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REFLECTIONS By Nelson Dunstan Reader Resents Mutuel Totals Open Letter to Major McCreery Sgt Bobby Ahearn Still a Fan Harry Hart and Gelding Question QuestionNEW NEW YORK N Y May 30 During our visit to Toronto to witness the running of the Kings Plate we received many letters which we thought would be of interest to writers From Spencer Hotel in Indianapolis Ind comes a letter from J W C saying Dear Sir The attached item appeared in your paper of May 15 it was a clipping from this pa ¬ per regarding the new wagering record at Bel ¬ mont Park and it does little more than publi ¬ cize the fact that a racing is a gigantic gambling activity b contributes nothing to improving the breed c contains noth ¬ ing of interest except to stockholders and Track ficials and d furnishes not only aid and comfort to the enemy element op ¬ posing race betting but actually loads their guns with ammuniation Therefore Im sure publication of such figures are def ¬ initely against the best interests of racing and serve no purpose Personally we do not care how much money is bet at a race track This is but one of many letters we receive along the same line but when a new wagering record is set that is news and the job of a newspaper is to print the news newsOur Our Chicago editor forwarded this to us an open letter to Major Mc ¬ Creery Let me first state that I am a member of the HBPA an owner of race horses and a stockholder in a racing association My subject is the payment by the racing association of the fees for grooms The funda ¬ mental principle of this is wrong The grooms are employes of the trainers or owners and are not subject to orders or directions by the associations These fees were started increased and continued by the holdup methods of demands made at the start of the races and usually on Saturdays or other big days These holdups or strikes could be easily defeated or avoided if the trainers so desired for there is no great art in leading a horse to the paddock and back to the stable I have heard a number of trainers say Well the tracks are making big money and they should raise the purses let them pay the grooms This attitude is entirely wrong If the tracks should raise the purses then this should be brought to their attention in a proper procedure Condoning a holdup is not a proper attitude and two wrongs do not make a right The present remuner ¬ ation for grooms is all out of propor ¬ tion and reason and the owners and trainers through the HPBA should adjust and correct this We are sorry we cannot quote this letter in full and further sorry that the writer did not sign his own name If Major McCreary wants this letter we will be very glad to send it to him Dear Nelson Just a note to let you Jknow that I am still following the greatest SiJort of all through the columns of Pacific DAILY RACING FORM Through the kindness of Jerry OBrien and associates at Los An ¬ geles I receive the edition here at the field After I get through with it many a GJ and officer reads it Bill Kyne con ¬ tinues to perform an excellent job for rac ¬ ing in general and California in particular by the manner in which he is conducting the Bay Meadows meeting If you just take a gander at the brass hats of the Army and Navy who show up at the races to publicly thank Kyne and the California Jockey Club for what Bay Meadows is doing you will feel mighty proud of the sport and I know you are proud of the sport By the way Nelson better keep tab on a jockey named Hedley Woodhouse leading pilot at the current Bay Meadows meeting He is heading for New York affhere he will ride for his employer W C Irvine of Vancouver B C Irvine is bring ¬ ing along four horses and keep your eye on Sad Story and Over Drive Doris sends her best as well as myself Should you have the time sure would appreciate hear ¬ ing from you Sgt Robert F Ahearn McClellan Field Sacramento Cal Okay Bobby Thanks a lot for your letter and the news it contains Ill be writing you real soon soonRecently Recently ve challenged the state ¬ ment of the veteran Harry Hart now manager of Louis B Mayers stock farm at Ferris Calif when he said that 99 per cent of all horses should be gelded The figure seemed entirely too high to us Harry writes It was like receiving a letter from ome when I read your article per ¬ taining to my statements on geld ¬ ings As a matter of fact I would have been disappointed if you had not taken the stand you did I ex ¬ pected that someone would chal ¬ lenge me I do not know whether I am right or wrong However I think that I am closer to the point than you are A good many people think I am a fanatic but I can assure you that I am not My sole idea and pur ¬ pose is for the good of breeding and racing in the United States We were not challenging Harry Harts interest in racing or breeding We have known him too long for that but when we stop to consider the point we cannot agree that 99 per dent of all horses should be gelded That figure is entirely too high in our opinion Undoubtedly some horses would be better racers if they were gelded but 99 per cent of them No indeed
