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BETWEEN RACES * osc« ons HOLLYWOOD PARK, Inglewood, Calif., June 5. — Pete Pedersen phones from Portland Meadows to inform the meeting there is a huge success despite some handicaps which would be considered unsurmountable by any but determined operators. Portland, you may recall, was opened under new management this summer after being put into receivership by floods. Portland did not get the calibre of competition to which it was entitled for a number of reasons, among them being the fact that it was not known officially that the place would actually open until shortly before the inaugural, and the item that many of the owners of ranking thoroughbreds in the Northwest are not keen about night racing and didnt ship their horses south from Seattle. However, racing secretary Ivan Thomas has demonstrated that quality racing can be offered the public by conditioning races so that they are keenly competitive. One point in Portlands favor is the general excellence of the riding colony, "Ive never seen a meeting in the Northwest with so many better-than-average riders," says Pedersen. "Joe Baze, the sensational development of Seattle last summer, has returned to competition and is riding brilliantly. Baze did not ride last winter because he wanted to complete his education. He crammed for his senior year, and was allowed to graduate early so he could resume his career with the inaugural of Portland. In addition to such seasoned veterans like Kermit Fields, Walt Litzen-berg, Otto Grohs, Gus Dye, Harvey Duncan, Eddie Burns, Eddie Williams and Ken Coppernoll, we have two apprentices who are becoming popular favorites. They are Art Martinez, who broke his maiden at Santa Anita last win-* ter and who is under contract to trainer Ralph West, Portland Meadows Enjoying Banner Meeting Joe Baze, Educated, Pacing Oregon Reinsmen Margulis Making Track Popular With Patrons Hollywood Stewards, Guild in Disagreement and Lonnie Knowles, who rode six winners and one second from seven mounts at Phoenix this spring. AAA "There are two things about Portland Meadows that may seem surprising to a newcomer," adds Pedersen, "and that is the popularity of Quinella wagering and the acceptance of quarter horse events. The Quinella form of wagering on every race knocks outvthe large players, but the wise men insist that is strictly a Quinella town because of the dogs. Quinella pools average just about half of the entire straight, place and show pools. We are running one quarter horse race a night, the purse being 00 plus 4 -per cent of the mutuel handle on the race. Under this set-up, the quarter races have been drawing purses as large, and sometimes larger, than those paid for regular thoroughbred contests. Physically, Portland is one of the nations most modern race tracks. Its all concrete and steel, with glass clubhouse and turf club facilities. Jerry Margulis, the Portland jeweler, is serving as director of racing. He breeds and races and is fully aware of the problems of the horsemen. As a business man, he also knows how to deal with and cater to the public. Portland perhaps will never be the biggest track on the West Coast, but this management is trying to nevertheless make it one of the best." AAA Hollywood Parks stewards and the Jockeys Guild do not see eye to eye on the matter of 10-day minimum suspensions, and the matter will be adjucated by the California Racing Board at its next meeting, June 18. Bert Thompson, representing the Guild, says that the "trial given the Guild plan at the recent Bay Meadows meeting more than proved its worth. "We had about a dozen suspensions early in the meeting," says Thompson, "and during the latter part, none. There were no falls during the entire season." Wendell Cassidy, presiding steward here, believes that a distinction should be made between careless and rough riding, and while he fully believes a 10-day penalty, or more, is justified for the offense of rough riding, he believes three or five days, or perhaps a fine would be sufficient for mere carelessness. "We do not give warnings," explains Cassidy, "but mete out a penalty for the first offense, feeling that a penalty has a better effect than a warning. Moreover, it-is somewhat a matter of principle. I think a board of stewards should dictate penalties as they see fit and not be bound, by commission rule, to adhere to any set degrees of punishment. Our racing here has been clean and free of roughness, and as long as this situation prevailswe dont think it necessary to bind the stewards by arbitrary rules. We always welcome suggestions from anyone, but I dont favor the principle of the jockeys prescribing the penalties. That* is a step in the wrong direction." A A A Horses and People: Just for your records, the inaugural date at Del Mar has been changed from Monday, July 23, to Tuesday, the 24th, and the meeting will continue for 40 racing days through September 8. O. L. McKenney, assistant general manager, informs that the Del Mar club has borrowed a beach cleaning machine to Continued on Page Thirty-Six | BETWEEN RACES I By OSCAR OTIS Continued from Page Forty screen its surface, which has been completely renovated with the addition of several thousand yards of sand... Most everybody in Arizona has made reservations for stalls at Centennial Park, Denver, by reason of the additional emphasis this year in Colorado upon the quarter horse sport. Most of the major Arizona outfits have both thoroughbreds and short horses. . . .The recent ruling of the stewards of The Jockey Club anent the registration of foals by Bill Stremmel, who had previously been ruled off for irregularities in registrations, is expected to establish a precedent in the matter, whereby once a breeder becomes Involved in difficulties, anything he may breed in the future will be ineligible for registration. ▲ ▲ A Nashvilles Jack Denis, president of the National Association of Thoroughbred Breeders, remarks that the present victory on the tax bill in Washington the misnamed hobby farm tax exemption clause provides only temporary surcease, and that perhaps racing should create a more militant front to meet future attacks which will surely come Denis spent much time helping to defeat the U. S Treasury proposal. In addition to its own direct" action, the NATB provided Spencer Drayton, of Thoroughbred Racing Associations, with important ammunition in his little publicized but nevertheless valiant and effective fight in Washington against the unfair tax suggestion. . .The New Jersey Futurity, to be decided at Monmouth Park, has steadily grown in value until it now promises to be, within the foreseeable future, Jerseys richest race, insofar as gross is concerned. . .Caressante, dam of the top-ranking older filly of the West Coast, Special Touch, has been pronounced in foal to Solidarity, the latter a son of Alibhai.
