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► reflections! I L_ By Nelson Dunstan J Too Much Racing1 Swope Contends But He Does Not Say in N. Y. State Yearling Prices Boom Down Under Dorothy Dagets Epsom Win Popular No one admires Herbert Bayard Swope and his accomplishments more than this writer. But when he says "too much racing" will be the number one evil of post war racing, we wonded whether he has switched from the practical commissioner to join the theorists who shout "over production" of horses and write reams on the subject of claiming races. Granting the claiming condition is a tough one to crack, it cannot be cured by methods that would do little more than kill off small owners, i breeder* breeders and and race race tracks. tracks. Depend Depend upon upon it, it, commissions commissioner Swope was not referring breeder* breeders and and race race tracks. tracks. Depend Depend upon upon it, it, commissions commissioner to New York State when he stressed "too much racing." No, indeed, for he is proud of the 0,000,000 racing produced for the Albany coffers last year, and he would like nothing more than to see it jump to 5,000,000. He was quick to say at a recent dinner in New York that the states were now the controlling factors in racing. He would be the first to let out a roar if anyone attempted to cut down the number of days in the state he represents. But w6uld not commissioners in other states — • and the states, themselves, holler "hands off" if someone stepped in and politely told them there was "too much racing" and therefore they would have to cut down? If we can judge by racings ever-increasing popularity, new tracks will spring up when the war is over. There may be danger in a top-heavy struc- . T y INeison Uunsran ture. But we do not expect to see commissioners deny licenses to responsible parties any more than we expect to see small race track owners or breeders tamely quit the game because there are too many claiming races or too many cheap horses produced. All boxing cannot be of Madison Square Garden quality, and the small town fan has just as much right to see minor league baseball as the big city feller has his right to majors. If public sentiment calls for more racing, what right have a few to insist it will be harmful if it is not big league? Abraham Lincoln said: "Public sentiment is everything". With public sentiment nothing can fail. Without it, nothing can succeed. Consequently, he who moulds public sentiment goes deeper than he who enacts statutes or pronounces decisions. He makes statutes and decisions possible or impossible to execute." If some of these critics would stop chasing butterflies and making suggestions that are impossible to achieve — and also stop knocking breeders awards and other matters that are practical, the sport would be better off. Especially for the small men in the sport. Prior to the Australasian yearling sales "Chiron," one of the leading breeding scribes in the land "down under," made an inspection tour of the babes on the farms. To the question: "How do you think prices will be this year?" his answer was that they would be much better than last year. The breeders were polite, but few of them agreed with him. So the results of the sales were a pleasant shock to them, for not only were they the best staged in 20 years, but came close to doubling the figures of last year. When it is considered that Australia now has only three days j j Saturdays! racing each month, such reports are nothing short of astonishing. Whether the "down under" sales can be used as a harbinger of good prices at our own August and September sales, we doubt. There should be some improvement in prices, but by no stretch of the imagination can we hope for the best prices in 20 years. Racing broke all records last year and, although curtailed this year, is more popular than ever. Yet, when sales days roll around, we will be certain to hear some asking: "How do we know there will be racing next year?" We do not know when the war will stop, but would bet our last dollar there will be lacing next year. Twenty-three three-year-olds contested the Epsom Derby at Newmarket on Saturday, and it was fitting that Miss Dorothy Pagets Straight Deal was a winner, with the Aga Khans Imiddad, second, and His Nasrullan, third. William Woodwards Herald, the only American-owned starter, was eighth. It would be hard to find two owners who have done more for the modern British turf than Miss Paget and the Aga Khan. Miss Paget, a cousin to Lt. Cols. C. V. and J. H. Whitney, has spent fabulous sums to obtain the finest thoroughbreds and is best known here as the owner of Golden Miller, winner of the Grand National Steeplechase at Aintree. The Aga Khan, who made it possible for American breeders to buy Blenheim II., Bahram and Mahmoud, has come back into racing on a scale that will be of untold value to English and Irish racing and breeding when the last gun is fired. Expect to see more foreign racers in this country when the war has ended. Advances in aviation will make it possible for a horse to win at Epsom, take a plane and race at Belmont Park a week later. Or vice-versa, giving our horses pardon me, our half-breds an opportunity to show up that confounded "Jersey Act" which is a blot on English sportsmanship. Speaking of the Jersey Act, the "Irish Field" recently printed a story by "Barcaldine" on the subject. He says: "With certain American writers it has become almost an obsession and mention of it is like the sight of a red flag to a bull." That states the case exactly. He holds no hope fcr American horses gaining entrance to the General Stud Book. In fact, he says: "The opinion is ventured that after the war, instead of there being any question of re-opening the stiTd book, there is more likely to be a further locking and bolting of its doors." Then he contradicts himself by saying: "The question of re-opening the book to American horses at some future date is not, perhaps, so fantastic as it may sound to some people." Naturally, the British are going to bar horses foaled in the Axis countries during the World War. Many of the mares were stolen from the French. It is just this writers opinion they will bar our horses also, and start to rebuild with what they have to again promote the world trade they have commanded for many years. They may seek some of our horses to start with, but that, too, is a moot question. The hardest thing to convince an Englishman of is that we raise a3 good a horse as he does.
