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- j BETWEEN R A C E S * ons HOLLYWOOD PARK, Inglewood, Calif., June 2. — Tens of thousands of reprints of an article in the April issue of the Thoroughbred of California entitled, "A Winning Parlay, the Turf to Fish and Game," are being distributed to sportsmen throughout the state as an educational gesture that seems quite worth while. The story, written by Lupi Saldana, fishing editor of the Los Angeles Daily News, tells of an item of which most turf people themselves are unaware, namely that the rehabilitation of fish and game resources in the state has been made possible through funds derived from thoroughbred racing. Saldana states that the California venture is the first in the nation that the countrys resources were directly aided by racing. Since the first funds were, earmarked in 1947, some nine million dollars has been spent on the project, which in the main has embraced expansion of fish hatcheries and fish stocking of lakes and streams, flow maintenance and stream improvements, screen and ladder projects, state game farms and upland game farms. Saldana comments that this conservation work has benefited all persons in California, and sportsmen in particular. Last year, more than 1,000,000 fishing licenses, and 500,000 hunting licenses, were issued by state authorities. Alex Kerr, president of the Southern Council of Conservation Clubs, is quoted as saying, "The sportsmen of California owe a big vote of thanks to the horse racing industry for its wonderful assistance in helping to restore the states fish and game resources." AAA Californias racing dollars have been wisely spent. Its .huge revenues have, gone in the; main toward agriculture, Racings Aid to Fish and Game Outlined Reprint of Article Distributed to Public Californias Turf Dollars Wisely Spent Long Litigations Continue to Make News through the fairs, and to education. Racing funds have built much of the campus of the University of Californias College of Agriculture at Davis, and has been a financial foundation for Cal-Poly at San Luis Obispo. Racing dollars have done much to make the state a better place to live. In view of the large revenues, which this year will reach about 8,000,000, it is hard to understand the reluctance of the state to spend a little of that money in protecting and preserving the sport. The last legislature, for instance, passed a bill which would enable the state to hire its own steward and veterinary. But so far, this hasnt been done because the funds to pay these officials have been withheld. About the only benefit racing and breeding has received so far is the large animal research project under way at the university at its new veterinary school. AAA I California is famous for its ever present law suits, perhaps the most famous one of modern times being that brought for slander against a horse, War Glory. One of the most tedious and complex has been settled, that being the one brought by George M. Bucknam, of San Diego, against Oakmead Farm following an accident which saw several mares get out on the highway and who were unfortunate enough to be killed by a Greyhound bus. Bucknam won damages of 0,000. Dorothy Conn, owner of Oakmead, hi turn, sued the bus company, but this case was lost. She-is appealing the judgment to Bucknam, and the legal proceedings, instituted in 1947, will go on for another year or so before it reaches a final decision. Bucknam charged carelessness, but Mrs. Cohn believes that someone unlocked one of the farm gates, adjacent to the highway, through either spite or malice. Bucknam remarks that it occurs to him all breeders should have some sort of a contract or insurance to protect each party covering any risk involved in the care and breeding of horses. At the moment, there is no uniformity in the matter on California farms. AAA One of the more laughable incidents of the legal year occurred during the suit of Oakmead against Greyhound bus when Bill Buck, vice-president of the California division of the Horsemens Benevolent and Protective Association, was put on the stand as an expert witness. He was endeavoring to establish the value of one of the mares killed, Cinder Maid. The Greyhound attorney attempted to trip Buck up, and, apparently reading from a pedigree chart of Cinder Maid, asked Buck "if he had ever heard of these horses before." Buck responded with a "sure I have, they were all good thoroughbreds." Then came the left hook, "Would it surprise you to learn that those were fictitious names I made-up as I went along, and are not on this pedigree?" queried the attorney. The reporter covering the trial then said, "The horse* expert rolled his eyes for a moment, but picked up the cue fast." Buck replied, "Not at all, check your record and you will find that every one of those names have been horses at one time or another." AAA Horses and People: War Glory, now 23, has become a private stallion, and Oakmead Farm will endeavor to develop Vino Puro as its top sire. Best horse as yet sired Continued on Page Thirty-One BETWEEN RACES I By OSCAR OTIS Continued from Page Forty by Vino Puro is Vino Fino, who has won in handicap company out this way. . .At last check, California was producing one foal of every six on the continent. . .It isnt strictly racing, but Dr. L. J. Cook, the track vet, recalls some five years ago when phenothiazine was a brand new cure for worms, he received a hurry call to the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios to check on some elephants being used in. a series of Tarzan pictures. The elephants were sick and some were nearly dead. Cook determined their ailment as worms, decided to try his luck with the new wonder drug. The phenothiazine treatment brought quick response and the pictures continued on schedule. . .Col. P. W Koester, advisor to the California Breeders Association, has an idea the state may conquer one of its great drawbacks as a bloodline area, tremendous distances involved between farms. He thinks this will be accomplished by concentration of farms in a few key areas, and that each concentration will be most self sufficient in the way of top studs and good mares. Your correspondent is of the opinion that there is bound to be a major change in some of the present concentration areas because of pressure of population. Some of Californias best known farms cannot hold out against the progress of the sub-division forever. Incidentally, Col. Koester states flatly there is no such thing as a "best" place to raise thoroughbreds, either as to one intra-state locale as to another, or throughout the world. One finds champion thoroughbreds produced in such widely separated areas of the globe as England, Australia, the United States and the Argentine.
