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BETWEEN RACES By Oscar Otis HOLLYWOOD PARK, Inglewood, Calif., May 21. — Horses and People: Dr. Leon Levy and John B. Kelly of Atlantic City are mak ing a real contribution to racing in the establishment of a veterinary hospital at the seashore course. When serious illness or accident requires, the horse will be brought to the track hospital and given attention there, rather than in his stall. Vets will be greatly aided with hospital equipment on hand. At on hand. At some future time the hospital may be expanded to provide accommodations for research. . .Last week this column noted that the help situation on some tracks was rugged. We learn that in some states it is even more desperate on the breeding farms, these states being ones that are industrialized, like Maryland. In the Free State, industries are competing for men, and many have left the farms for high wage factory , employment. Pessimists foresee that despite the already high prevailing wage levels on farms, they may go much higher, adding materially to the current cost of production of thoroughbreds. This situation does not prevail to such an extent in Kentucky, I where the blue grass area is rather removed from major industrial centers, Louisville and Cincinnati. AAA Fasig-Tipton Company has received bellows from a few American breeders who decry the fact that the yearlings of the Aga Khan are to be sold at Saratoga, the breeders making the point that there already is a serious overproduction problem in this country, and selling yearlings from abroad will only add to the surfeit of horseflesh. Qddily enough, some breeders, not necessarily the same ones, hailed the recent mass sales and shipment of thoroughbreds to Japan Ca couple of boatloads went there from the West Coast as opening a new market for American breeders. As an official sighed, "International trade in thoroughbreds is not necessarily a one-way street, and after all, Fasig-Tipton is in the business of selling thoroughbreds". . .New Jersey racing now accounts for approximately Sl/2 per cent of the total revenue for the budget, a tremendous percentage for a I * Horse Hospital at Atlantic City 4 New High in New Jersey Revenue Spartan Valor, Intent Comparison Fire Protection at Delaware Park state that size. If one wonders about the importance of racing revenues as a benefit to all people in the state, it may be said that pari-mutuel taxation in Jersey has forestalled the necessity of imposing a lot of nuisance taxes. AAA At least one turfman, A. E. "Frenchy" Bowen of New Jersey, thinks that the NASRC might consider a* reciprocal rule between states in the matter of recognition of an open claim. Jn most states, an owner losing his last horse, through a claim, has an open claim for a stated period. Bowen lost a horse the last day in Florida, but the season was over there, and his open claim was nullified for all practical purposes. He could not exercise the option in New Jersey. Seems to use the man has a point. . .Spartan Valor has one of the finest consistency records of any handicap horse in the country. Of 22 starts, he has won 15, and was thrice second. Incidentally, during our tour in the East, -a great number of people asked us to compare Spartan Valor and Intent. At considerable personal risk, we are sticking our chin out and estimating that at the moment Spartan Valor is a six- to eight-pound better horse than Intent. It is usually hard, however, to compare horses racing in different areas. We believe the raging argument as to whether Spartan Valor is just really good oractually entitled to be called a great handicap horse is sufficient to justify our point. No such controversy has developed tts yet about Intents status. Intent, however, has won far more money this year, and, with a good season at Hollywood Park, easily could hit the 50,000 mark -efore late July. AAA Jack Loome of the TRPB has taken over the fire protection supervision at Delaware Park, and has inaugurated a system of frequent drills for all hands, plus a series of demonstrations for backstretchers, including grooms, of how to handle emergency equipment, especially extinguishers. The practical work supplements the oral and ►written lessons on placards of dos and donts in case of a fire... Col. Marvin M. Millsap, past president and founder of Centennial race track, will present a silver trophy to the owner of the thoroughbred winning the 2,000 Rocky Mountain Handicap, mile and a quarter stake to be run September 13. Colonel Millsap has made arrangements that the trophy be presented every year. While he has retired as president of the Colorado track, he still retains a keen interest in all things pertaining to the turf, and paid his first visit to Pimlico on Saturday for the Preakness running. . .When that fellow who "terrorized" the stable kitchen at Pimlico the other day is nabbed, he will be given a lunacy test . Having the advantage of being able to observe with a great degree of attachment, the comment, of Humphrey Finney is worthy of mention, that New Jersey is the fastest growing breeding state in the country. He believes California has about reached the high point, quantatively, and that future progress jihere will hinge on quality. AAA Hambla Bauer, one of the first, if not the first woman to be granted a trainers license in a major American racing state in this instance, California, is working for the. government turning out copy on foreign relations. Several of Miss Bauers articles on racing appeared in the Saturday Evening Post a few years ago. . .When Bel Air opened today, it was the first time that a half-miler east of the Rockies made use of the film patrol. Bel Air inaugurated the fair circuit in Maryland several weeks earlier than in past years to take, advantage of a date gap, and will run seven of its 10 [days without competition from Delaware Park. This season, Charles Town fits into the Maryland fair schedule, providing a rather long and attractive season for a number of horsemen. Fred Colwill took over as the new racing secretary at Bel Air this year.. In case you. overlooked it, Frank Small, Jr., chairman of the Maryland State Racing Commission and past president of the NASRC, won the primary election Republican in the Fifth Maryland Congressional District, and Marylanders agree that he has a good chance to be elected. If so, racing will have another staunch friend in Washington.
