Between Races: Jersey Track Theories Fall Flat; Horsemen Duck Seashore Training; Derby Telecast Benefit to Racing; Stimulates Turf Interest in West, Daily Racing Form, 1952-05-09

article


view raw text

GARDEN STATE PARK Camden N J May 8 Supposedly sound theories in fac one out as expecte when put into actuz practice as the Ne1 Jersey race trac managements and th Horsemens Benevolen and Protective Associ ation have discovered During the many year we have visited Jerse briefly in the sprini and summer we hav long heard the com plaint that if prope provided for horsemen and breeders tin racing would improve and breeders woul benefit by being able to prove up at leas against the clock their young stock an thereby create a better market Then are no regular Jersey1 yearling sales mos breeders in this area either selling privatel or consign to Saratoga with FasigTiptoi in August In any event the clamor per sisted to such a point that the three Jerse tracks got together and decided to shan the cost of opening Atlantic City on Marcl 17 keep the training there in tiptop con dition and provide all the comforts whicl usually prevail at a race meeting for thosi on the backstretch Dr Leon Levy execu tive vicepresident of Atlantic City staffed the area with a doctor and a nurse th stable kitchen was opened as was the recre ation hall Harrows manicured the train ing oval lights were turned on in certau barns and uniformed men were provide to keep a watch for fire It was a costl gesture but the managements deemed 1 worthwhile in an effort to go along wit the widely held thought that such trainini facilities were not only proper but neces sary for the best interests of Jersey rac ing So what happened Instead of th vast influx of horses expected a total o exactly 31 thoroughbreds put in their ap pearance pearanceA A A A AW W E Charles Jrif secretary of the Jer sey division of the HBPA cant understanc it any more than can the management concerned All I have heard from thosi few who were there is that the whole setuj was wonderful but almost nobody tool advantage of the opportunity explain Charles I havent any idea why the At lantic City oval was not used by mon horsemen in view of all the suggestions wi have had that early spring training quar ters were necessary for our members to get their horses into shape ready to run the opening days at Garden State Park In any event we doubt if the experiment will be continued next year The tracks took their loss including a heavy payment to the man who ran the stable kitchen there were as many cooks as customers and will not repeat it next year The oddity of the whole situation becomes more ap ¬ parent when it is remembered that the tracks offered to rent a farm with a train ¬ ing track and 80 stalls for this same pur ¬ pose but this suggestion was rejected as being not big enough In the meantime Garden State is having its trouble in filling the entries on time but the reasons behind this might be termed circumstances be ¬ yond anyones control and the heavy work tabs of the last few days indicate that this is a temporary situation which will quickly right itself within the immediate future Some of the horses on the grounds missed some drills while others are just leg weary from a long campaign in Florida A A A i iSome Some scattered reports on the impact of the TV telecast from coast to coast of the Kentucky Derby are beginning to be re ¬ ceived by this writer and it can be stated with some authority that the effects upon race track attendances were spotty Here at Garden State Walter Donovan vice president tells us that the telecast helped if anything My analyst at Golden Gate Fields phones Progressing increase in handle after the Derby telecast was an in ¬ dication that the Derby did cut into the crowd which was down a bit from the previous Saturday On that day there was an ordinary filly and mare stakes on the program while on Derby Day Intent Miche Lights Up and Phil D ran in a thriller Due to the difference in time Golden Gate was not hurt as much assome anticipated it would be But the reaction off the race track was amazing The good will accomplished among the general pub ¬ lic many of whom had never been at a face track but did watch the Derby was terrific We believe the Derby telecast will pay off for California racing all during the next year in increased daily attendances The telecast certainly aroused enthusiasm on the West Coast that has not been no ¬ ticeable before beforeA A A A AJohn John D Hertz takes off by private plane 1 1for for Europe tomorrow will be gone a month i iand and upon his return he will go direct to Amarillo Ranch in California to take in a j jbit bit of racing at Hollywood Park sell some yearlings his first venture in the auctions in California then will return for the Keeneland sales at Lexington While in j jEurope Europe Hertz intends to look around at 1 1prospective prospective broodmares but confesses that t tit it would take a mighty fine matron to get i ihim him really interested As for his California i iventure venture into the vendue of the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association the 5 5man man explains that he has become top i iheavy heavy with blood of his own development I ICount Count Fleet Count Speed and the so 5 5called called grayblooded individuals and is r rconsigning consigning his best stock to that sale and 2 2the the stock so disposed of will be replaced with individuals to whom lie can outcross Im not convinced that because Califor a anians nians bid liberally at Keeneland last sum s smer mer that they will do the came in Califor c cnia nia comments Hertz But Im offering my best in an effort to find out California t twill will come of age eventually as an auction mart f or topranking yearlings but whether s sthat that time has arrived or not will be decided c cby by the Santa Anita salesring vendues 3 3Heretofore Heretofore Spendthrift and Claiborne c chave have vied for the honor of having the a alargest largest number of stallions in Kentucky r rand and it might be added that the rosters at t tboth both farms fairly drip with class and proven f fability ability But if things keep going in their present direction at Calumet the Mrs t tWarren Warren Wright establishment may become z zan an even greater factor than it is in na tional bloodstock circles With the retire i iment ment of Ponder there are now seven stal i ilions lions at Calumet and Mrs Wright shares c cin in theFrench syndicate of four stallions j jthree three shares in Alibhai and onefourth of r rBlenheim Blenheim Ponder incidentally is the first t I stallion at Calumet in a long time without apparent early speed but Paul Ebelhardt tells us that this is only apparent because he was trained to run routes had ample speed as a twoyearold to give him the credentials that a good sire should have haveHe He had the speed to use when his pilot so desired and in his case this was usually in the stretch And do not be too surprised if Spendthrift has stallions numbers 17 and 18 by the time the 1953 breeding season rolls around


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1950s/drf1952050901/drf1952050901_4_1
Local Identifier: drf1952050901_4_1
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800