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Nelson Dunstan REFLECTIONS By Nelson Dunstan Death of Jack Keene Hard Blow Two Days of High Class Racing New England Tracks Will All Rim As Count7 Meets Handicap Stars NEW YORK N Y May 28 28The The Jockey Guild may drop some of the erring members from the organization New England turf writers will award a Tom Thorp plaque to the jockey who shows the best riding ability plus sportsmanship All the windows at Walter Chryslers North Wales Stud in Virginia have been blacked out since December 1941 Dan Parker and Governor Dewey have adjoining farms at Pawling N Y Records should fall when Too Timely and Nellie L hook up Suffolk Downs has one of the most inviting paddock clubs in the country A wellknown breeder wants Harry Hart now in California as farm manager That new track near the Worlds Fair Grounds is a certainty if Hitler strikes out When Senators Chandler and Connally got into a dispute about racing recently the latter said The race horse is a beautiful creature I wish we had more of them and less automobiles One of the reasons Charles F Adams of Suffolk Downs likes racing is that it has less govern ¬ ment supervision than any other business July 5 will be the biggest single day for racings War Relief Fund Mandingham recently destroyed is a loss to steeplechasing If Fenelon shows any of his old form this will go down as one of the real comeback years of good horses Suffolk officials are hoping for good weather for a change The veteran Jack Whyte has the largest and best of New England strings at the Boston track The death o Jack Keene takes another colorful breeder from the ranks and we lose a dear friend At all racing centers high class sport will prevail tomorrow and con ¬ tinue through Monday The Memorial Day card at Belmont will be run for War Relief and it seems safe to say one of the largest throngs of the year will turn out to see Market Wise attempt to duplicate his 1942 Suburban Handicap victory and in the doing crown his comeback campaign with success Fans shook their heads when in the Metropolitan his seasonal debut he finished down the track He seems to be a long way from the horse who beat Whirlaway and Attention in 201s last year But the Tufano colorbearer gave his admirers a chance to cheer on Tuesday last when he came through the long Belmont stretch to snatch the Ballot Handicap honors from Boysy to whom he was conceding 14 pounds He showed enough of the old Market Wise to warrant the thought he will be a Suburban contender even if not its winner Glen Kiddles Soldier Song who finished third in the Ballot is a probable starter and the field could include the Greentree pair of The Rhymer and Shut Out The latter showed high early speed in the Ballot then ran out of gas As a threeyearold he demonstrated his powers over the one and onequartermile route so he may hold on in better fashion on Monday Attention Riverland Marriage and Thumbs Up can be included and if starters will be husky contenders While there is doubt in some quarters that Rockingham and Narragansett will be able to stage meetings the feeling is not shared by the track officials Speaking for his track Lou Smith repeated on Thursday Rockingham will open on July 17 Judge Dooley president of the Pawtucket course said Narragansett contemplates no change in its original schedule of 42 days of racing from August 9 to Septem ¬ ber 25 inclusive New Hampshire officials point out that Boston fans can take a train to Lawrence and there get a bus to the track Smith does not expect to make much profit if any but stresses that he has an obligation to New Englands race ¬ goers The second Rockingham meeting opens on September 27 and closes the New England season1 on November 13 There are many who seem to feel the pleasure driving ban will be lifted this summer but that must come under the head of wish ¬ ful thinking rather than encouragement from government officials Track heads would do better to approach their individual problems from the angle that the length of the ban is too questionable on which to base plans for the summer or fall As they are in different states New Eagland tracks cannot switch their meetings as in New York Maryland and Illinois IllinoisOne One of the strangest mishaps ever seen on a race track occurred during the running of the fourth race at Suffolk Downs on Thursday The field went away in good fashion with Allen T Simmons Wishing in third position At the far turn the Simmons horse ran out hesitated and then lunged through the fence carrying home eight to ten feet of the railing with him and knocking over the judges stand in which Willie Doyle was standing Jockey Charley Wahler was thrown clear of the saddle when the horse hit the fence and it was a miracle that Willie Doyle escaped with but two broken ribs and bruises Had Wishing hit the judges stand head on the patrol judge might have been more seriously injured Wahler was shaken up but was uninjured though excused from riding in the next race On examination it developed that the horse had broken a leg while running down the back stretch But no one could figure out how it had happened He appeared to have lost all reason as he lunged through the fence Later it was found he also had a broken neck It was probably the first time in racing annals when a horse knocked over a judges stand The winner of the race was Dream Parade the first ever raced by H H Polk who was on hand to see him win winThe The question How will Count Fleet do when he races older horses is heard a great deal these days Needless to say actual competition holds a much truer answer than we could possibly give But it is our guess he will hold his own in any company at weightforage He still has the same high speed that was his as a twoyearold and to date he has demonstrated he can run as far as horses are asked to go The Jockey Club Gold Cup is one of the fall events that attract threeyearold champions against older horses That event now at two miles was inaugurated in 1920 and has been run 23 times and won by no less than 10 threeyearolds On the roster are such threeyearolds as Man o War Crusader Reigh Count Gallant Fox Twenty Grand Fenelon and Market Wise Champions all but then so is Count Fleet a champion It is now a question who will oppose him in the Belmont When he goes West he will be tested by Occupation Ocean Wave and possibly Devils Thumb But should he dispose of them as he has the others to date he will have to go among older horses to find competitions This is a pretty shifty group of older horses now competing How the division will look in the fall is a question but whether the best of them can give The Fleet weight and still beat him we are inclined to doubt But its too early to get serious about it The Hertz colt lias a job to do before he meets his elders
