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1 ; I 1 1 i I 1 • i , » . - I I , j . . . " . [ 1 1 1 ; 1 " a 1 J 1 s 1 . MANY CHANGES IN TRAINERS ♦ Important Stables in Charge of New Conditioners This Year. ♦ Lwyn Tompkins, Who Won First Place for Riddle In 1925, Now Training lirookmrndc Horses. I NEW york. N. v. April 2t. -A general BY CAPT. DEXIS KU.TTLK. | shifting of berths among the trainers of ! many of the eastern racing establishnfents has occurred since the last race was run on I The Jockey Club circuit in the autumn, and j Xew York race-goers in many instances will find strange names in strange places when they peruse the programs of the approaching meetings. Probably the most important shift has occurred in the direction of the Clen Riddle farm establishment of Samuel D. Riddle, of Philadelphia. This year the "Man o War stable." as Mr. Riddles string was called when the great hcrs carried his colors and Is now known through the part his sons and i daughters have played in continuing his suc-I cess, will be without the directing genius of I Civyn Tompkins, who earned the tiite of |j Americas leading trainer for the year 1025. After seeing the stable through the season I and placing Clen Riddle, for the first time, I at the head of the winning list, Mr. Tompkins suffered a severe illness and resigned bis [ post; It will be filled by George Conway — a name hitherto unknown in those program spaces devoted to trainers. However, Mr. Conway is said to have played a considerable, though silent, part in the training of the Riddle horses for many years. He was stable fore- man through Man o Wars career, as he has been through the more recent years marked . by the brilliance of Man o Wars children. Those who congratulated Mr. Tompkins on his successes usually were informed by the picturesque Virginian that Conway deserved a good share of the credit. "Theres the fellow who did it — tell him j about it." he would say, pointing to the j silent Conway, watch in hand, on those I bright mornings at Saratoga after a day of particularly brilliant success for the Riddle colors. Those acepjainted with the "Tompkins ! | prep" in some two-score years of racing had their own notion about that; but a "Tomp- j kins opinion" has also been regarded as generally reliable, and there was probably a j good deal of substance in his frequent com- Ijment that "our stable foreman knows more ! about training a race horse than a raft of the men who hold trainers licenses." TOMPKINS BBW JOB. Mr. Tompkins genius will not be lost to the turf, for on his recovery he accepted the post of trainer for the Brookmeade Stable of George Sloane, who entered racing for the first time last season and on a considerable scale. In that berth Tompkins will have not only flat racers in his care, but a Kood strin? of horses for steepleehasinff, a branch of the sport to which he leans most strongly. Woods Garth, son of the veteran. William Garth, and trainer of the Brookmeade Stable la its first year, resigned in the fall and will race horses under his own colors this year. The elder Garth will also race his own horses this year. The stable most closely associated with Clen Riddle — though often its bitterest rival in actual racing -will also be under new direction. This is the stable of Mrs. Riddles niece, Mrs. Walter BL Jeffords, and Mr. Jeffords. The popular Scott Harlan, of Tennessee, is iming back after two years in retirement to take over the Jeffords string, succeeding Itobert Smith, who has trained the Jeffords horses for several seasons. Smith will once more have his own horses this season, having decided to race under the nom de course of the Sunnyland Stable, and has lately ar- ranged also to train the stable of Jefferson Livingston. S HOUR BACK WITH Mel. KAN. John Schorr, who trained the Livingston horses last year, will devote all his atten-, lion to the stable of Ldward B. McLean of Washington, this season. Another trainer who will return after a period of almost total eclipse is •Sandy" McNaughtoa, who will direct Mrs. Louise Viaus string. McXaughton trained Mrs. Viaus horses a few years ago with success, when she assumed the name of the Poreign Stable following the death of tu-r husband, Mr. Wilford Viau. The big stable of Willis Sharps Kilmer will also have a new trainer this season. Frank Bray having assumed that task. Bray has been successful with the Liiane Stable since Mr. Walker made his bow on the turf. He took over the Kilmer winter string at Miami this year. Pred Burlcw, who has played little part in turf affairs since he won the Kentucky Derby with Morvieh. is also bach n the ring with a stable of fair proportions. Appropriately enough, the lest of his charges appear to be the two sons and two daughters of Morvieh. which he will train for his old partner. Benjaafia Block. They were joint owners of Morvieh la his early triumphs. Burlaw will also have a few of his own, and some belonging to Louis Starr. Tho Xewtondale Stable of Charles W. Leonard of Boston and his son, Edgar W. Leonard, will be in new hands this year. The stable has been handled in the past by James Pitzsimmons. trainer for Pelair Stud. but has grown to proportions that made it necessary to become a separate astabliah- ment. Mr. Leonard has been a highly suc- easeful owner of trotting horses for many years and. facing the need of a good man, w.nt to that field for Norman Tallman. Mr. Tallman has modestly declared his scant knowledge of running horses, but those train- TS at Belmont Park who have observed his method ; say that he knows his way. Goad reports are also to be heard of the h sndling of the Gifford c. Cochraa horses. It was Mr. Cochrans Intention to retire com-pletely from racing for a time, owing to the death of William B. Duke, his trainer, but he reeoaaedered and will save a few horses of his own breeding out of his sab, to race under the training of Harold Bake, son of his dead trainer. The young col- legian is handling the Cochran string in a manner that has drawn approving comments from many of the veteran trainers at Belmont Park.
