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, ■■1 BEL/ l:5:: ™*™ JUDGES STANDI ■ By Charles Haiton Artful Revival Draws Distinguished Field Ivan Thomas Commended on Arlington Cards High Average of Races in Book Are Filled Boards Modification of Claim Rule Popular ARLINGTON PARK, Arlington Heights, 111., June 24. This meeting moves on its stakes -strewn way to a revival of the 5,000 added Artful Handicap tomorrow, and a dozen of the fastest fillies and mares have seized an opportunity to escape , the the orbit orbit of of the the Calumet Calumet star, star, Real Real Delight. Delight. the the orbit orbit of of the the Calumet Calumet star, star, Real Real Delight. Delight. Ben Jones blew her out for it this morning, and concluded she did not care for the muddy going, though her sister, Bubbley, positively revelled in it last week-end. It is nevertheless a distinguished field, with Roman Miss, smartest of the Midwests older mares, carrying actual topweight of 115 pounds, and opposing such lively three-year-olds as Whir la Lea, Last Greetings and Recover. Whirla Lea ran like the second best of her age and sex in the Kentucky Oaks, but handicapper Thomas fails to discern a pounds pounds difference difference in in her her and and Last Last Greetings Greetings ™*™ pounds pounds difference difference in in her her and and Last Last Greetings Greetings and Recover, assigning each 110. They are the topweights on the scale. The six furlongs of the Artful is a sort of preliminary for the 5,000 Matron of a mile for three-year-old fillies on July 5, and the climactic 0,000 Modesty over the same route for three-year-olds and upward, July 16. Real Delight is in the Matron and doubtless will be nominated for the Modesty. It will be interesting to note if the Artful develops a serious rival for her. Wednesdays are especially businesslike at the turnstiles and in the "tote" here on Chicagos air-conditioned North Side, and the meeting now is attracting 18 per cent more patrons, who are wagering 21 per cent more than during the corresponding period in 51. While trainers of the Artful entrants were sharpening their speed, those conditioning candidates for the week-ends Equipoise Mile were analyzing the weights for this attraction. Word of Spartan Valors prowess preceded him here, and he has topweight of 132 pounds, which is to say he must carry about 20 pounds of lead with Jimmy Stout in the stirrups. We looked in on him this morning, and he was up to his ears in a tub of oats, happily oblivious of the task set for him. He is asked to concede Woodchuck 10 pounds, To Market 12, Seward and Volcanic 18, Be Fleet 20 and Inseparable 23. Either this is an indictment of the class of contemporary handicap talent, or the Helis horse is the fastest thing that has come out of New Jersey since Orson Welles reported the arrival of the Martians there. Ivan Thomas, who was recommended by Jimmy Kilroe to fill his shoes as racing secretary and handicapper at Arlington-Wishington, seems to find them comfortable. ** We think he is doing a splendid job," Miss Marj Lind-heimer, assistant executive director, remarked today. "A high per cent of the races in the book are filling. We like to adhere to these races as closely as possible, for, of coarse, the training schedules of the horses are coincided with them." Thomas has all the 1,283 horses presently on the grounds carefully classified, and has a working knowledge of their fitness, in a majority of instances. This helps him to card the best racing possible. Another factor, and a most important one, is that he gets on well with the horsemen. This is the first meet of such magnitude for which he has written the script. A 39-year-old product of Fort Meade, South Dakota, Thomas in 38 graduated from Santa Clara College with a bachelor of commercial science degree, and majored in economics, accounting and philosophy. For several years he was employed as a motion picture projectionist, as part time work while he was attending school. He first became acquainted with racing in 32, when he handled the program copy for Tanforan. From 35 through 38, he was agent for the Loma Rica Ranch and raced several horses in California and Washington. In the early 40s, he was assistant publicity director for the California Jockey Club and in 46 was assistant racing secretary at Bay Meadows. He showed considerable aptitude and thereafter the road was downhill and shady most of the way, with appointments as racing secretary and steward at Bay Meadows, Portland Meadows, Tanforan and Centennial race courses. When New Yorks loan of Jimmy Kilroe expired, Ben Lind-heimer- discussed with Kilroe and others candidates as his successor. He seems to have hit upon a very satisfactory choice. The LUinois Racing Board has amended its claiming rule, as we thought it might several columns ago. In the future, only the winners of claiming races for horses valued at ,000 or less must be raced by the claimant at an advance of 25 per cent in value if they start within 30 days of the date they were claimed. This seems to us a step in the right direction. The position here is that rules requiring that a claimed horse must either remain idle for 30 days or race for 25 per cent more than he did whfin he was claimed, no matter how badly he may have been beaten, tends toward unformful sport. The reason for the old rule was to protect those who breed horses or buy yearlings from the haltermen, as we understand it. But we cannot think this type of owner minds too much losing such an inferior horse, indeed occasionally marks down one in the hope the animal will be claimed. The rule was protested by some of the Illinois breeders. Claiming has never been very fashionable, and yet claiming races are the best way in which to classify bad horses. Turf ana: Allison and Prestridge were persuaded to purchase Marcador partially because he is in the American Derby. . . . Mrs. Genters many Chicago friends are wish- f ing her a speedy recovery. . . . Horses race over a bridge coming out of the mile chute at Arlington Park. . . . Three and seven seem to be the lucky post positions at this course. Apprentice Ronnie Baldwin is giving Eddie Arcaro a tussle for riding honors at the meeting. Arcaro must have been agreeably surprised to hear applause the other day after being beaten on a favorite, through no fault of his own. It was never thus in New York. . . . Chap named Ben Jones is leading North Side trainers. . . . John Beech, Americas most soigne docker, has been timing horses at Chicago and Florida tracks many years, declares "Spartan Valor is the best horse I have seen." . . . "Sunshine" Calvert will take up Roughn Tumble later in the season, to point for a California comeback. . . . There was a bit of confusion the other afternoon when placing judges "reexamine" a photo, changed the second horse before flashing the "official" neon. Reminded everybody it is unwise ever to destroy tickets before the red board goes up. ... Press box wit, admiring the new white paint job on Arlington stand, remarked, "I like it better than that $ gangrene."
