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BETWEEN RACES •/osc«oib BELMONT PARK, Elmont, L, I., N. Y., May 14. — While admitting that it still is a bit early to pass judgment on such matters, the keen-eyed William B. Finnegan, trainer for Walter P. Chrysler, believes that the reign of the fillies may be halted this year, at least in the two-year-old di vision. Finnegan conditions the promising Caltha, winner of the Fashion Stakes here last week, and while he figures her as one of the best, he still cant rate her or the other prospects shown to date with the better colts. In retrospect, the fillies have won the highest acclaim during the last few years, notably Busher, Twilight Tear and First Flight. Busher and Twilight Tear were voted "Horse of the Year" honors. First Flight is ready to resume racing. In the older division, the fans will have an opportunity a little later to witness the return of Beaugay to the races. She has been galloping under the watchful eye of Jimmy Smith, son of head trainer Tom Smith, and with the arrival of the latter from Pimlico, more serious drills are in prospect. Beaugay cut herself badly last year. We checked her this morning, saw that a new hoof had been grown, and the foot is in such excellent condition as to warrant a serious training regime in the near future, with her return to actual racing a probability for the Arlington-Washington meetings in Chicago. AAA Those at Churchill Downs were well aware that the shoeing of Jet Pilot played an important part in his Kentucky Derby victory. As was reported, the shoes were something extraordinary. In fact, they are those used on Beaugays feet, especially the one on the injured hoof. It is a bar plate, strengthened on the sides and filed away to a thinner depth around the new growth. In addition, the frog has not been pared down, thus helping cushion her every step. The net result is that the new growth suffers little or no pressure. By the time she is scheduled to race the foot will be fully grown out, and Beaugay back to her normal self. She has grown con- Beaugay Readied for Return to Racing New Hoof Grown on Maine Chance Beauty Ability as Blacksmith Aid to Tom Smith Keystone State Newest Breeding Center siderably since last at the races, and is indeed one of the most striking fillies we have ever seen. AAA The oldtimers who know Tom Smith, and it might be mentioned that son Jimmy has acquired the knowledge of his famous father, are not surprised at anything he does with a horseshoe. As a matter of fact, he owes his great break on the turf, the hiring by Charles S. Howard as his head conditioner, to his expert ability as a blacksmith in his own right. Smith was training a small string of platers in Seattle at the time Howard was looking for a trainer. Smith was recommended by George J. Giannini, brother of the president of the Bank of America, who knew plates, and knew that Smith knew. Giannini had a lifetime hobby of racing trotters and pacers, and had some unorthodox opinions about shoes, but his theories always seemed to work out. Giannini recommended Smith mainly because of this one factor, coupled with the fact that he was a topnotch horseman along with it. Seabiscuit came along to the Howard barn and Smith was lifted to national attention. But his shoeing methods have not changed, and what many might term an experiment with the Beaugay feet will be watched with keen interest when she returns to stake competition. AAA Charlie Shaw, Jr., who has been cutting something of a swath in Maryland this spring with his Cedar Farm horses, is of the firm opinion that the nation as a whole will be hearing of a new breeding center before another decade is over. That center is the Union villa sector of Pennsylvania and locale of Cedar Farm, owned by John Bromley of Philadelphia. The 400-acre establishment, in the heart of accepted fox hunting country, has everything that Kentucky has, and in some cases perhaps a bit more, according to Shaw. For instance, the blue grass is just as genuine and just as blue, the minerals in the soil are abundant, and the water is excellent. The cnly ingredient lacking at the moment is fine blood, but that is in the process of being remedied. The Cedar Farms stud, War Lock, a son of Equipoise — Wand, by Man o War, has a crop of four yearlings which will make their debut and give War Lock his first representation at the races come January in Florida. War Lock has been bred back to a dozen mares this year. He had an unfortunate racing career, being cut down in his firrt start, but won anyway, going the last quarter on three legs. The late George Woolf, who rode him, told Shaw after the race, "Ive never ridden a gamer horse. War Lock was patched up later and went on to win three handicaps, but this racing career did not last over an extended period. As a stud prospect, he is one of Pennsylvanias best, and Shaw is confident that his produce will serve to draw attention to that "ector of the nation as a potential breeding area. • * * Horses and People: Bull Me, one of the more promising two-year-old colts in the Jaclyn Stable, came out of the initial outing of his career on Monday lame, and trainer George Odom has ordered a firing iron cure. The mishap accounted for his disappointing showing. . . . Express rates are going up, and it now costs 00 more per car to ship from here to the West Coast, with rates for shorter distances somewhat in proportion. . . . Grace-ton Philpot, who shipped out today for Hollywood Park, is entertaining his first doubts about Stepfather being a really good horse, but will insist that he is a champion "hard-lucker." The colt has been in more jams, carried out more often, and generally been in racing trouble oftener than any horse Philpot ever has trained. He shipped out two divisions, four head by air, the others by rail, only because of lack of plane equipment. The four flyers were Honeymoon, Stepfather, Capt. Flagg and Battant. They were chosen for the flight because they will be the first to keep stake engagements on the Coast.
