The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1916-06-17
GRAND CIRCUIT
SOON TO OPEN
Close on TO S4OO,OOO In
Purses to Be Given.
BANNER SEASON PREDICTED


ing, Some New Records May Be
Looked Forward To-Tommy Murphy
Out For Record In Purses.
With the opening of the grand Circuit
only a short time off the prospects of
the Poughkeepsie wizard, Tom Muir
ply, sweeping the platter In the rich
trotting stakes of the big ring do not
look as bright as they did at the same
time in 1915, yet advices from the
training camp ON the banks of the his
toric Hudson are to the effect that his
two most prominent candidates for
these events are coming along nicely
in their work. and as both showed
themselves to be right as 2:O5 trotters
last season, Murphy mus be consider
ed a dangerous factor. OF course Peter
Mac, with a mile officially to his credit
In 2:031a, is the most highly tried
trotter ever to be staked through the
big ring, while Mabel Trask, the
smooth going chestnut mare, which
"Long Shot" Cox drove a trial mile in
2O4A, Is another which is enjoying
early season favoritism over the pair
from the Murphy stable.
Last season Murphy had the $4,000
Peter Scott as his dependence for the
rich plums of the major circuit, and
the rough going, bulldog trotter was
the n picked by the majority of the
critics to lead the money winners.
which he did, and set a record for
money winnings for future generations
to shoot at.
The pair upon which Murphy places
his main reliance in the stakes this
summer are Trampright (2:0SA) and
Varko (2:06A, both seasoned race
horses, which have been tried and not
found wanting In the grand circuit
crucible. The former was but a four
year-old last season and won several
races for Murphy on the big ring-in
fact, he won all of his starts, and,
%curiously enough, he took his best
record in a heat in which he defeated
w q hCoo hio INV OloOlC AOi1pdhlOhs
Vanko. The colt was raced over the
half mile tracks in 1914 and took a rec
ord of 2:09H in a trial against the
watch.
After Trampright won at Columbus
last fall Murphy decided not to start
him again, net desiring to take a
chance of getting him out of his class.
TInrrouap of T ayinCton ha oa 70 him
the acid test against the watch, the
youngster going to the half 1:04H and
finishing the mile in 2:05 fiat, the last
half in 1:00A. On another occasion he
trotted a quarter in 0:2S1% which
shows that he has that always neces-
sary Click" one of the prime essentials
of a successful race horse. He is a
small horse, but stout made, and made
but one break in his 1915 races.
Vanko is a Canadian product, and
was one of the best half mile ~trotters
of the past season.
Racing on the half mile tracks is now
on. The rule passed last winter by the
American Trotting association whereby
records taken at meetings up to and
including the week Of July 4 do not
affect eligibility should help these early
meetings. June should be one of the
best racing months in the year, not
only on the minor tracks, but the
grand circuit should be in full swing
before July 1.
The adoption of the three heat sys-
tenn of racing would be a great help
to early training. as a trainer, in start
ing a horse short of work, would know
just how many heats he would have
to race. Under the old three in five
system he might race three and he
might be required to keep at 1t from
noon until dark. At Tif1in last year.
before the opening of the grand circuit,
a field of PAGERS raced nine heats, the
race being stretched out over a period
of three afternoons. if one remembers
rightly. That was a case OF "lmproV-
ing the breed of horses with a venge-
ance.
The following table shows the total
amount already offered for features
from the opening to the close OF the
circuit at Lexington for trotters and
PAGERS, while in sweepstakes the actual
amount of added moneys are only
given:
Trot. Pace. Sweeps.
CInva1aaI q e nO0 60 nO S1hlO