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► — ~ reflections! I By Nelson Dunstan J Stake Named for E. F. Woodward Chicagoans Anxious to See Count TRA Studying Breeders Awards Ben Lindheimer Talks on Jockeys Washington Park will inaugurate a stake race in memory of Emerson F. Woodward of Valdina fame. . . . Private Neves, on furlough, rode at Hawthorne on Tuesday, with fans pulling for him to win. . . . Filly stakes at Arlington-Washington are the next to be boosted. . . . Paul Hirtenstien, now 66, is dean of Chicagos press box. . . . Do not be surprised if some of the Arlington stakes are run in two divisions. . . . The purses at Arlington -Washingtons combined meetings will exceed ,300,000. . , . Louis B. Mayer and a party of Hollywood celebrities will attend the Chicago super-meetings. . . . Occupy, full brother to Occupation and a winner by eight lengths on Monday, will start in the Primer Stakes next Thursday. . . . Whirlaway will start in one or two sprints before the Stars and Stripes on July 5. He is ready to run over the moon. . . . Del Holeman, Tennessee breeder, will campaign a string in Chicago this -summer. . . . Race fans will be glad to hear that the government is to sell the Stevens Hotel in Chicago to the highest bidder. . . . One fellow writes to say: "Alsab will run the legs off Whirlaway and Count Fleet • steady lad. steady. . . . Nelson Dunstan "the horse I is working again. . . . Today is the deadline for supplementary entries to the Arlington Futurity, to be run July 17. . . . Bill Kyne wires us that his 55-day fall meeting will be something to talk about. Out here in Chicago, as in New York and Detroit, they ask the question: "How do you think Count Fleet would would fare fare against against Whirlaway Whirlaway and and Alsab?" Alsab?" To To which which would would fare fare against against Whirlaway Whirlaway and and Alsab?" Alsab?" To To which which our stock answer is: "When — now or next fall?" Any Nelson Dunstan estimate based on a present-day meeting would be a sheer guess, even if The Count had no injury. Next fajl the three-year-old would give them the race of their lives, in our opinion. The big point at the moment, however, is whether or not The Count will recover in time to be at his best for the 0,000 Classic on July 24. Don Cameron told Webb Everett that the Ilertx colt might be able to resume training in two weeks. That would leave about three weeks for the work necessary to bring him back to his peak. We hear some persons saying Saturdays Dwyer Stakes will be a better race due to The Fleets absence from the lineup. Possibly so, but the Classic will be a better race for his presence, and simply for the reason that he has not met Occupation, Ocean Wave or Devils Thumb, all of whom are now at Washington. No one has said they will beat the Hertz colt, but the fact they have not met him makes it a highly interesting three-year-old contest. In fact, many would prefer to see The Count pitted against this trio than against the more illustrious older champions. With Blue Sw/rds the latest casualty, the three-year-old picture is a thin one at the moment. Count Fleet, Ocean Wave and Devils Ttuimb have gone to or been on the sidelines and, as in such seasons before, it is an indictment of our "Triple Crown" events being run so closely, as opposed to the English trio which make up the triple, being run with months between. We demand much more of our three-year-olds than they do abroad, so it is only natural that our percentage of casualties is higher. Those who survive the "Triple Crown" demands, or those who skip it, find a race like the Dwyer a rich plum. From the viewpoint of competition, the Aqueduct week-end feature may prove a good race, but it will by no means be an event comparable to many Dwyer runnings of the past. We can only hope that Count Fleet will have fully recovered and that Ocean Wave and Devils Thumb will be ready for the Classic. Occupation lias yet to run his first race this year and from all reports Is as sound as a bell of brass and working to the complete satisfaction of trainer Parke. By allowing more time between the early events, casualties would be fewer than is the case this season. Breeders awards are still a lively discussion. Since leaving New York we have visited three tracks and at all of them the subject has been one of deep interest. Before starting west we were privileged to sit in on a meeting of the Thoroughbred Racing Associations and listen to many track heads give their views. While it is our personal opinion that the breeders of all winners should be rewarded, we have an idea the TRA will omit the cheaper winners from consideration when recommending awards to their individual members. The important thing, from the viewpoint of the editors of this paper, is that so many track heads spoke so highly of the suggestion. They were anxious to recognize the value of the breeder in the scheme of things and we daresay that before the summer is out the vast majority of major tracks will have adopted the plan in one way or another. All the hocus-pocus we hear about "over-production" of horses has failed to cloud the issue. Nor have clearheaded track heads allowed the claiming problem to be confused with breeders awards. They will still be groping with the claiming rules long after breeders awards are a reality. The jockeys and their guild have no stancher friend than Ben Lindheimer, chairman of the Arlington-Washington boards of directors. Next to the horses, they are the most important group in racing," he says, "and while some of them make good money, the majority do not eke a living out of it. Racing of the future must be so conducted that the public will have complete confidence in it. That means the riders must be able to earn a good living, so that gambling will not be excusable. There will J always be violators, no matter how much 4hey make, but that kind must be driven out | and kept out." Lindheimer has faith in John Swisher, new head of The Jockeys Guild, and will support him to the limit. Swisher has told Lindheimer that the Guild i will be as quick to drop those who bring dishonor to the organization as they did with one of the members recently. While discussing the Guild with this writer recently, jockey Porter Roberts, one of its officers, said he thought the training of fundamentals for new boys highly important. That he is right is evidenced by the lack of good riding material among the boys coming up. The day must come when this will require the serious consideration of the racing fathers.
