The New York herald., 1922-08-06
STANDARD RACES
RARE This SEASON
Only Twenty Winners Carried
Weight for Age at One
Mile or More.
TURF TESTS NOT SEVERE
Enob's Mile in 1885 4-5 With
118 Pounds Up the Fastest
Thus Far This Year.
BY GURNEY G. CUE.


metropolitan race tracks. The time was
when American turfmen looked upon
race at a mile as being to short to test
the powers Of high class horse, but
with the steadily growing tendency to
cut down the distance run we are fast
approaching the point where dash of
= mile will be known as long distance
race. Racegoers of to-day, indeed, often
give this distinction to contest at
mile and quarter. And in hailing the
conquering hero OF some popular ham
dicap they sometimes seem to forget
whether he carried weight for age or
only feather like ninety-hv pounds.
Examination OF the records Of 449
races run during the four meetings at
Jamaica, Belmont Park, Aqueduct and
the Empire track reveals just twenty in
which the winner ran a mile or farther
with scale weight up. This reckoning Is
based upon a liberal construction OF the
term scale weight, for it includes such
performances as that of Prudish in the
Coaching Club Oaks, where the winning
three-year-old Ally carried only Ill
pounds. Under the rules she ought to
have carried 122 pounds In a race ex-
cIusively for three-year-olds, but in
race for all ages her impost might have
been as low as 100 pounds. hence her
performance is deemed to be up to the
standard.
Belmont Parks Top Place.
Just two standard performances took
place at the Jamaica meeting that
opened the local racing season in May.
The one that followed at Belmont Park
in June resulted in twelve such per-
formances showing pretty clearly that
whatever may be its rank as compared
with the old Coney Island Jockey Club
and earlier organizations the West
chester Racing Association is in a class
by itself among present day sponsors
for racing In New York and vicinity.
Nineteen days of racing at Aqueduct
yielded five standard performances,
while the recent meeting at Empire
City Park added one more to the list.
Among the horses that scored these
noteworthy performances Exterminator
and Grey Lag stand out conspicuously.
The seven-year-old gelding took UP 1873
pounds and won in 152 2-5 at mile
and a furlong In the Bayside Handicap
at Belmont Park on June 5, and eight
days later carried 135 pounds to victory
In the Garden City Handicap, running
the mile and sixteenth in IA. Then,
with only two days Intervening. he won
the Brooklyn Handicap at mile and
furlong. lOlning the distance in / so
with 135 pounds on his back.
Grey Lag. the great four-year-old
that forced him out to a head on this
occasion. and with 126 pounds up, is the
one other horse that won three races
up to the standard In weight and dis
tance. In the Centerport Handicap at
Belmont Park on June the son OF
Star Shoot took UP 126 pounds and ran
a mile in :36. winning easily" so THE
NEW YORK HERALp's racing chart said.
In the Queens County Handicap at Aque-
duct on June "a he carried 127 pounds to
another easy victory at mile, running
In ;3s. And In the Empire City Handi-
cap at a mile and a furlong on July S he
ran the distance In :54 with 1872 pounds
up on an oval track where he had to
round two turns.
There was one horse that carried more
weight than Exterminator did in any Of
his winning races on metropolitan
tracks. This was Excuse Me, the three
year-old son of Meridian. that won the
lightweight Handicap at Belmont Park
on June 10 under the staggering burden
OF 148 pounds. He ran the mile in
al 3-5 with an amateur rider up.
snob's Fast Performance.
The fastest mile OF the season with
weight for age up was run by Snob in
the historic Withers Stakes on May 81.
Carrying 118 pounds the three-year-
son OF Prestige stopped the official watch
at :35 As on this occasion. AS early
as May Is, on muddy track at Ja
maica, this colt ran a mile in 80 3-5
with III pounds UP in winning the
Stuyvesant Handicap. Whskaway. an
other three-year-old that gained great
distinction by defeating both Snob and
Norwich in the Carlton Stakes at Auue
duct, never beat Snob's performance in
the Withers. His time in the Carlton
was ! :36 3-5. but he carried only 1Os
pounds--six less than weight for age
while the other colts carried 123 In
purse race at Belmont Park on June
14~ Whiskaway ran a mile in Il :37 2-5
with lit pounds up, and this was per
maps his best performance Judged Nv
time and weight but he had no heavily
weighted celebrities behind him in This
race to attract attention. Neither had
Many Smiles. three-year-old daugh-
ter of Harmonicum. when she won the
Ladies' Handicap with 113 pounds up.
Mad Hatter's feat in the Metropolitan
Handicap stands out among the brilliant
performances of the spring season.
judged by time and weight. The six
year-old son OF Fair Play picked up
l29 pounds on May 90 and ran the mile
In :36 3-5 at Belmont Park.
Unless have overlooked II, not n
single standard performance at a mile
and quarter was recorded during the
spring season, and there wero but two
at greater distance. These were Pill
lory's mile and three eighths in 2:1s3-5
with 126 pounds up in the Belmont
Stakes and Prudish's far less mcritori-
Gus performance at the same distance
IN the Coaching Club Oaks She carried
her III pounds to victory In 2:1s rs.
Several other three-year-olds carried
weight for age in winning races at n
mile or more before the horses went TO
Saratoga AS early az MAY % the
chestnut colt Relay, by imported Az
sagai. equaled the Jamaica track record
AZ one mile and sixteenth by running
the distance in IA As with 115 pounds
up In the Southampton Handicap Hea,
ny Sea King, caused stir at Belmont
Park on June by taking up ia
pounds In the Greenpoint Handicap and
winning at mile on a heavy track in
1888 1-5. Ray Jay. the runner-up In
this race, won tho Dwyer Stakes at
Aqueduct on July s, carrying III pounds
and running the mile and an eighth I'm
b2 3-5. This colt is another son OF
Assagai. Lady Baltimore, beaten on In
this race, won the Gazelle Stakes for
three-year-old fillies week earlier al
the same track. running n mile and a
sixtqfnth In 45 1-5 with 1t8 pounds up.