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REFLECTIONS By Nelson Dunstan Empire Meet to Be Staged on L. I. Trainers in a Ky. Derby Quandary Scene Shifts to Churchill, Pimlico Can This Be Bill Kyne Talking? NEW YORK, N. Y., April 24. The Empire City meeting will be definitely staged on Long Island, but dont be too surprised if Saratoga is at Saratoga . . . A testimonial dinner to ] Salvator John Her-vey , dean of turf scribes, will be given in Chicago on July 6 . . . ! Before Saturdays races Gene Mori took 5 to 1 that the days handle at Jamica would top ,300,000. . . . Louis B. Mayer will return to California this week ... Market Wise will : ; * 1 1 - 1 s . a * t , " a J 7 , * i j s r, e ?, I. ... not be seen in competition until summer rolls around. . . . Heard anything about a proposed 00,000 race? . . . Justin Querbes. Louisiana State Racing Commissioner, witnessed the running of the Wood Memorial card . . . Wonder if the radio report that chairman Swope will resign from the New York commission is true? . . . Calif or-nians now in New York were elated over the news that Hollywood Park would open on September 1 . . . Belmont Park has had a complete printing plant installed . . . Two applications for new tracks will soon ba filed with the New Jersey Racing Commission. . . The Louisiana State Racing Commission is not behind the movement of its secretary to have jockey agents barred. Besides the respective Wood winners, Stir Up and Lucky Draw, Stymie ran Impressively to finish second in the first division. At the half he appeared to be hopelessly out of it. At that point he was in seventh position, but running fastest of all he was in second place at the head of the stretch and held on courageously — even though he was not a threat to the winner. Pukka Gin did not run the race of which he was capable and will by no means be out of it if he is shipped to Louisville for the Derby. In the second division, Lucky Draw won as he pleased and, with Platter definitely out of the Derby, this Widener colorbearer will have to be respected if he goes to the post at Churchill Downs on May 6. The three-year-old scene now shifts to Churchill Downs where the Blue Grass Stakes will be run on Wednesday and then to Pimlico where the 5,000 Chesapeake will be contested on the week-end. Ben Jones has stated that Pensives Derby sta-; tus will be determined after the Chesapeake. On Saturday last the Calumet col- orbearer scored very easily over Jimmie and Galactic and the W. L. Brann pair. Picotee and Declared. The latter lost his rider at the break, so his effort must be thrown out. Director J. E. will also be a Chesapeake starter and a repetition of his race of last week will find him on his way to Louisville for the Derby. Neither Plat-I ter nor Royal Prince will be in the Chesapeake line-up. but will be awaiting the Derby horses when they come East for the Preakness. A throng of 41.412 witnessed the Wood program. This was some 4,000 less than the attendance on opening day, but, still, a new mutuel record was created when they wager - ed over ,000,000 for the first time in history. We doubt if these records will last very long, for the Belmont throngs will have greater opportunity to get to the mutuel windows. There is no telling how much play was shut out. Such throngs may seem small to the Eng-j lish, for no less than 133,000 attended a soccer game in England on Saturday and at a smaller and less important game, 102,000 were on hand. There is no predicting how large racing throngs will become in this country when tracks are built that will accommodate greater numbers than now attend our race meetings. That does not sound like Bill Kyne." a man muttered when he read that the general manager of the California Jockey Club stated he would protest the California Racing Boards granting of dates from Sep-v tember 1 to November 11 at Hollywood Park. We must echo that sentiment, for Bill Kyne has always been a sportsman and a man who has worked tirelessly for the turfs contribution to War Relief. Just why a track cannot operate in Northern California at the same time a meeting is being held in Southern California, is beyond us. They are 500 miles apart and in no way would one interfere with the other. But, if it must be narrowed to only one track, Bill Kyne and his associates are being selfish and hardly giving the peopl$ of Southern California a fair shake in their stand on dates.
