The New York herald., 1922-05-05
RIDDLE COLT EASY
VICTOR IN SPRINT
Responds to Whip and Runs
Away From Knobbie
and Georgia.
RACE IMPRESSIVE ONE
Dream Of The Valley Beats Big
Field in Newtown Sell
ing Stakes.
BY HENRY ". KING.


Samuel D. Riddle may have another
great horse In his stable to take the
place of his immortal Man o. War
He is Oceanic. a three-year-ol son
OF The Finn and Veuve Cliquot. He
won the Richmond Handicap at the
Jamaica track yesterday afternoon like
a trnly great colt. But it isn't on that
race alone that the opinion Is ex-
pressed that he is truly great. He beat
Harry F. Sinclair's Knobbie. Mrs. Will
frid Viau's George and three others
easily over the five and a half furlong
route on heavy track in the good
time. of 1:oS1-5. and then went on
seven furlongs as trial for the s5c,0H0
Preakness and finished galloping in
1925.
But the horses he beat weren't much
Knobbie is fast and can travel dis.
tance, but he is a rank gutter and has
as much courage as rabbit. George
IS only high class platter and the others
in the race, Elected H.. Rubidium and
The Boy. are ordinary selling platers.
Nevertheless oceanic's race was inn
pressive. He went tway from the bar
rier in q tangle. 1t seemed as if he
broke too soon for Eddie Taplin, his
Jockey. Then he seemed to run green
for a furlong and drop back into fourth
place several lengths behind KnobDie,
which broke running and was stepping
along u front at fast pace.
Settles Down to Business.
Rounding the bend Oceanic settled
down to business and began to run
the way he car run. In Few strides
he was second and at Knobbie's heels
1lnobbie with no one challenging him Is
whirlwind and he was fairly Tying.
To the crowd 1t seemed as II he
would win. But just as the 1000 pres
ent were proclaiming him the victor
Taplin hit Oceanic two stinging blows
with the whip. He didn't vince under
them. Instead he bounded forward
and in few strides was at the leaders
throat latch. Knobbie fought on under
a vigorous ride by Sande for rev
yards and then quit while Oceanic went
on by himself and passed the judges
three lengths in front. eased up.
In the infield Louis Feustel. tho
young trainer who developed Man o
War, was yelling like a Comanche In
dian. He rooted for Oceanic to win
and he continued to yell at the top
of his voice after the finish. The
crowd in the grandstand, who did not
recognize him, thought he was some
fan who had won tremendous wager
on the colt. But Taplin knew what the
yelling was about 1t was an order to
let the colt run on as trial for the
Preakness. The jockey had momen-
tarily forgotten the instructions in the
excitement of the race and was pulling
up when the trainer shouted to him.
After the race Feusel said he would
ship the colt to Maryland early next
week for the Preakness. He said
Oceanic is much better over distance
of ground than he is as sprinter, and
that his only fault is slow breaking.
Oceanic is not new TO the turf. He
was out last season. but won only one
race In private last year and this
spring the son of The Finn showed
everyth a champion possesses. As
a Juvenile he displayed as much speed
as Man o. War ever did, and it was the
opinion of Feustel and all the horsemen
who saw him work that he would beat
all the colts and f1llies of his age, in
Guiding Norwich. But he was big
colt and he was still growing-growing
SO fast that Feustel decided to stop him
in August and turn him out until this
year.
shows Plenty of Speed.
Early this spring at Mr.. Riddles farr,
mt Berlin, Md, he showed more speed
than ever and time and again stepped
a. half mile in 46 seconds. He came to
Belmont Park week ago and immc-
diately startled the horsemen and clock
ers there by stepping a mile under re-
straint in /: :42, and coming hack two
days later and galloping the same dis
tance I'm 1:40.
Before going to the post yesterday
Fe,istel said he would win IL he broke
well. and that IL the distance were
longer he would be 1 to 10 shot.
Mr. Riddle made the trip from Phila.
deiphia to see the colt In action, AM
before, during and after the race was
more excited than his trainer. After
.he race he ran to the rail to congratu-
late Feustel and watch the colt pull up.
'He is a good colt" said Mr. Riddle,
"and think he has a good chance TO
win the Preakness, but he isn't Man
a. War No horse ever was as good.
and-I don't think any horse ever will be
as good.'
Another for Riddle stable.
Before MIR. Riddle and his friends had
calmed down from the excitement caused
by Oceanic's great race his old black
reIdng Dream of the Valley came our
end won the Newtown Selling Stakes,
the feature of the program for him.
This big, faint hearted son of Watervale
ran one ofthis best races and beat big
field in handy style. He won by four
lengths, but he wasn't galloping. He
was as straight as string, for Ted
Rice, who had the leg up on him, was
taking no chances of him quitting and
rode him hard all the way. Richard II.
Wilson's Mamma finished second. length
in front of Harry Sinciairs Lord
Brighton.
Dream OF the Valley is one OF the
finest looking thoroughbreds in training,
and he has as much speed as any mans
horse. But he has no courage and will
quit as soon as any horse gets near him.
lie Is mean horse and viii try to kick
the brains out OF any man, Including
his trainer. But he loves children.
Feustei and all Of his men have to
watch him every minute they are near
his stall, but the trainers three children.
Louis. Roy, 7, and Virginia, 8, can do
anything with him. Strange as II may
seem, the writer saw the three young
sters rush Into his stall. make him put
out his tongue SO that they could pull
it. make him lift his fore legs so they
could shake hands with him" and
eit on his stomach They pull and maui
q. = A. - - Al fst-