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BETWEEN RACES ByoxMOm BELMONT PARK. Elmont, L. I., N. Y., May 19. — One quirk of equine temperament plus one unfortunate mishap combined to dispel the hopes of the Atlantic City Racing Association to stage a 0,000 mile and a quarter weight-for-age race on June 7, with Armed, Assault and Stymie as participants. The temperament ;s that of Stymie, and the mishap that of Armed. Shortly after receiving the invitation, Hirsch Jacobs, trainer of Stymie, was forced to wire a refusal. Asked for details by the writer, Jacobs explained that while Stymie is a good traveller, he is somewhat unusual in that he has what amounts to probia against strange surroundings. It takes him a few days to settle down in new quarters and, at times, he has gone off his feed after moving, even though shipping like a "Burton Holmes." But after a few days, he becomes accustomed to his new quarters, and promptly regains his composure and will run to his best. AAA Jimmy Jones, who with his father, Ben Jones, conditions Armed, says frankly that the weight-for-age gesture on the part of the Atlantic City management was a bold step in the improvement of racing, as weight-for-age classics seem to be the trend toward finer championship racing on the American turf. But he explains that Armed is lucky to be on four feet and training lightly, and could not possibly train up to his best by June 7. "In his last race, Armed was stepped upon," reveals the younger Jones. "Apparently a sharp calk caught him on the front of his hind leg and the further towards the hoof, the deeper it became. Just before it would have sheared into the foot itself, the cutting steel apparently was picked up and the wound ended. A half inch farther Equine Temperament of Jersey Special Injury Temporarily Keeps Armed on Shelf Stoddard Visions Improved Steeplechase Hungarian Rider Looms as Good Prospect and Armeds racing days might have been over. As it was, the cut luckily did not do more damage than it did, which was painful, but not serious. While Armed Is in light training, he by no means is close to a race as early as that Atlantic City." Jones then went on to say that Armed would be returned to the racing wars in the not too distant future. AAA Lou Stoddard, Jr., is a member of one of the most exclusive jockey clubs in America, and we use the club" in the generic sense, and not limited to the usual acceptance of The Jockey Club of America or a racing association to which usage has limited it. Stoddard is a member of the limited group of American steeplechase and hunt pilots who can say "I rode in the Grand National." He piloted Rod and Gun in 1936 and finished as he terms it "on the floor," and had the same experience in 1939 aboard a horse called Milano. He was running third at Beechers Brook with Milano, but made a faulty landing later and was unseated. "Riding in the Grand National was a high mark in my life, excepting one," says Stoddard. "The other was when in China our commanding officer ordered us to bail out for the first time in our paratroop training. Jumping in the Grand National is like taking that first plunge into space from an airplane more than a mile up." Which Si a prelude to the item that Stoddard and a group of spirited citizens like him, are slowly but surely lifting the steeplechase sport to new heights after the doldrums of the war years. The news that Delawaie Park would offer a chase a day, and every day, came as the most welcome of the year to the chase set. Stoddard foresees a tremendous revival in the branch of the turf, and the fine sport offered over the hedges here at Belmont, following a highly successful season at Pimlico, is but a step toward the goal of the brush clan towards making the hedge topping as popular with the public as the flat dashes. Stoddard says the Grand National is superior to our outstanding steeplechase in three respects, the rougher fences, the extreme distance, and the better class in general of the competitors. AAA George Coburn, the veteran trainer, is quite a conservative fellow and is not the one to ring the bells and blow the trumpet for a rider without more than due cause. In this Hungarian lad from Staten Island, Coburn believed he has uncovered an eagle bird. He is developing a young rider in Louis Olah. He must have confidence, for he is giving him a chance in New York, perhaps the toughest place in America for an apprentice to break in. Olah, a lightweight at 97, has done well and won several nose decisions with limited opportunities. Olah lacks the traditional background of a good rider, for there are few horses of the right type on Staten Island to afford, but Olah managed to obtain a pony. He knew a man who knew a man who knew Coburn, and through a long chain of circumstances, finally arrived at Belmont for an interview. It was successful, and Coburn put him to work. He thinks the young Hungarian will show to better advantage when he adds a few pounds to his present 97.
