New-York tribune., 1918-10-23
War Cloud Wins and All
Favorites Live Up to
Reputation
By w. J. Macbeth

DoNiltB, IKE WING, III would appear
improves with age. At least, the metro
politan brand of the sport of kings
Up at Empire City track the interest
and enthusiasm keep on apacc the
nearer the seasons string is rung out
The curtain is to be rung down Satur-
day afternoon. And usually the tail
end of the farewell is the Office for
the wise ducks to beat it to cover. Not
so at Empire. The crowds improve
every day.
The class Of the racing at the EN-
pirc City track yesterday afternoon
maintained it's high standard in every
respect Stables that usually devote
This special time to cudgellihg brains
for the hay and oats blls were ell MI
aated from the pictures. The
thoroughbreds continued to run to
FORM. perhaps because they were afraid
to run otherwise under the admins
trat!on that has been attempted in
Yonkers.
There was only one shade of pos
siibllity OF doubt possible in the en-
tire card. And unfortunately that had
to do with the feature race of the
afternoon. Eddie Taplin's ride on
kashnir was anything but salts
factory to the layman, if indeed it was
satisfactory to the stewards. Taplin
may nave been conscientiously bent on
dong his very best for this second
cholce. But If so, appearances belled
the circumstance.
All Bunchcd at Finish
a. K. Macomber's War C'oud. ridden
by the premier jockey, Johnny LOTUS
was the n ru
OF the afternoon War Cloud. a stake
morse IN with a cheap lot, was eagerly
grabbed at the oddson price of to i
ana still, at the. end, the way the race
vas run. a short blanket would haye
covered the field of five at the finish
ANA in that field Kashmir finished
absolutely last. Two adu.t.ona. leA--,n,
would have won him the heat. Three
times during the race Taplin threw
away two lengths in the handling Of
MS mount. Taplin at the start was in
,ccond position from the rail, next to
Lady Gertrude. These two broke in
iit OF the others, apparently with
pien'y or loot to guarantee u good po-
sle1oh against the first turn in this
mile event. But for no apparen. YEA
son Whatever as the field was russ5ng
10 the first bend Taplin took Kashmir
up sharply. He took him up so sharply
that the colts head bohbed back most
to the jockeys snout, and Kashmir
folded from contending position to q
trailing one. Half way round the first
bend Taplin again applied the brakes
to kashmir. This knocked the colt out
OF 1t two lengths more.
Iaplin then took his mount to the
outside and began to move up. He
made an admirable run IN the back
stretcn under an occas onal lash or two
with the whip. But at the crest Of the
high hill at the far turn. for no appar-
ent reason whatever, the horse was
once more taken back. From there he
was taken over the long route, outside
the field, and still he finished right
among the cluster A length spelled
the difference between victory and last
place.
What the stewards intend to do with
Iapin is no part of this story. That
is up to them, and the public has i'm
plicit faith it will be protected. But if
ever there appeared to be deliberate
case of pulling the same might be
charged to the door of Eddie Taplin
in the running of this race. Willingly
OF, unwittingl ly, he did everything pos
mount. And he did it brazenly; the
naked eye could detect his faults.
The time of the race--l:4 Is for
the mile-~convicts itself when such
stake horse as War Cloud is concerned.
Little less impressive than the ride Of
TapNn was the finish of McAtee with
Matinee Idol. Those boys riding down
the stretch looked like a lot of old
shooing q bunch OF chickens
out Of the corn patch.
Easy Race for Alvord
Otherwise Che day was as good as
could be expected. Odds-cn favorites
lived up to their regulations. Alvord,
from an outside position, simply gal
|oped away with the third event, at
about six furlongs, and from a field of
a dozen crazy actors. Ensor crowded
out in front with Alvord at the start
and stayed there all the way, though
he was forced to cut over from the
outside position TO take the rail be
fore the first turn. Alvord finished in
3 common canter
Another one that won quite as easily
was Snapdragon II in the second race,
at mile and 70 yards. This one had
to be pounds the best to win, because
P binson = de like a piece of cheese
For no apparent reason whatever, after
\ laN oraAi> Oreak, noOin ~ took Snap
dragon back before the first turn after
he had most advantageous break and
rallied the field around the first turn.
He lost four or five lengths in the
process and had to race like the wind
up the backstretch to catch the feet
Columbine. Still Snapdragon was
able TO come on the outside and win
IS he pleased. Ninety Simplex closed
with great rush.
One of the big upsots of the day
developed in the fifth race, when koh-
Moor defeated Manster Ioi The
race of the latter against Roamer hal
,emented the belief that this one was
unbeatable by the other two. But
Walls took koh-I-Noor out from the
start and simply laughed at the favor
te all the way. The victory was go
easy that even the dis
appointed had to laugh at it.
Peter won the opening dash at five
and half furlongs. He was outrun
n the early stages but closed with 4
great burst of speed through the
stretch, caught the leaders tiring at
he sixteenth pole and won going away.
Madam Byng tired at tie last furlong.
War Zone, on the race as il was run,
appeared by far the best OF the lot.
He was off poorly, was bumped back
shortly after the start, but still came
With such rush at the end as TO
promise annihiation for all the rest
had he had an even break in the rae
ng luck.
The CONCLUDING race at fva anS "a