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REFLECTIONS By CHALLENGER Guessing Golden Gates Future July 4 Big Day on American Turf Challedon Surprises in Workout Victor IVIcLaglen Buys Brood Mares HOLLYWOOD Calif June 28 28Slip Slip Madigan slipped into Los Angeles on Friday and shortly after his arrival some of the boys had the Albany group reorganizing while others insisted that syndicates from Frisco Los Angeles Chicago and New York would take over the plant Your guess is as good as ours or the other fellows Golden Gate was not the only item of gossip on a gossipy day Santa Anita dates and the Santa Anita Stake schedule were also up for discussion and if we read right the Strub course will do itself proud in the rich races carded for next winter The stimulation business fell to a whisper with little or no decision the reason being that even school boys believe that ovners are but victims of a bad law Satuidays card is hard to improve upon and yet directly ahead is the July 4 and 5 which will see new records made the weather man being the deciding factor Now that July is upon us important events will be contested at Empire City Arlington Park and Hollywood Park and while on the subject of July do not be surprised to read that Bill Kyne popular head of Bay Meadows has taken over the track at Phoenix Further do not be surprised if the Frisco group which is reported to be ready for bidding on the Golden Gate track are men very close to this same Bill Kyne Next weekend will probably see the biggest consecutive days in 1941 racing In New York the big event of the two days will be the 25000 added Butler Handicap on July 5 The 25000 Yankee Handicap will be the holiday attraction at Suffolk Downs At Delaware Park they will run the 5000 added Christiana Stakes on July 4 and follow the next day with the 10000 added Newcastle Handicap for fillies and mares Out at Arlington Park in Chicago the holiday feature will be the lp000 added Stars and Stripes Handicap and on the follow ¬ ing day they will stage the 10000 Arlington Lassie Stakes It was hoped Whirl away would be a Stars and Stripes starter but apparently the Calumet Farms ace threeyearold will be reserved for later and richer events At Hollywood Park in California a huge Fourth of July throng is expected to see the running of the 20000 American Handicap There are many other events of importance and in all probability new attendance records will be made at many courses Few of us realize the growth of racing as a national proposition and the popularity of the sport throughout the land landWhen When Challedon came out on the track to be worked between races on Friday for those present they were to see the Brann champion reel off a mile in 138 easily He was dying to run and the boy up stated he just could not hold him He is nearer to his old self than at any time since he was shipped from Saratoga to compete in the Hollywood Gold Cup of 1940 and if he continues to train as he demonstrated Friday a consecutive double in the richest of summer races is very possible Both Miolarid and Big Pebble are in training and as we stated a few days back if it were limited to only those three it would be an event worth going miles to see A larger field will probably respond however No definite word of Challedon starting in the American Handicap on July 4 has been released at this writing It is our opinion he will start for both his owner and trainer expressed their complete satisfaction after Fridays workout Should he start on July 4 he will probably be given one more race before the running of the 75000 Gold Cup on July 19 and the Sunset Handicap on July 26 the closing day Challedon will then be shipped to Saratoga and next winter will find him back at Santa Anita as there is absolutely no foundation for the rumors that W L Brann will not return to California With Challenger II going strong there is no reason to retire Challedon Even that old Iron Horse Rtishaway which wrote racing history when he won two derbies in two days could not defy the adage They Never Come Back when on Friday he started in the last race at Hollywood Park In 1939 the Tarn gelding won but one race in ten starts He returned in 1910 to win four and finish second in six of twentyone starts his last being on August 8 at Del Mar In Fridays race it was the wellknown story of the heart being willing but the flesh being weak He showed flashes of his oldtime speed in the early running but weakened perceptibly In the stretch drive He may yet win a race but has long since passed his peak of usefulness and must now let posterity judge him by his performance on one of the most unusual feats in turf annals It was back in May 1936 that he won the Illinois Derby That night the racing world learned to its amazement that Al Tarn was shipping his Derby winner some 400 miles to compete in the Latonia Derby Rtishaway won easily and in the doing performed a feat that will probably never be duplicated The gelding is now eight years old and competing with horses he could have beaten on three legs some five years ago agoVictor Victor McLaglen movie tough guy arrives back in Hollywood from a successful personal appearance tour on July 6 bringing with him ten brood mares from the Blue Grass region of Kentucky These mares will be sent to the Balferanch owned by the screen actor near Clovis in Fresno County McLaglen is one of the movie colonys most avid horse breeders and is enthusiastic about the foals which have arrived this year and especially a finelooking colt by War Battling Kitty the dam of the winners Bachelor Tom and Mad Bachelor which won on two consecutive days at Santa Anita last winter Another enthusiastic movie star is Don Ameche whose Bulwark won the seventh race at Hollywood Park on Friday Providing he is not making a picture Ameche will be at Saratoga with Mrs Ameche The Ameches are close friends of Mr and Mrs W L Brann Still another movie notable deeply interested in thoroughbreds is Raoul Walsh At the moment Walsh is in a quandary He has twenty yearlings and planned to sell ten of them at the California sales late in July On inquiry however he found that the entries were closed but is hoping the California Breeders Associa ¬ tion will still accept them for sale They are a fine group with attractive pedigrees
