New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-04-11
BY O'NEIL SEWER.

Herbert l.. Pratt's stout distance run
ming four-year-old Star Gaze made
some turf history by winning the
Merchants and Citizens Handicap and
the Saratoga Cup, two of the most pop
ular races of the Eastern calendar, de-
feating Lahore and San Vega in the
first named and San Vega and Flying
Fairy in the cup.
The success Of the Son Of Star Shoot
Lyndall so elated Mr.. Pratt, whose con-
nection with racing had previously
been confined mainly to the sportsman
like enterprise at Piping Rock, that he
authorized his trainer, James Fitz-
simmons, in September to buy half
dozen yearings for his account. that
he might take up the game on more
extensive scale this year.
The spring and summer sales were
over and Fitzsmmons was not able to
find six yearlings TO his liking, but he
managed to get hold OF quartet of
well bred youngsters Of good physical
appearance, and in these four, two
colts and two FLIES. Mr.. Pratt pos
sesses a two-year-old string of better
than average promise.
They are Socony, chestnut colt by
McGee-Any Day; DR.. LAB, bay colt
by Ormondale Roman Gold; Maifou,
a chestnut FLY by Hastings-Cathay,
and Besslieu, bay filly by Orslni-
Rose of China.
Faith in His Colts.
DR.. Fab and Socony showed more
foot in their yearling trials last fall
than did the FLIES, and in testimony
Of his faith in them Mr.. Pratt has
named Socony for the Juvenile, keene
Memorial and Home Produce stakes.
three of the best two-year-Old specials
that will be decided at Belmont Park
this spring and next fall, and DR.. ZaD
and Socony for the Hopeful, Grand
Union and United States Hotel stakes
at Saratoga Springs.
Moreover, DR.. Fab is in the Bouquet
Stakes. one of the minor specials of
the Belmont Park spring programme, by
himself, and Mr.. Pratt has taken three
subscriptions in the Grab Bag Handi-
cap at Piping Rock and one in the Sara
toga Special. Two of the subscriptions
in the Grab Bag were taken for DR..
Zab and Socony, the other for Maitcu
At first glance this would seem rather
an ambitious campaign for a man with
only four two-year-olds, but Fltzslm-
mons, who is training the big end Of
the Quincy Stable, that will race in the
East this year, as well as the horses
of Henry J. Morris and one or two
other sportsmen, who go in for racing
on a modest scale, thinks mighty well
of Socony and DR.. Zab.
There Is not, in fact, a better looking
colt in Fitzsimmons's big stable than
Socony, whose sire, McGeen, has been
brought into prominence in the course
of the last three or four seasons by the
performances of Horror, Sharpshooter,
Robert Bradley and Kewessa.
Socony a Well Bred Colt.
Purely English on his sire's side,
Socony inherits the best American
blood through his dam. Already he is
close to 10 hands 3 inches tall, and
his weight is just under 1025 pounds.
He has a well poised head, a sturdy
front, the quarters of a distance run
ner and excellent coupling; his bulk
is upheld by the cleanest and best
musced of legs, and his carriage Is
graceful and easy, He is a first rate
doer, but he does not carry superfu-
Gus fat, and Fitzsimmons believes he
will keep his flesh under hard training.
No effort will be made to hurry
either this colt or his stable compan-
ions to the post in Maryland, the Grab
Bag at Piping Rock being their OBJ
jective, but they will race as they come
to hand, and it is highly probable that
fn11r mill tbov, ha
fore the finish of the Belmont Park
spring session.
DR.. Zab does not suggest his sire,
Ormondale, the Futurity winner of
1905. He hasn't the range of the last
of the Ormondes. He is close
coupled youngster, with well-sprung
ribs, q short back and fetching shout
ders and quarters, while his legs look
as If they might sustain him many
seasons. DR.. Zab is well connected on
his dams side, for he is of the family
of Textile, as good horse as the late
William 0'Brien Macdonough bred at
Ormondale Farm, in California.
Maifou Is a Hastings all over, which
is to say she is compactly made and
active. She fairly revealed in the snow
at Gravesend early in March, and it is
a good guess that Fitzsimmons will
have her at the races before the
horses got away from Maryland. I
Besslieu is a miss Of some heft, and it
is improbable that Fitzsimmons will
hurry her.
Star Gaze for a Distance.
The racing of last season demon |
strated that Star Gaze, full brother !
to both ETHEREAL and Undaunted, was
intended for distance running, and for
the distance races OF the coming sea-
son he will be pointed. He has win
tered satisfactorily, and was galloping
at a two-minute clip early in March. /
He may race a time or two at PimlicO
and Belmont Park, but his first impor-
tant appearance will be in the Brook /
lyn Handicap. After that he will be
trained for the Empire City, Saratoga
and Merchants and Citizens handicaps
and the Saratoga Cup.
Star Gaze is hardly first class, in
spite Of the fact that he beat Buckhorn
at AQueduct last summer, but he is not
a horse with which the topnotchers can
take liberties, especially when the go
ing is muddy.
Razzano May Improve.
Razzano, the only three-year-o of
the Pratt string, has taken on about
100 pounds over winter and is gallop-
ing satisfactorily. Fitzsimmons is not
without hope that he will make a use
full distance runner, and when il is
remembered that the black son Of Per-
juicio and Maid of the Mist finished
close at the heels Of Sharpshooter and
well in front OF Double Eagle, Pebbles
and half a dozen other smart young
sters in the Potomac Handicap dis
lance one mile), at Laurel last October,
and then went over IN pimlico and