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CONNORS CORNER By Chuck Connors I BELMONT PARK, Elmont, L. I., N. Y., May 31.— Youth will be served, so say the soothsayers, but they are all wet and full of shamrock oil. If you dont believe it, look at the charts and see who is riding all the winners. None other than a flock of graybeards who should be at home watching television or listening to the radio with the tootsies enclosed in beat-up old slippers. For example, take old man Johnny Longden out on the West Coast. He is what the boys refer to as past his peak. Well, if you dont like him take Eddie Arcaro or Johnny Adams. However, they are comparatively young to a few guys like Johnny "Red" Pollard, Joe Renick, Otto Grohs and Willie Pool, whose names showed up astride winners in the past week or so. Looks like these fellows dropped into St. Augustine and quaffed some of that elixir known, through the press of course, as the rejuvenating liquid. Whether they did or not, they must have come up with something, for guiding a thoroughbred in a compact field calls for good steady nerves, and plenty of moxie in the tight spots. Jockeys are athletes and in the majority of instances good at other sports that require co-ordination of eyes, hands and feet. In this respect, they outlast baseball and football players. AAA Jockeys have been known to ride off a half or one pound in a race that taxes the physical make-up of the participant. Jockeys cannot lay off for several days and then start were they left off. To return to full physical perfection they gallop a half dozen horses or more each morning before they don colors for a riding engagement in the afternoon. This recalls to mind a story on Linus "Pony" McAtee, one of the greats of past generations. McAtee hung up his tack following the close of the New York season and intended to play golf and in general have a good time until the spring. His schedule was working out nicely, that is in his estimation, until a phone call came in one winter afternoon. The call was from the late Payne Whitney with an offer for the Celt to journey to Tiajuana and ride a Greentree starter in a big race at that track. McAtee accepted, climbed aboard a train and upon his arrival spent a full week galloping horses to bring down his poundage and in general f Graybeards1 Ride Many Winners * Majority of Jockeys Are Athletes W. T. Bishop Due at Belmont Park Televise Daily Races at Elmont get in physical shape for the race. The first couple of mornings he finished dead tired, but at the end of the week was ready. By the way, he won the race. AAA Jack Skinner reported yesterday that he will ship a draft of steeplechasers and some two-year-olds to Delaware Park for that meeting.. .W. T. Bishop, general manager of Keeneland, is due here next week for the running of the Belmont. Later he will go to Delaware Park for a one day visit. . . Thomas Carr Piatt is headed this way to witness the running of the Belmont and do a little speaking on the yearling market. . . Mr. and Mrs. John Hertz, who have traveled extensively and vacationed in Europe, they witnessed the Derby, are due home next week in ample time to witness the Belmont . . .Trainer Walter Kelley reported that he will visit the yearling vendues in Lexington ...J. P. "Doc" Jones returned from his farm, Charlottesville, Va., and reported that the yearlings are coming along nicely and that there will be plenty of corn on the. cob for the fall days... John C. Clark of Hialeah, braved the cloudy overhead conditions for see the Peter Pan...L. W. Jennings came up from Baltimore and plans to remain for a few days. His Navy Gun will be a starter in the Temple Gwathmey. . . Joe Eitinger, master of Marlboro Stud, returned from a one day trip to Delaware Park... Jake Swirbul, of the N. Y. State Racing Commission, was enthused over the result of the Suburban. AAA Mrs. Mollie Cullum, recovered from an attack of pneumonia, came up from Miami Beach in the unseasonable weather. . .Mr. and Mrs. Ashley T. Cole were on hand for the big week-end . . ,Mr. and Mrs. Jack Needles, he is with the Maryland Jockey Club at Pimlico, came up from the Monumental City for a look-see at some big stakes races. . .Trainer Willie "Deacon" Jones reported that he will ship his steeplechasers to Delaware Park for events at that track... Mrs. Edward S. Moore relayed word from Lexington, Ky., that she will be on hand for the Belmont and the social functions preceding that event.. .Track ►superintendent Lennie Litwak over at Aqueduct reported yesterday that 2,500 seats, similar to those in the grandstand, are being placed in position in the open bleachers above the furlong pole... The veterans recalled yesterday that Remembrance, the dam of Country Coz, was disqualified from first place in a race down the Widener course. That miss was trained by Roy Waldron. . .Bill Hastings returned from Delaware Park and "turned out to be an angel" for the boys in the gin rummy game en route home. . .Mr. and Mrs. Frank J. Heller, of the Lester Manor Stable were early arrivals for the afternoon. . .Mr. and Mrs. Charles T. Fisher, he is master of Dixiana, and their daughter Mary are due here on Thursday to remain over for the Belmont Stakes. His Sub Fleet will wind up as one of the choices. AAA Phil Bieber, of the Horsemens Mutual, posted a notice in the secretarys office that an important meeting for the members of that group will be held in the clubhouse restaurant immediately after the last race on Monday. ..Trainer Bert Mulhol-land returned Battlefield to Erdenheim Farm of owner George D. Widener this morning. When the colt finished seventh in the Suburban it marked the first time m his career that he had ever been out of the money. Mulholland also reported that he. may ship several horses to Delaware for stake engagements. . .When Tulyar accounted for the Epsom Derby for the Aga Khan the result brought back a flock of memories to the Irish ambassador of racing to the Bronx, one Thomas Patrick Brophy. The genial Celt recalled that Stella on his dams side was purchased for 19 pounds at auction held by Goffs in Dublin. Stella never won a race on the flat but foaled nothingbut winners whose earnings totaled more than one million dollars. . .Trainer George M. Odom plans to do some extensive commuting between here and Delaware Park for the next several weeks. He has horses stabled there and at Belmont. . . .Something new has been added at Belmont Park and this momentous happening goes into effect on Monday. The daily races wili be televised and shown in private to the officers of Belmont Park in the Presidents Room. Another set is located in John B. Campbells office and one in the tote department presided over by Lou Walger. The jockeys will have their own screen, too. Others will have to watch proceedings in the flesh on the racing strip.
