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, ....... BETWEEN RACES %©«-o* ,..?°™00?.PARK HOLLYWOOD PARK, Inglewood, Inglewood, Calif. Calif., ,♦ 1 English F„nlkh Change Chnnn* Shipping LSmmSmm Ruling Qulinr, i ♦them. ►them. We We wanted wanted to to announce announce the the purse, nurse ,..?°™00?.PARK HOLLYWOOD PARK, Inglewood, Inglewood, Calif. Calif., ,♦ June 24.— Dr. Charles Strubs announcement today that the English have seen ....... , fit fit to to revise revise their their rules rules fit fit to to revise revise their their rules rules making it possible for British owners to ship their thoroughbred stock abroad, and pay training expenses on same, for the period of a full year probably will have a significant and tremendous impact upon United States racing in the Immediate years ahead. Heretofore, Heretofore, the the English English Heretofore, Heretofore, the the English English could send horses out for a spell according to the calendar year, but the new regulation makes it a year from the day of the departure of the individual horse. When we interviewed Dr. Strub at Santa Anita yesterday, he disclaimed all credit for himself in effecting the English regulations, but we can reveal that we have learned from other sources that the Doctor, executive head of Santa Anita, accomplished near wonders in Europe as an unofficial ambassador of the American turf, but quite officially as the head of Santa Anita. In turn, the good Doctor is launching a quiet offensive with American authorities to see if some of the silly regulations about mares from abroad in this country can be changed. For instance, Lord Derby has a mare in America, was bred to an American stallion on an exchange basis with Hyperion, the mare did not catch, and before the next breeding season she will have to be shipped to Canada, and then, if desired, returned to Kentucky. AAA Strubs primary purpose in talking to English leaders, talks which led, the aforementioned rules revision in our favor, was to make it possible for leading English three-year-olds to ship to California after the close of the normal English racing season, in the fall, and race in the 00,000 added Santa Anita Muturity. Strub told his English hosts politely but emphatically that excepting in rare instances, horses traveling from as far as England to Southern California needed acclimitization, and that any horses considering such an invasion would do well to take their time about the matter. "In fairness to such horses, they would be entitled to time," says Strub, "and by making it possible for them to take this time, we believe that we 1 English F„nlkh Change Chnnn* Shipping LSmmSmm Ruling Qulinr, i Strubs Trip Aboard Big Factor International Aspect to Maturity Florida Action Strengthens Turf will get a reasonable foreign representation in the Maturity." The new rule, incidentally, makes it unnecessary for the "lend lease" program which Strub had in his pocket when he sailed for Europe, a system whereby English sportsmen would lease their stars to American interests, with the latter paying the bills. While feasible, such a plan is no longer necessary to make possible the desired end, the influx of European horses of merit. AAA We asked Dr. Strub if he had read the news where Gulfstream Park had upped the Florida Derby to 00,000 added, and had enriched a handicap to 0,000 in added money, and if so, did such action, plus possible strengthening of the stakes program at Tropical Park and Hialeah, pose any "threat" to the winter supremacy of Santa Anita in the matter of stake horses. Replied Strub: "Yes, I have r „d about the Florida stakes announcements, and it is a fine thing for racing. Competition for top flight horses between American tracks, through stakes and purse offerings, is a healthy thing for the sport and for the breeder. I can only say that Santa Anita has been a leader, a pacesetter, if you will, in stakes and purses in the past, and I believe we will continue to be in the future. Santa Anita has no idea of running second in any race, although I do not think of our running in the winter with Florida as being a race, but rather two areas doing much to improve the calibre of winter racing as a whole. If the Florida action strengthens racing nationally, then we will benefit too. But as I said, I rather think Santa Anita will continue in its role as a leader in such matters." AAA We questioned the Doctor regarding his all-over thinking on the 00,000 purse, and he revealed, for the first time, some of the details attached to the first Santa Anita Handicap running. "While Santa Anita was in the initial stages of construction," says Strub, "I felt that to make the meeting a success from, the very start, we needed some of the best horses in America, and that a 00,000 handicap would be the best, and perhaps the only way to get ♦them. ►them. We We wanted wanted to to announce announce the the purse, nurse but the racing commission would not let us do so until we had the 00,000, which we didnt in the treasury of the company. So, myself and some friends, including the late Felix McGinnis of the Southern Pacific and Kenneth Kingsbury of Standard Oil of California, personally guaranteed the payment of the purse, come what may with the yeto be race track, and only after this written promisory note was in the possession of the racing commission were we permitted to announce it. I admired the commission for this stand, for after all, there had been no racing in California in some 25 years, and nobody knew how the new Santa Anita would go. But I do believe that the first 00,000 handicap had a great deal to do with the success of Santa Anita." AAA The Doctors analysis of the 00,000 purse makes this writer pretty certain that it is not a question of taking from the poor the platers and giving to the rich the handicap horses and as such, cause for alarm and envy on the part of the "platers who put on the bulk of the show." Rather, the Santa Anita experiment proved that by creating public interest, the 00,000 handicap actually made it possible for Santa Anita to pay out high minimum purses. In other words, the rich stake is in reality money in the pocket for the frying pan horseman, for without stake racing, the really great race tracks would first, not be great, and second, would lack the appeal to the public to lift them from the commonplace and small pari-mutuel turnovers to the great popular sport that it is today. Of course, when Dr. Strub made his bold stroke back in 1934, he was offering a 00,000 purse, with a minimum purse of 00. This since has been refined into a policy of "better purses for better horses" with the overnights ranging upward from ,500 for the cheap sprinters to 5,000. Purses of ,000 are so common at Santa Anita as to warrant no comment whatsoever. It also can be revealed that Dr. Strub, at the time the commission sanction was given, was so enthused that he immediately made plans for a bigger Santa Anita, sold 0,000 worth of his own stock and used this money to build the original mezzanine, a refinement of the track which proved meritorious right from the start. In tomorrows column, we will bring to your attention more of the results of the Strub European jaunt.
