The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-04-13

Special Correspondence of Tho sunday Republic.
Washington. d. c.. April 11.-When a
horse trainer OF experience has half a dozen
2-year-olds that are constantly beating each
other. he invariably concludes that his lot
IS ordinary. He never thinks he has a great
one unless one develops a habit OF beating
The others off.
The percentage. however. is IN his favor,
and. measured by It, the 2-year-olds that
have shown at Bennings may be sized up as
an ordinary lot. There are no Ffligranes or
Contestors among them. There may not
even be a Goldfnder.
Morca has beaten Toscan and Toscan has
beaten Morca- Alan has beaten Blue Peter
on three or four lengths. and Blue Peter has
towroped Red knight. Blue and Orange has
won from youngsters that had beaten him,
and Toscan has run Alan to a head.
For actual performance Alan Is the best,
because she has not been beaten, but her
race with Toscan proved that she might be
with a little unfavorable racing luck. If
Toscan had broken running there Is a pos
sibility. some folks think, that he might
have trimmed her.
Norcn and Toscnn Rest.
The hasty assumption Of the dissa tis,ed
hackers of the Hastings colt that he was
pounds the best youngster on THURSDAY. and
would nave won running away with q good
break. has no substantial basis. II Toscan
had been vastly superior TO the Atheling
hily he would have passed her in the
stretch. His muzzle was at her throatlatch
three-eighths of a mile from the finish. but
he did not gain another inch. She stood the
drive as gamely as he, and had quite as
much left at the finish. The truth of the
matter Is tnat the two youngsters are pretty
close together.
Mr. Ross. the purchaser of Toscan. got a
ordinary company at the Eastern spring
meetings. II judicicusly placed, lie Will
soon win back the $1,000 Mr.. Ross paid for
him in a months time. but it is hardly like
ly that he will hold his own in the rich =
year-old stakes. He Is not a colt of great
size. and is not likely TO develop into much
OF a weight carrier. He has a kindly dis
position, however. and has not SO far
evinced a disposition to develop Carroll DIS
habit of running out at the turns. A serious
objection to Toscan Is his straightness on
his pasterns. Experienced horsemen who
have looked him over predict this peculiar
ity will initiate against him when he is
asked to stay over q distance of ground.
although IL will not hamper him in the four
and a half. and five. and five and a half
furlong races he will have TO run in during
the next two months.
blue Peter, q Good Navarro Colt.
In spite OF the fact that August Belmont
made an exception of Blue Peter. when he
priced his 2-vear-olds here and a couple OF
S-year-clds to Father Bill DAILY for a lump
sum of $1,000. Washington turf patrons hold
teEaciously 10 their opinion. formed early
last week. that Toscan is a better colt tEau
the son of Henry of Navarro. Smart horse
men agree will Mr.. Belmont and his train
er. Whalen, that Blue Peter Is the more
promising youngsier. and applaud his judy
ment in desiring TO retain him. Blue Peter
is quite as speedy a colt as Toscan, he is
quite az tall. his conformation is better( and
he hasn't the Hastlng colts defect of
straightness at tire pasterns. Neither has
he the small fee. which Toscan WINS In
common with the run Of the get OF the sue
ceSsful Spendthrift stallion.
Blue Peters feet are big and healthy aid
well grown. They suggest the feet of u
country lad who has gone barefoot Of sum-
mcrs for fourIor five years.
Blue Peter is destined for better things
than four and four and a half furlong races
He will go a distance or fool every smart
horseman in these parts. His easy defeat
by Alan in the first week Of the m citing
does not count. He 1Lss deficient in track
education. and the AthelIng flly. being a
quick reaker, darted away In the first
hundred yards and tiptoed him. When they
tie up again Alan will not have such an
easy time.
Morca and Alan are certainly the crack