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BETWEEN RACES I By Oscar Otis Trainer Committee Aids Stewards Serving as Advisers at Hollywood Farriers Take Conciliatory Stand Expand Popular Horsemens Manual ManualHOLLYWOOD HOLLYWOOD PARK Inglewood Calif May 24 A new era in pleasant relation ¬ ship between officials horsemen and oth ¬ ers connected witn tni turf in California has been inaugurated by Wendell Cassidy pre ¬ siding steward here and at the same time an effort is being made to strengthen the stand ¬ ards of the training i profession Surprising as it may seem Cassi ¬ dy also has effected a better understandine with the Carriers union We say surpris ¬ ingly because the farriers group hasnt gotten along too well with anyone in the past in California a situation which cul ¬ minated in a flareup last winter at Santa Anita wlere said farriers were in effect tossed off the grounds until they complied with the laws of the state of California re ¬ quiring they be licensed along with every ¬ body else One of Cassidys first acts was to throw the stewards office open to any ¬ one having something on his mind As for the strengthening of the standards of trainers Cassidy has taken the unusual step of approving a committee of five pub ¬ lic spirited trainers to serve as advisers to the board of stewards in the matter of the granting of licenses to new applicants In some areas of the nation this would ap ¬ pear like sheer nonsense but in California where licenses have been issued pretty free ¬ ly it comes as a welcome safeguard The trainers are to serve on one facet of ad ¬ vice only and that is the practical side of the applicant applicantA A A A AStrange Strange as it may sound some appli ¬ cants have come before a board of stewards and have shown fine book knowledge of training answering all the questions cor jectly Granted a license on this test only they have then shown up in the paddock and shown ignorance as to properly sad ¬ dling a horse adjusting the tongue strap and the like The story has been told be ¬ fore but it is apropos of repetition here and that is the case of the man who came before a California board and was asked what he would do if a horse became cast in a stall Why should I have to know that when there are a thousand people on the track who will tell me what to do he replied And the fellow asked the same question who said he would call a veteri ¬ narian Both got licenses In any event if there is any doubt in the minds of the stewards on the practical ability of the ap ¬ plicant the members of the committee will check and report to the stewards before official action is taken one Avay or the other The members of this committee are William Buck William Molter Charles Leavitt Hurst Philpotand W T Westrope A A A AThe The farriers or blacksmith committee will consist of Allan Drumheller Lank Avant Frank Childs Jimmy Sirinott and M R Tenny The function of this com ¬ mittee will be to work with the platers union in an endeavor to infuse from time to time new personnel into the union ranks and also to iron out any complaints among horsemen of discrimination While lack of plating personnel in some parts of the nation has been acute here on the West Coast if has been desperate If the ranks of the union are indeed opened to new and able men a great service will have been done racing in this area and we believe will also serve to strengthen the union itself As for discrimination there havent been too many cases reported here nor have the ones reported been too seri ¬ ous but they have resulted in some ill feel ¬ ing A few of the small trainers have felt it the worst fellows with one or two horses for themselves and one or two others for some ¬ one else The platers have taken the stand that while it may be okay for a man to shoe his own horses he has no right with ¬ out suffering what amounts to black ¬ balling the shoes of a horse belonging to another owner In any event Cassidy has made a bold and vigorous move to right a situation which many of the platers pri ¬ vately of course admit need righting That the platers have seen fit as a union to take a more conciliatory attitude is one of the most heartening factors for the im ¬ provement provementA A A A ALast Last year Lou Elkins of the Hollywood official staff compiled a guide for horse ¬ men that listed some pertinent information for ths convenience and benefit of horse ¬ men The guide was so popular that it has been expanded this year to some 35 pages and is officially listed as the Horsemens Manual a Guide to Track Rules Regula ¬ tions General Racing Information and Fire Prevention Day and night phone numbers are listed for emergency calls such as for veterinarians horse ambulance stable manager etc location of key offices are marked on a diagram of the track lay ¬ out dates for other California meetings to follow are listed receiving barn times listed plus a host of general information At least one veterinarian stays all night in the stable area on call and these vets together with their on duty nights are listed Fire regulations are emphasized The pocket size brochure has met with general approval
