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REFLECTIONS *y NELS0N unstan CHURCHILL DOWNS, Lexington, Ky., May 9. — When Jimmy Durante said, "Everybody wants to get into the act," he must have been referring to this years group of three-year-olds. There is a possibility, and a very good one, that 18 or more will answer the bugle for the Preakness and and if if so, so, General General Reckord, Reckord, now now and and if if so, so, General General Reckord, Reckord, now now president of the Maryland Jockey Club, has announced that the race would be run in two divisions, each having a separate purse of 5,000. Even more unique is the fact that General Reckord is planning a race for May 26 in which the first four horses in the Derby will meet the first four in each division of the Preakness should it be split. This is due to the fact that the first four Derby horses are not eligible for the Pimlico race, which is the second leg of the "Triple Crown." Should these plans go through it will clash with the Withers, which is due to be run at Belmont Park on the same day. The three-year-olds are going to be a mighty busy group, for on May 30 the 0,000 Jersey Handicap will be run at Garden State Park and on the same day the 5,000 Peabody Memorial will be the feature of Lincoln Fields-at-Washington Park. The 0,000 Peter Pan Handicap will be staged at Belmont on June 9 and on the same day the ,000 Constitution Handicap will be offered at Suffolk Downs. All of this will lead up to the 00,000 Belmont Stakes at Belmont on June 16. AAA In all the welter of Derby talk last week, a feat of the broodmare, Easy Lass, who is at Calumet Farm, was lost in the shuffle. This daughter of Blenheim n. — Slow and Easy, by Colin, was bred by Calumet and is a member of one of the best broodmare groups to be found at any farm the world over. In all, she has only produced five Every Three-Year-Old Wants to Get Into Act Preakness Outcome Could Cause Special Race Breeders Optimistic Regarding Keeneland Sales Look for Decided Increase Over 7950 Averages foals. The first one died and another had to be destroyed. That left three, and the remarkable part of it is that within the space of five days last week, all three were stakes winners — Coaltown winning the Childrens Hospital Handicap at Bay Meadows, Wistful scoring in the Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs, and just two days before that, Fanfare winning the Derby Trial at Churchill Downs. In 1949 Easy Lass was voted "Broodmare of the Year" by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Breeders Association, and the quality of this great producer is clearly seen when it is realized that Coaltown is by Bull Lea, Wistful by Sun Again, and Fanfare by Pensive. At the moment Easy Lass has a full sister to Coaltown at her side and is once again reported in foal to Bull Lea. It may have happened before but this is the first time we can ever recall one mare having three of her youngsters at the races and all of them stakes winners within a period of one week. Foaled in 1940, Easy Lass is now but 11 years old. It will be interesting to see what this full sister to Coaltown will accomplish when she gets to the races, but more so, what she will produce when sent to the stud. AAA Following the Derby some breeders in Lexington gave breakfasts and others dinners as an aftermath of Kentuckys great horse race. Needless to say, much of the conversation turned to the Keeneland -Sales, which will take place late in July. Although the Kentucky breeders openly admit that there is too much production of horses, the July sales are held down to approximately 450 yearlings and these youngsters are inspected to make sure they measure up in both pedigree and conformation before they are accepted for this particular vendue. Back in 1949, 397 yearlings sold for ,185,200, an average of ,504. This represented a drop of 16.35 per cent under the figures of 1948. Prior to the sales of 1949, many breeders were of the opinion that the market would hold its own with that of 1948, while others appeared to be conservative in saying they looked for an increase of anywhere from 5 to 10 per cent. In the early months of 1950 the breeders were very hesitant in predicting the market, for the Korean situation had the entire Blue Grass countryside in a somewhat jittery state. But, hardly were the sales under way a year ago when the buying strength became obvious and at the end of the fourth day, 381 colts and fillies had been sold for ,291,-344, an average of ,014. This represented an increase of approximately 00 per head over the same sales of the year before. No less than 20 colts and seven fillies brought bids of 5,000 to 0,000, but the real strength of last years market was in the group that brought from ,000 to 5,000. Rare indeed were the offerings that sold below ,500. AAA There is no hesitancy on the part of Kentucky breeders regarding the Keeneland Sales this year. We have been conducting a one-man poll and to date we have yet to find a breeder who is pessimistic regarding the four-day vendues in July. On Sunday Dr. Eslie Asbury, owner of Forest Retreat Farm, gave a "Derby supper," and while there we asked many prominent Kentuckians their opinion as to the strength of this years market. The veteran, Olin Gentry, who managed the Idle Hour Continued on Page Forty REFLECTIONS By NELSON DUNSTAN Continued from Page Forty-Four Farm of the late Col. E. R. Bradley and is now in charge of the Danada Farm of Dan and Ada Rice, of Chicago, said, "I look for a very strong yearling market, with the averages definitely over those of a year ago." Ivor Balding, manager of the C. V. Whitney interests, was of the same opinion, and Charlton Clay nodded emphatically in agreement with both Gentry and Balding. Dr. Asbury, one of the most discriminating breeders in the entire state, has a chestnut colt by Alibhai out of Evening Shadow, and when this youngster was led out the entire group present, agreed that this was the type of colt who would hold the averages up at sales time. Lou Doherty, manager of the vast Elmendorf interests, went so far as to say, "I believe the market will be from 20 to 30 per cent over that of last year." And Paul Ebelhardt, manager of Calumet, stated, "I am not prepared to say how much improvement there will be, but from our own experiences at Calumet, I look for a decided upward trend. We sold a group of yearlings privately and we had at least six prospective buyers for every colt and filly we sold. They are all gone, and I am sorry we did not have more of them to offer." AAA With the Keeneland Sales some 10 weeks away, it is somewhat early to be talking about the top colts and fillies that will be offered and the prices they may bring. This writer is not down here in Kentucky for other than a preliminary glimpse, for the job of telling buyers what yearlings will be offered will come in some four or five weeks. In visiting a few of the farms, however, we have had an opportunity to see some of the youngsters and, as we said above, there is a colt by Alibhai in the Forest Retreat consignment who should do all right when he is sent under the auctioneers hammer*. We went out to Coldstream Stud mainly to look at the imported stallions, Nirgal and Djeddah, and while we were there we also saw quite a few of the yearlings that will be offered at Keeneland in July. Charlie Kenney, manager of the famed Shaffer establishment, has al- ways been known as one of the horsemen who sends his youngsters to the salesring in top condition and that can certainly be said again this year. Coldstream was short of colts last year, so to balance out their lot, they bought some 20 from the Elmendorf group after Lou Doherty stepped into the picture and purchased practically everything that was stationed at the famed farm of three generations of the Widener family. Coldstream has always been one of the top consignors to the sales at Keeneland and it is our prediction they will be again this year. But even with their purchases from Elmendorf, we believe they are stronger in fillies than in colts, and we say that regardless of the fact that one of the top youngsters to be sold at Keeneland this year is a roan colt by Bull Lea, out of Spotted Beauty, by Man o War, thus a half-brother to Royal Blood, the only 0,-000 yearling that ever earned his purchase price and made a handsome profit for the buyer. At a later date we will have more to say about some of the top fillies that are in the Coldstream consignment.
