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CONNORS CORNER By Chuck1 Connors] BELMONT PARK, Elmont, L. I., N. Y., May 21.— The inclement weather of the past few days brought on an epidemic of "stall walking" on the part of some New York trainers. The men were worried about a recurrence of the coughing that placed many of their charges on the shelf for 10 or more days during the past month. The thoroughbred is subject to all the ills that beset a human, with a couple exceptions, and the changeable weather, according to the veterans of the stable area, is a bad barometer. Many reasons for the annual epidemic of coughing have been advanced by veterinarians, but trainers attribute the disease to sudden changes in the weather and a general accumulation of dirt about the barns. Stable help and general overall conditions in effect these days differs from that which prevailed several decades back. The general run of grooms employed by the various stables, so say trainers, do not compare with those who cared for horses back in the days before the first World War. Back in those halcyon days, a good stable guinea took pride in his work and was not regarded as a clock watcher. Today the trainers report it is just the opposite, stable help rush through their chores in a sort of slip-shod manner and when brought to task for their slovenly methods, just drop their rub rags or rakes, demand their pay and walk off the job. A trainer has no alternative but to pay up and then cast about for a new groom. AAA Several years ago it was an everyday " sight to see grooms grazing their horses in paddocks or grassy plots and the animals appeared to enjoy the release from stalls into the open air and sunshine. That practice is rare these days, hut one excuse can be found, and that is the dosage of tree shrubbery and other growing plants with fly killing DDT. This liquid contains a certain amount of poison and thats that. Labor today on a race track, especially in the stable area, is a problem. There are plenty of men available for jobs, but they have not the experience in handling a thoroughbred and the vast majority seeking jobs desire to start in at the top and not climb the ladder of experience rung by rung. AAA Horace Wade, of Monmouth Park, gifted the turf writers with a new fangled type of ash tray. Put a few numbers on the revolving disc and the boys can play roulette * Bad Weather Worries Trainers i Sudden Changes Bring on Cough Dubassoff Returns to Belmont Members of TBA Meet Monday with each other. Speaking of the "Free-Loaders Unlimited," the annual trek to Delaware Park is set for Sunday. The boys in good standing from along the Eastern Seaboard will converge on that racing property with gusto. . .Jockey Ovie Scur-lock is hobbling about on crutches. He has his ankle in a cast, the bone was split when he fell from Scent and- this means he will be on the sidelines for several weeks . . . Trainer Ben Jones is due in to saddle Real Delight for Calumet in the Coaching Club Oaks on the week-end. . .Trainer George Odom, sidelined with the virus, relays word that he will be an afternoon visitor this week, or when the weather clears and warms up. AAA Entries for the sale of horses-in-training to be staged by the Fasig-Tipton Company to be held on June 5 closed today. The report was that the response from owners was heavy. . .Oleg Dubassoff returned from Lexington, Ky., where he inspected the yearlings, broodmares and other horses owned by the Lazy F Ranch and John M. Schiff quartered at that center. The yearlings will be broken and given their preliminary racing education there and then shipped to Aiken, S. C, to go into winter quarters . . .Trainer A. G. "Bob" Robertson reported that Charlie McAdam is coming around nicely following his siege of illness and distemper. The colt may be started in an overnight event the latter part of this meeting. . .Johnny Carroll enjoyed a big thrill on Tuesday when he saddled his first winner. He owns and trains Knight Alert, clever winner of the second race. Carroll was with. Bert Mulholland of the,G. D. Widener stable for many years and galloped the good handicap performer Battlefield, who, by the way, holds something of a unique record by never finishing* out of the money. A A A Tartan Betsy, dam of Impasse, a winner on Tuesday, is the first racing property that Mrs. C. J. McLennan ever owned. Her father, Max Hirsch, is authority for the statement. . .Mr. and Mrs. R. N. Webster, he has a draft of horses with Lucien Lau-rin, braved the inclement weather for a look-see, their first visit of the meeting. . . Louis Prima, the New Orleans band man and owner of a draft of horses, came out yesterday to help along the attendance figures... The first meeting of the year for the members of the Turf Benevolent Asso-► wiji X.O ►ciation, the oldest body of its type in New York, will be held Monday evening in the Statler Hotel. On the agenda is the nomination of officers for the year. . .Trainer Mulholland reported that Battlefield, runner-up in the Metropolitan, is back at Erdenheim Farm, near Philadelphia, of his owner, G. D. Widener. The colt will be returned here for his Suburban engagement. Mulholland also reported that the two-year-old Scent, who was injured in the starting gate when he reared, will be an absentee for some time. The colt suffered severe bruises and nasty looking gashes.
