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K H ► i I SuffolkDowns Notebook By FRED GALIANI May Up Massachusetts to 00,000 Boost Seen Likely for 1954 Renewal Purse Raises Possible Under New Law SUFFOLK DOWNS, East Boston, Mass., May 7. — Dont be surprised if the 1954 running of the Massachusetts Handicap is worth 00,000 added. Judge John C. Pappas, president of Suffolk Downs, is giving the matter deep thought. "I have seriously considered raising the value of the Mass. Cap," he said when interviewed in his office in the newly refurbished and enlarged Paddock Club, "and there is a very good chance that we will. During this coming fall and winter, if the high level of racing continues to hold as it is now, we will boost the race to 00,000. I sincerely hope that it will be possible for us to do so. As you know, there are quite a few 00,000 races for three-year-olds, but year after year, what have you? There are maybe three or four stickouts, the rest are ordinary. There isnt one 00,000 handicap for three and older horses in the East. After the Widener at Hialeah, older horses dont get their next big chance until Chicago. "While that is in the future, at the present we are going forward in our policy of offering better racing every year, as I have striven to do since taking over the track. You will notice that our second condition book has shown substantial increases in purses and we will continue to raise them as the meeting continues. I anticipate an average distribution of 9,000 a day when the meeting ends, which will be about 16 per cent a day increase over last years. "Our first condition book is hard to write. Florida is still running when we open and naturally a lot of horses haven"t arrived yet. Then they take another week or so in shipping and a further delay until they are ready to race. The cheaper horses race here then and we have the lowest purses. You will notice that Wednesday we had two races of ,000 each, which is the first time that such valued races have ever been offered on a week-day in the entire history of Suffolk Downs. The effect of this is evident in that we have approximately 450 new horses that have never raced at Suffolk before this year. "Our relations with the horsemen have always been pleasant and amiable and I am sure they will continue on those lines. There are a few ,000 purses in the book but before the meeting ends there will be no races of that value. All this is possible, of course, under the new pari-mutuel law which gives us an even split with the state. Under the old system of a sliding scale we were murdered. When the handle went over 00,000 we lost money. Under those circumstances we couldnt raise the purses as we are doing this year. "Another thing of the moment I would like to thank Lou Smith publicly for cooperating with us and leasing 250 stalls at Rockingham where the overflow from this track has been stabled." In line with this policy, yesterday Judge Pappas announced the increase of five handicaps from ,500 to 0,000, an increase of 2,500 in the stakes program. There has been no turf racing at the meet so far because of the long rainy spell, which has made the infield strip extremely soft. . . . Joe Cimaglia. the Melrose, Mass., auto dealer who races a modest string of horses under the name of Jamie Lynn Farm, was out for the afternoon. Cimaglia has been in the sport about three years, his horses trained by Tommy Queen, Jr. The mainstay of the stable is the old plater, Girder, who was also the first to carry his colors. Girder has ground out about 0,000 in purses for Cimaglia, which is pretty fair going in any mans stable. . . . Herb Ehrlich, of the Danbury Room, plans to take his Continued on Page Thirty-Four | j SuffolkDownsNotebook By FRED GALIANI Continued from Page Four mother to Lexington, Ky., for a tour of the breeding farms. Herb insists racing is keeping his mother young. . . . Add raoe track characters: Colonel Snaggle-Tooth. . . . Ray Roy, agent for jockey Ted Johnson, reports his rider will fly to Garden State Park tomorrow night, where he will handle Jim Beatties Park Dandy in the Jersey Stakes. Johnson returns to the Downs after the stake. Mrs. Roy C. Hodge is convalescing in her Miami Beach home following a recent operation. . . . Trainer George Handy, who did so well with the Woolford Farm cast-offs in New England last year, has received two more from the Kansas-owned stable. Those arriving today were Missou and Familiar. . . . The increase in purses has brought a flood of phone calls for stall superintendent Joe Cunningham, many, from stables in different parts of the East who want to get in here. Every available stall is filled and Joe has to keep turning them down, which is causing him no end of pain as many of them are outfits with good campaigners. It looks like this may be one year where New England fails to produce a top bug rider, a la DeSpirito, Burr, Picou, Borgemenke, and those of other years. There are not many apprentices on the grounds and of the small lot only two, Willie Walsh and Allen Rose, will be able to ride with the bug throughout the entire season. Trainer Jimmy OBrey. who won two races yesterday, unveiled a good looking two-year-old in Victor Posners Swift Steve, a son of Alsab — Miss Stage, who won the second race of his career. OBrey deems the colt a potential good one. so good, in fact, that he has the horse in the Hopeful Stakes. The colt is named for Steve Pos-ner, son of the horses owner. Bobby OBrey, Jimmys son. who was a member of starter George Palmers crew before entering service, is now on duty in Nevada with the atomic bomb project. . . . O. L. Foster, who races one of the biggest strings in the sector, has 21 horses on the grounds and an- other 10 at Rockingham, but he has only sent about four to the post. Coughing has retarded his juveniles and a run of bad luck in injuries has knocked out some of his older horses.
