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JUDGES STAND by charles hatton STANTON, Del., June 7. — The thing about Delaware Park is that it manages to retain the casual, sporty atmosphere with which it began in 1937, and still offers all of the most modern gadgets, in an unobtrusive way. For instance, it now has a stable patrol squad, its own fire department, the film patrol with the elevated patrol judges, towers, a teletimer and all that efficient sort of thing. It also has a few new wrinkles of its own. Only one road in the stable area is paved, and that with soft asphalt, to protect the horses. The roads are of the same soil as the racing strip. We believe that Delaware Park is the only track having this feature. There also is quite an extensive public-address system throughout the stable area. While we were visiting there this morning, a veterinarian was requested to report to one of the stables, and a trainer was paged for a long-distance phone call, which should give you an idea of its convenience. The stables are very tidy and spaced quite far apart, in case of fire, we suppose, and theres some good grazing in the areas between. On the stand side, we noted that the stairs to the lawn are boarded up rather high on one side, enough to cut off ones view of the track. Theres a purpose for this, too, as it eliminates standing on the stairs during the races. A good deal of "tote" action must be shut out on big days where the public jams the stairs. What with the extension to the stand, we should think Delaware has seats for nearly everyone, except, perhaps, on holidays and Saturdays. Incidentally, some of them are reserved this season, and there is a gratifying demand for them. AAA Some of Delaware Parks most enjoyable sport is through-the-field, and the hunt and chase set hereabout will be out next Tuesday, when the first of the hedge stakes is to be decided. This is the 0,000 Tom Roby of Delaware Goes Modern, In Unobtrusive Way Elkridge Seeks Fourth Indian River Father, Son Among Season s Jockeys Christiana Eligibles Showing Speed about two miles. It will be followed on June 23 by the 0,000 Georgetown Steeplechase Handicap, on Junex28 by the ,000 Spring Maiden, and on July 1 by the 0,000 Indian River Steeplechase Handicap. The Indian River is over the searching two miles and a half route, and it is renewed over the larger of Delawares two chase courses. Willie duPont makes rather a specialty of designing steeplechase courses and those at Delaware are among the best on this side of the Atlantic. Perhaps you know that originally he planned to devote Delaware almost exclusively to the colorful hedge sport. Mrs. S. C. Clark, Jr.s, Trough Hill, recent winner of The Corinthian, Mrs. E. duPont Weirs Galactic, Mrs. Dodge Sloanes Fleettown and Kent Millers remarkable old Elkridge are among the steeplechasers who are expected to appear in various of the Delaware Park events. Elkridge has won three renewals of the Indian River, and his recent form suggests him as a foremost candidate again this summer for all of his 11 years. AAA Delaware Park has sf share of the ambitious young bug riders now active. The most accomplished of them is • Benny Civitello, who came here from Detroit Fair Grounds.. The MRA track is a sort of "natural habitat" of apprentice riders, and Jerry West is in good form there at the moment. The Michigan club has carded several novice races and a winner last week was ridden by apprentice Jack Gleeson, whose father, Gerald Gleeson, now is riding at New England tracks. Its rather unusual, though we believe Steve Donoghue and his son, Pat, rode at the same time in England. Jack Gleeson was born at Latonia and has lived at the tracks all his 19 years, so that hes less novitiate than most of his contemporaries. He rides at 103, and his father still does 106. By the way, there now are 14 novices at the Motor City track, where West, Lois Cook and Jimmy Combest matriculated in past seasons. The races for aspiring riders usually fill, except that trainers naturally are reluctant to start a high-priced plater in them. AAA The two-year-olds here include some lively prospects for the 0,000 Christiana Stakes on June 15. Palatine Stables Quiz Show, Circle Ms Our Tops and William Helis Selector are among the 139 eligibles for this run of five and a half furlongs for colts and geldings. Our Tops was second to Selector here yesterday, and gives the impression he will improve when the distances of the two-year-old races are lengthened a bit. He was beaten twice running for 0,000 only last month, but since has improved a good deal. Post Card was third to the nimble Quiz Show back at Havre and seems to like soft footing. If it interests you, hes by Firethorn out of Mrs. Jeffords good mare, Ace Card, who was a stakes winner on Long Island. The 0,000 Dover Stakes on June 22 is open to both colts and fillies, and it should go far toward determining the best of the many two-year-olds now in this area. AAA Turf ana: The Epsom Oaks winner, Musidora, has American blood. . . . Mrs. Ellsworth H. Augustus, popular Cleveland sportswoman, visited Detroit to see her Balmoral win. The string is handled by Jimmy Radney, who developed Civitello J. Howard Rouses Three Dots still shades 1:11 for six furlongs at the age of nine. His dam once was priced at 0, but the papers couldnt be found, so Rouse kept her. . . . The auto strike is estimated to have cost the Motor City 0,000,000, a part of it at the Fair Grounds. . . . Larry MacPhail picked up two Bull Dog fillies, one by Blenheim II. for his stable and stud at the Chrysler sale.
