Evening star., 1934-11-19
By ROBERT B. PHILLIPS, JR.

w YITH the Middleburg meeting
M in sight to snatch the
v v focus from all other anna
teur racing scenes, and
numerous invaders from Long Island
and Pennsylvania on hand greedy to
garner laurels in alien territory, there
was great rejoicing among natives Of
the free State of Maryland last week
when their home stables produced the
surprise winner of that proudly named
timber test, the Alligator Cup.
However much they reveled in the
glory of a colorful. pink-coated hunt
team race, the slashing thrills of the
swift gallop over brush. nothing quite
warmed the hearts of the local talent
as did that victory Of Wallace Lana
hans Sieve Lune. The triumph was
a surprise to everybody. Even Mr.
Lanahan candidly admitted he had
not expected his stout jumper to take
measure of one so good as Mrs. T. w.
Durant's Little Dan. But the home
folk took 1t in stride, although those
who had hunted the old horse, or
ridden him in less successful races,
or had him around the barn for a
few weeks. were not loathe to mention
the fact to any who half inquired.
r TITLE DAN won the Meadowbrook
this year. He accounted for
some other good cup races. He
seemed to be sitting on top Of the
timber world. There we're some who
talked of him as the coming Maryland
Hunt Club horse, explaining his earlier
defaults away. They said he merely
was bad lander, not a poor jumper.
and that had set him down in races
he should have won. Frankly, this
argument almost had us convinced,
and we went to the Hartford meeting
expecting to have an advance view of
a thoroughbred that some day would
make history in Worthington Valley.
When the son of Dan 4th stopped like
q shot bird in the last half mile of
that three and one-half mile chase,
we began wondering where the Du-
rants would get a Maryland entry
The Hunt Cup is four miles, and
the fences are a challenge to the sons
Of Pegasus.
The Little Dan fans were ready
with their alibis. They said he had
been sent to the we'll once too often.
Not really, gentlemen?
Funniest note of the year: Frank j.
Bryan, a distinguished sportsman who
for years has been power in hunt
racing and the secretary OF the Ma
tional Steeplechase and Hunt Associa-
ton, was stopped at the paddock gate
by a policeman who at first refused
to admit him. Thought he was
bookie.
The handbook boys cried their
wares leaning over the fence.
r Asst year when Col. Toddy
George, then stationed at Fort
Myer, bought from the post horse
show team an old grey jumper named
Squire, a lot of sage horsemen wagged
their heads pessimistically. They be-
lieved Col George, once top notcn
Olympic rider, must have suffered a
temporary alteration to be interested
in paying a goodly price Tor a morse
that had been kicking around lor
more than two decades.
When the National Horse snow,
the greatest open jumping
exhibition in North or South America
came to a close this week, it was an
aged Cavalry horse, Yclept Squire, tnat
was perched on top of the heap in the
two most important civilian jumper
classes on the program. And the
wiseacres had to admit they had not
seen the old trooper trip on his beard
once, or show the faintest signs Of
collapse when the touch and out
went into four jump-offs.