheduled for decision on June 8. He already possesses a good foundation in his training, and has been walked steadily since his accident, so Smith believes he will be able to ask the colt for speed work before very long. With the Belmont more than a month away, Smith has no doubts but what Special Agent, whose best race last year was in the Arlington Futurity, in which he was a close third after a poor will be able to accept the issue in f;etaway, he mile and a half attraction. Very probably the colt will see competition at short distances before them, likely in the Withers Stakes. Meanwhile, Psychic Bid is the Brookmeade Stables principal hope in the Derby and the Preakness. 1 The inaugural meeting of the Eastern Horse Racing Association at Suffolk Downs, which is now in the construction stage, will be about thirty days in duration. Officials of the new organization do not wish to have any conflict with Narragansett Park and it is believed the session will start about Monday, July 8. The first meeting at the Paw-tucket course closes Saturday, July 6. While the Suffolk Downs people would be very happy to have Fourth of July, they do not wish to jeopardize New England racing with any conflicts. It is their belief that a track bo close to Boston will prove successful in spite of the fact that no holidays are available. In view of the prosperity, enjoyed by Rockingham and Narragansett Parks last season, this appears eminently the truth. I
