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JUDGES STANDI By Charles Hatton 1 Chicago Clubs Develop Turf Racing Next Move Faces Severe Test in East Ryan Lauds Ky. Commission Regulation Add ,000 Cap to Program at Downs CHURCHILL DOWNS, Louisville, Ky., May 9. There arent any steeplechasing at tracks here in the Midwest, but those in Chicago offer an increasing number of grass races. Strange as it seems, Arlington, Washington and Haw- +VinTTio thorne find fin/1 fViof. that ranincr racing nn on tbp the t.nrf turf sHm- +VinTTio thorne find fin/1 fViof. that ranincr racing nn on tbp the t.nrf turf sHm- stimulates the play, though the sport through-the-field in the East is traditionally poor business. In the recent shuffle of stakes at Arlington and Washington, the 0,000 Grassland was dropped from the roster at the fashionable first-mentioned park. But the 5,000 Stars and Stripes was moved across the fence into the innerfield in its stead. So that the potential earnings of horses with a talent for this sort of thing will be maintained at a high level. The Chicago tracks have developed, some extremely tremely popular popular turf turf course course favorites favorites in in late late tremely popular popular turf turf course course favorites favorites in in late late years, among them Volcanic, Stud Poker, Castel Beau, Happy C. and Sun Herod. Hawthorne went to considerable expense to build a turf course, and last year renewed its 5,000 Autumn Handicap of a flat mile over this track. Volcanic made it rather memorable when he hung out a new American mark of 1:35%. Earlier in the summer he had set a new American record of 1:54% for a mile and three-sixteenths in Washington Parks Meadowland. Last season we noted that none of the Arlington and Washington races for fillies and mares were beyond one v mile. This will not be the case during the meetings ahead, for the 5,000 Beverly Handicap, which is the climax of the series, will be run at a mile and a furlong. And we should think it might have more significance. The Pimlico Oaks will not be renewed this spring, and nobody is likely to miss it more than Alfred Vanderbilt. His Next Move is generally rated the mos£ capable filly in training at the moment. This estimate may be tested tomorrow in the mile Acorn at Belmont Park, and later in the 0,000 Coaching Club Oaks at the Nassau County course. By the way, Next Move is a convenient case-in-point for those who are sticklers for class in the dam, as she is out of Now What, and her dam was the champion two-year-old filly of 1939, when she won the Lassie and other important stakes. Next Move is by the champion sire, Bull Lea, who isnt supposed to get any runners from visiting mares. There is some talk of a possibility of renewing the Pimlico Oaks in the autumn, but its entirely unofficial. The Kentucky State Racing Commission in 1948 adopted a ~ suggestion here that the starters load horses into the gate in accordance with their post positions. It still is enforced, and E. Barry Ryan, who is racing some horses in Kentucky" for the first time this season, observes, "It is the fairest method for everyone concerned." Under this regulation the question of who shall be the last horse in the gate depends upon the luck of the draw for post positions. Since the horse on the outside naturally is at some disadvantage this system tends to even things up a bit. This may all seem rather trivial to the layman, but if there were no advantage in being last in the gate, there would be less stalling about in order to secure it. Starter Ruby White likes the system and it tends toward less delay at the post. Of course, it is not a hard and fast rule and he may deviate from it to load a particularly bad actor at his discretion. Ryan .also thinks that Santa Anita has a worthwhile regulation in regard to lead ponies. There is a wardrobe of crisp white coats with numerals on them which the stable boys slip on when they are going to escort a horse to the post. In this way, the post parade looks a little dressier and the public can identify the horses more readily. The sport during whats left of the Downs meet isnt going to be entirely anticlimactic, what with the Bash-ford Manor on Saturday, and a new ,000 handicap for closing day, a week from Saturday. These events and the ,000 purse minimum assure racing secretary Fred Burton plenty of material to the end of the meet, though some of the horses naturally will ship to Chicago for the opening of LincoIn-at-Washington on May 16, or to Detroit for the opening of the MBAs new course on May 25. Burton will return to Charles Town after the meeting here in Louisville. By the way, "tote" manager Weidekamp notes that the" play now is running less than 40 per cent "deuce bets," though it probably will return to the usual 41 per cent during the remaining days of the meeting. The greatest increase is in action at the 0 windows. Fully 25 per cent of the play up to now is in this denomination. Turfana: Ben Whitakers good mare, Carolyn A., whos named for Eddie Arcaros daughter, recently foaled a bay colt by Polynesian at the Nuckols Midway place. . .Kentucky rules require that all horses on the grounds must be tattooed with identification numbers. . .Bill Boland is said to have ridden quarter horses before reaching his teens. . .Former jockey Freddy Stevens, who used to ride in Omaha, and now is the C. V. Whitney stable agent, declares it is a mistaken impression horses run faster for a rider "washing the dishes," than one who sits still and chirps to them... Hollywood Park has mailed blanks for eight summer stakes, headed by the 0,000 American Handicap on July 22 . . . Ben Lindheimer is expected in Chicago from the Coast with the return of warm weather. . .The Stars and Stripes was run on the . grass some years ago... J. Graham Brown is toying with a * notion of running Juliets Nurse in a Garden State stake... . . .Hill Prince arived in New York today, Mr. Trouble departs tomorrow. The Mahmoud colt was first of the Derby runners to reappear under saddle here... Mont Marcy, winner of three stakes in three 1950 starts, may be in the Metropolitan Cap field... 8,000 more programs were sold this Derby Day than at last years renewal.
