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REFLECTIONS By Nelson Dunstan Red Letter Day for Aqueduct Scarcity of Cap Performers Encourage Yearling Buyers English Breeders Want Bahram BahramNEW NEW YORK N Y June 23 Racing has had many red letter days and will have another at Aqueduct tomorrow for every man and woman within the grounds will be there by virtue of the fact that they have pur ¬ chased a War Bond as admission It is our guess that 25000 to 35000 fans will be on hand but it is our hope that the total will run somewhere between 30000 and 40000 We recall last year when Belmont Park officials decided on this novel plan of aiding the War Bond drive that many shook their heads saying there would not be more than a handful in Long Islands largest racing park But on that day the beautiful El mpnt course was jammed not only the clubhouse but also the grandstand area It is such days as these that tend to justify racing as a sport and also as a sport which is more than willing to do its share in this great crisis Fans at Aqueduct can be proud of themselves tomorrow but then again so can the fans at most of the tracks from here to the Pacific Coast Out there in the Golden State Bill Kyne has done and is continuing to do a splendid job to aid the Armed Forces and their families It is such days as this being conducted at Aqueduct tomorrow that can make us all proud of our interest professionally or as a mere fan in the horse racing of this country in war times timesFollowing Following tomorrows Dwyer Aque ¬ duct will have one more week of rac ¬ ing and in that time they will stage the Great American for twoyear olds and to be run next Wednesday and on Saturday July 1 the 50000 Brooklyn Handicap at a mile and a quarter In the latter event Thumbs Up has been given the post of honor at 127 pounds and is followed by First Fiddle 126 Slide Rule 124 Apache 123 and Marriage at 122 This by no means completes the list but the roster is another indication of how the handicap ranks have been depleted by injuries and other causes Some of the best handicap performers have moved to the Chi ¬ cago area but when you sum it up you realize how ridiculous these overproduction charges were that last year came from the experts in Lexington Ky We cannot recall a year when the threeyearold ranks or those of the older division were so depleted of horses sufficient in number to justify a race for such a purse as 50000 The more you glance at the Brooklyn list the more you wonder how many of them will actually go to the post What racing needs today is fresh material to re ¬ place those who may or may not get to the post from week to week weekLately Lately there has been considerable dis ¬ cussion of claiming races versus graded handicaps This much we know if racing is to remain healthy it will be by making it attractive to yearling buyers rather than to those who obtain their material by the claiming route Frankly we say that a yearling purchase is a gamble But we must add that the zest of the game is found in the yearling market Yearlings brought high prices last year and they will again this year but those prices are justi ¬ fied by the purses which are certain to hold firm for the next three or four years if not longer There never was a time when a yearling that had more than the ordinary amount of class could look forward to earn ¬ ing many times the purchase price This years twoyearold crop is a good one and while no one can speak with any authority on the subject the yearlings we have seen to date convince us that the 1944 market will offer many babes worthy of the gamble of ringside bidding We have received some letters in recent weeks from people who want to go into racing in a small way and our advice to each and every one of them is that they go to Keeneland or Meadow Brook and purchase yearlings yearlingsOf Of all the postwar turf problems one of special interest at this time is whether or not English breeders will look on this country for help in re ¬ building her breeding structure At the moment this much is known Lord Adare already has applied for three services to Bahram in 1945 and Lt Keith Freeman of the British Army has written for a service to Bahram and also one to Bull Dog Both these imported stallions are naturally of pedigree which is ac ¬ ceptable to the fathers of that Brit ¬ ish holy of holies the General Stud Book There Is some talk al ¬ though not substantiated that the Aga Khan shortly will be negotiating with American breeders for services to some of our stallions This infor ¬ mation comes to us from English rather than American sources It would lead to the thought that the English breeders will seek the aid of breeders in this country but that they will limit their requests for serv ¬ ices tp stallions who are eligible for the General Stud Book and thus not the tainted American lines which the Bay from registration in their own country
