view raw text
Weighing In By EVAN SHIPMAN AQUEDUCT, L. I., N. Y., June 28. If any American owner wants to send a horse for this. Octobers renewal of the Prix de LArc De Triomphe at Longchamp, he must make his entry by Tuesday, July 1K before 5:00 p. m. Entries for Europes richest race, and one of the worlds most notable events, are accepted by the secretary of The Jockey Club at 250 Park Avenue. This nominating fee, at current exchange, comes to. roughly, 00, but a series of three forfeits will be accepted in Paris only and vthe first must be announced by September 11. This mile and a half classic for three-year-olds and upward, gelding not eligible, is worth a little more than 5,000 to the winner, and grosses well over 00,000 when the minor awards are taken into account-all this thanks to a lottery based on the result. Those who possess a prospect for a race such as the Arc de Triomphe will have made up their minds about entering by now, and the few American horses who might have a chance in this great international fixture are not likely to make the trip, or not this year anyway. Last winter, before Counterpoint went wrong at Santa Anita, C. V. Whitney did hint that he might be interested in an invasion of the continent for the chestnut son of Count Fleet this fall, but, at present, the plans for the colt-are necessarily vague. Spartan Valor the only other American thoroughbred who appears of a calibre to dispute a weight-for-age classic with Europes best, and one of whom we would be proud over there is certain to be fully occupied on this side of the Atlantic all season. In addition to French horses, English, Italian, Irish and German thoroughbreds have competed for the Arc de Triomphe, but no American has yet gone to the post. Several years ago. Max Hirsch seriously considered sending Assault, but King Ranchs champion trained off just at the . time he should have been sailing, or flying. Jimmy Jones also entertained the idea of a foreign campaign for Citation, his objectives, the Arc de Triomphe and the Ascot Gold Cup. Calumets retirement of the horse put an end to any such plans. The .conditions of the race again thanks to the lottery are particularly generous. As we understand it, the 00 that nominates a horse is also the starting fee, while the secretary-general of the Societe" deEncouragement, operators of Longchamp and sponsors of the race, has just written our friends, the Franco-American sportsman, Alain duBreil, that "the Societe dEncouragement will help to a certain extent toward defraying the travel expenses of any horses who are non-placed in the race." The secretary-general indicates that the same assurance was contained in a letter he recently sent to Marshall Cassidy. The French horsemen, whose communication arrived a little late for purposes of propaganda, asks duBreil to spread the news of the Arc de Triomphes conditions and the associations generosity among interested American horsemen. If anybody is prepared to go, duBreil informs us that he is only too glad to aid them with information and advice concerning training conditions in France, and all the thousand and one details that might cause sand and one details that might confuse a foreigner. In Paris, this week was "La Grande Semaine," which translated means a seven-day racing festival, culminating on Sunday with the running of the Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp. Racing of all sorts, flat, steeplechasing- and trotting, puts on its best bib and tucker for the occasion, and all the great associations located on state property in the magnificent Paris parks offer their habituees and the casual visitor outstanding programs. The Grand Prix de Paris, of course, is the ultimate triumph for a French three-year-old, but the Grand Steeplechase de Paris, contested a couple of afternoons earlier at Auteiul, draws almost as large a crowd strange as that may seem to American turf followers. And, on the Monday, four-year-old trotters have their innings with the racing of the Prix du President de la Replublique at the Vin-cennes course. This latter race and again it Will seem strange to Americans is con- tested under saddle, rather than to sulky. All this, however, has been seen by more tourists this year than eyer before, and we do not expect the fabulous season of 1929, when the depression was only a distant thunder cloud on" the horizon, and the Yankee was both foot-loose and purse-proud in the lands of his ancestors origin. These thousands of visitors may be a little puzzled by the procedure at French tracks although, Lord knows, they caught on quickly enough in our day bjgt they cannot fail to be impressed by their beauty. Some of the tourists who visit Longchamp, Auteiul or Chantilly this summer Continued on Page Forty-Three WEIGHING IN By EVAN SHIP MAN Contiriued from Page Four may wonder why French tracks should be - beautiful, "while ours here at home are, with rare exceptions, ugly. If a stubborn preference for native ways, and familiar sights and sounds, is not too deep-seated, they may even make invidious comparisons. On the other hand, the majority - may silently acquiesce, reassuring themselves with the comforting thought that French charm is frivolous, while American crudity is toward the desirable end of "business and more business." This majority may, after all, be on the right track, .because the French race courses have never been conducted for private profit. They are located on public property, and the associations are given a franchise with the understanding that all profits will go toward purses, the maintenance of a reserve fund to help purses during lean years, and, finally, the improvement and beautification of grounds and stands. That seems a peculiar way to conduct a sport, does it not? And yet French racing possesses a continuity, and enjoys a serene freedom from criticism, that our own sport must often have envied. We laugh loud and long at the first mention of that old cliche, "the improvement of the breed," it is possible that the French, through the gentle influence of an agreeable environment, have been improving the breed of horse players, even our own. Turning our attention to home, that extraordinary trotting gelding, Pronto Don, has done it again! When he captured the mile and a half David H. McConnell Memorial at Roosevelt last night, the Hayes Fair Acres rangy chestnut was racking up his twenty-second consecutive trip first past the finish line, although this series, it is true, was marred by one disqualification, when several weeks ago, he crossed his field too sharply to take the lead. This last victory was just as easy as all the others, and they include most of the great stakes offered by the Grand Circuit. Silver Riddle was counted on to extend Pronto Don last night, but this often erratic gelding made two disastrous breaks that completely eliminated him. Taking to the front shortly after the start, Pronto Don sailed along in the lead for the full distance, the others never able, or even threatening, to force him to a drive. The time was some five seconds off the record, held by Stars Pride, but it is no indication of what Pronto Don could have shown, had he ever been seriously pressed.
