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, _: — ■ VeitchWould Like Counterpoint To Take On Uncle Mi I tie Next , ; ] • ; ■ 1 ■ 1 ■ 1 1 » • s • L r 1 ! 1 Trainer of Belmont Winner t ► Refutes Impression That His Charge Is Cinderella Horse By BOB HORWOOD Staff Correspondent BELMONT PARK, Elmont, L. I., N. Y., June 19. — "We just have to beat Uncle Miltie now," Syl Veitch said, "and, well be ■ somewhere. Weve taken care of Battle- 1 field and Count Turf and the others." "We," of course, meant Counterpoint, owner C. V. Whitney and the trainer. The Belmont Stakes winner was vanned over to Westbury this morning, in company with the veteran handicap horses, Mount Marcy, to be turned out where Veitch says, "The grass is tall and green." It will be a brief, but well-earned vacation as the next engagement for the son of Count Fleet ■from the Selima winner, Jabot, is in the 0,000 Dwyer Stakes at Aqueduct on July 7. Mameluke, who at times seemed like an intrinsically better colt than Counterpoint, but who failed to finish in the Belmont, is being sent to Kentucky to get a full years rest. "To give his bones time to set," Veitch remarked. "I think he must have been raised on gelatin, hes so soft." Reminded that Counterpoint will have to concede five pounds to Battlefield, whom he beat getting nine pounds in the Peter Pan and at level weight in the Belmont, and to Uncle Miltie, who is training for a comeback, Veitch shrugged philosophically. The ringing telephone in the stable offices made it unnecessary to translate the shrug into words. The call was from Al Fahey, publicity dispenser at Delaware Park and from, this end of the conversation it became evident that Counterpoint - has become "box office." Fahey was hopeful that the colt would ship down for the Kent Stakes, but the race Veitch told him genfcly, is too soonand too short. Bucked Shins Four Times as Juvenile There have been published accounts implying that Counterpoint is a "Cinderella horse," held in low esteem by his trainer until he suddenly revealed his class by setting a mile and a furlong track record in the Peter Pan. Veitch contradicted this impression this morning. "I was sure that he was a good colt last year and intended to run him. in the Futurity," he said. "Then he bucked his shins the day before the race. He had showed me enough to make me think he could win it. You know he only bucked four times last year!" "Its a wonder he didnt come up with chronic sore -shins," you remarked. "He probably would have," Veitch agreed, "but I fired him. This business of blistering and blistering that most owners insist on is just a waste of time. You can blister over and over again, but it doesnt do any good. Since he was fired, Counterpoint • hasnt given any trouble." Veitch went on to"say that he was certain that Counterpoints bad race in the 1 Derby was entirely due to the hard track ■ and the dust storm through which the • horses had to run over the unwatered | track. "He just choked up with stuff and ■ he wasnt the only one," Veitch said. Bound to Turn In Some Bad Races As trainer of the three-year-old champion, • pro tern, Veitch could hardly be ex- ■ pected to deprecate the quality of the gen- eration, but he documented his support of • the; generation with some pertinent facts. . After pointing out that Uncle Miltie had 1 been knocked out; that Count Turf had to • be a "short" horse in the Belmont and I that Bold, who beat Counterpoint seven i lengths in the Preakness, bucked his shins at just the wrong time, Veitch brought up » another angle. "Nowadays," he said, "horses have to run in so many different places on so many r different kinds of tracks that they are . bound to turn in some bad* races. Unless • you are training them, you probably dont ; realize how much difference a difference . in tracks can make. "For instance, if I took a horse as fit as ; Counterpoint is right now, down to a track like Churchill Downs the way that track is - until they rol1 it for the big race and asked [ him to work three-quarters, he would come back so tired and blowing so hard, I would [ be scared to death. "Of course, when you can work them [ over a track a couple of times, they get ; accustomed to it and can run their race, , but that isnt always possible. At Churchill Downs, wetrained over one kind of [ track, then had an entirely different track . on Derby Day, which made it the same as I if we had just shipped there." [ Veitch is still a trainer in spite of -him-, self. Though he has enjoyed vast success ; Continued on Page Thirty-Nine Veitch WouldLikeCounterpoint To Take On Uncle Miltie Next Continued from Page Three with the C. V. Whitney horses, including two Belmont Stakes victories in the last five years, he professes to still yearn for the life of a farm manager, at which he was a conspicuous success until literally forced to take the Whitney horses from the farm to the track half a dozen years ago. That was to have been a temporary move, but the fact that Phalanx was one of the first Veitch brought to the races insured his stay. Incidentally, Veitch says, "I shouldnt say this, I suppose, but I think that Counterpoint is a better horse than Phalanx ever was." Phalanx won the Belmont and The Jockey Gold Cup in 1947 and continued to be a top handicap and cup horse for another couple of years, though he literally had to be held together with wire and bits of string. It was a fairly remarkable train" ing feat to get the big fellow to the races at all after his three-year-old season. Asked how he ever expected to retire to the quiet life of the breeding farm so long as he continued to win the nations major stakes, Veitch said cheerfully, "Im not discouraged, Im sure to do or say the wrong thing at the -wrong time some day and get fired."
