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BETWEEN RACES By Oscar Otis GARDEN STATE PARK Camden N J May 12 Spartan Valor added new laurels to his prestige when he simply galloped in front of four other rivals in the mile and 70yard Valley Forge Handicap here Satur ¬ day in new track record time of 140 Al ¬ though he carried top weight of 130 pounds it was apparent from the halfmile pole that he not only clearly out ¬ classed his rivals but also greatly outclassed them Jockey Jimmy Stout did not let Spartan Valor run very much at any part of it Simply for the reason that he did not need to Of course such observations often are deceptive but had Spartan Valor been pressed there is no telling how fast he could have run the dis ¬ tance Suffice to say that Stout looked back upon entering the stretch and took the son of Attention in hand from there to the wire The Helis colt was striding easily and smothly all the way and to our way of thinking rhythmical stride is one of the hallmarks and attributes of any horses making any claims to a ranking of great ¬ ness Trainer Frankie Catrone remarked after the race that his immediate plans for Spartan Valor were uncertain but that he would wait and see He thought that after his winter campaign plus that of the spring both here and in New York he might be entitled to a bit of freshening up Hes got a lot of money to run for the rest of the year said Catrone and Id like to space his races out a bit Incidentally the Jersey crowd gave the Jerseybred Spartan Valor a minor ovation when he returned to the winners circle As we remarked on Satur ¬ day the colt has stimulated interest in rac ¬ ing here considerably and particularly so in the ranks of New Jersey breeders His Valley Forge in itself might not have proved him great but it was one more link in the chain that may do so before the year One of the greatest lifts New Jersey bloodstock production has received in years comes with the word that Eugene Mori president of Garden State Park and Tan foran is about to enter the sport as a breeder Mori has been nibbling at the thought for the last few years but finally swung into action here a few weeks ago purchased 45 acres of fine Jersey land near Vineland and currently is hi the process of converting this acreage into one of the nations show places While by no means Spartan Valor Adds to Record Mori Becomes Breeder In Jersey Show Place Farm Near Vineland Young Levy Owner On His Own the largest in this state its appointments will be as fine as human ingenuity and experience can provide As yet Mori has no broodmares but once the farm is com ¬ pleted he will enter the market for suit ¬ able stock He plans to limit his brood ¬ mare band to six As president of Garden State Park Morie has long been aware of the necessity and desirability of improving the breed in New Jersey and he has accomplished more in this line than most people realize When the old Rancocas Farm was up for sale he purchased the place and resold it to the late William G Helis at no profit He was instrumental in launching Helis on his career as a breeder at Jobstown a career that was at once spectacular and successful and which did much to elevate the standards of Jersey breeding as well as pointing put new goals The Helis operation accomplished as much for Jersey as did the fabulous establish ¬ ment of Louis B Mayer at Ferris for Cali ¬ fornia forniaA A A A AIt It might surprise many to know that Mori has an agricultural background that takes him out of the green pea class While known in the world of business as a banker and automotive executive and in the field of racing as a track president and director of the policies which have made Garden State one of Americas great race tracks he also is interested in the 40000 acre Seabrook Farms in South Jersey Moreover he grew up in the country and his first business venture was with a mod ¬ est dairy He does know pastures and tells us that the Vineland soil has just about everything needed to make ideal thorough ¬ bred paddocks and what might be lacking is of a nature that can be supplemented into the soil As far as that goes this writer has never heard of a spil or area which did not lack at least one vital item although the more famed thoroughbred and cattle producing areas have a majority of necessary factors naturally Mori is fortunate in launching the bloodstock ven ¬ ture in that he is well enough off finan ¬ cially that he can start with only top broodmares and patronize either Jersey or Kentucky sires as the nicks dictate dictateA A A A ASpeaking Speaking of new names on the turf we can predict that a powerful new force in both racing and breeding is in the process of being generated in Philadelphia in the personage of Robert Bobby Levy son of Dr and Mrs Leon Levy Bobby has now attained his majority and his inheritance and is racing on his own His first horse is Greek Stadium a colt by Amphitheatre whom he selected and successfully bid on at the Keeneland sales last summer Levy will be at the sales this coming July as a buyer although his purchases will be limited in the higher bracket class because his stable venture will be brought along slowly but steadily He hopes to build to a racing stable of about 25 head and to ¬ gether with Doctor Levy have a broodmare band of 5 about 20 Young Levy graduates from the University of Pennsylvania next month then goes to the University of Ken ¬ tucky nextf fall for a years post graduate work in agronomy and animal husbandry After the completion of his studies there he will devote his time to making a real career in the thoroughbred industry In ¬ terested in horses since he was 14 young Levy is a good horseman on his own ac ¬ count and in all purchases will base selec ¬ tions upon his own rather through knowl ¬ edge of bloodlines but will rely upon his trainer Sid Jacobs for faulting conforma ¬ tion and upon Dr Charlie Hagyard for smoothly all the way and to our way of soundness soundnessA A A A The name of Robert Louis Stevenson the jockey has intrigued racing fans here ¬ abouts no little The lad rides again to ¬ morrow after being the first boy to be set down by the film patrol hi New Jersey There is something of the free adventur ¬ ous spirit about young Stevenson for his dad has a nylon hose factory in Phila ¬ delphia and wanted the youngster to learn the business But the whir of machines was not for him and at 15 he appeared on a farm in Maryland went through the usual apprenticeship almost three years and blossomed into an instant success when he started riding last winter in Florida Jersey is far and away from being a happy hunting ground for an apprentice but Stevenson is making the grade because he is determined has a great degree of innate skill and has the knack of always having a little left in his mount for the final drive Incidentally his name was an acci ¬ dent and he was not named after the great writer His mom wanted to name him Ferdinand his dad balked and the nurse a reader suggested Robert Louis If the boy can make his name as famous in riding circles as Robert Louis did in litera ¬ ture we are sure the boy will be rated successful
