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merit merit of of the the bia big era gray BETWEEN RACES *oxm ore BELMONT PARK. Elmont. L. I., N. Y., May 15. — As Native Dancer awaits his first outing tomorrow afternoon in the historic Withers since that fateful afternoon two weeks ago at Churchill Downs, it might be in the matter of public interest to set forth a few views of owner Alfred Gywnne Vanderbilt as to the intrinsic v onrt and as oc fen to what, what the the future future mav may hold noia merit merit of of the the bia big era gray v onrt and as oc fen to what, what the the future future mav may hold noia if nothing goes awry. Says Vanderbilt: "Naturally, I would have liked to have won the Kentucky Derby, and a "Triple Crown" victory is now an impossibility. However, I believe, as time passes, Native Dancer will answer a lot of questions which have been asked since the Derby. As to his effort in the Derby, I can look back now and see where if any of several things had been different, he might have won it. Had that trouble at the first turn came a few strides sooner, or had he started his drive a bit sooner nearing that final sixteenth. This is all academic, of course, but even in defeat in Kentucky, I believe Native Dancer proved conclusively that he would go the full mile and a quarter, and in so doing, disproved any theories that he might not do so because of a supposed shortness in his pedigree. As for comparisons, he is head and shoulders above Discovery in quality. I fully expect the events of the next several weeks to so prove." AAA To dwell on the Derby again briefly, a subject about which much has been written in the past two weeks, here is the opinion of one who was in a position to do some serious thinking on the subject. And while we have no desire to re-run the Derby at this stage, this version has never been printed so here it is for what it is worth. Eric Guerin, rider of Native Dancer, did not suffer from over-confidence or give Native Dancer an overconfident ride. Discussion of Native Dancers Greatness Another Analysis of Grays Derby Effort Relationship of Form and Super-Elevation Clinic for Gals Offered by Garden State Rather, he probably lost confidence in the big gray when he made a mild run from the half-mile pole, and could not sustain it. Had he not cut to the inside on the final turn, to save ground, but stayed where he was, on the outside, and kept his horse in stride, the run down the stretch might have been a powerful drive all the way instead of for a mere sixteenth. As we say, this is second guessing it, but we dare say the Derby will be discussed for many years to come if Native Dancer, from here on, justifies in actual competition the deep respect in which owner Vanderbilt holds him. And while Discovery is not mentioned as among the top three greats of the last 25 years, he most certainly was a top flight race horse, a standout in his day, and able to carry weight fast and far. If Native Dancer is "heads and shoulders above" that kind of a horse, and we have a suspicion he well might be, then the events of the next six weeks well could be one of the "golden eras" of American racing. AAA There is a scool of thought in American racing which holds that it is better to go around on that final turn and lose the ground than it is to try to weave through a crowded field in an effort to get to the rail, or near the rail, and stay there. There is a good scientific reason for this belief, specifically, the point that with super elevations, or banked turns, being what they are, the horse on the far outside gets more of a downhill run. While most tracks are more sharply banked on the turns than on the straightaways, all have super elevations on the straightaways for drainage, if for no other purposes. The super elevations are most dramatic at Atlantic City, where the turns have a rise of slightly over 11 feet. Because of the construction of the new seven-furlong chute at the Shore course, the first, or clubhouse turn, is being cut down to a trifle more than six feet. This is to enable standees on the lawn, or apron, as it is known in New Jersey, to see that part of the race. Had the 11 -foot super elevation been allowed to stand, it would have cut off their vision. Because of the long distances and even cushion tracks present, super elevations often are hard to notice, but a spirit level will tell the true story. In addition, it is obvious that a horse running on a banked strip has less stride change to make to negotiate a turn than one on the level, i.e., adjacent to the rail. AAA We have cited the Atlantic City super elevation in this matter because the bank there is plainly visible, and we do not think this 11 feet is a great departure from the "norm." In the first place, the track is exceptionally wide, and few horses ever get far enough away from the rail to raise more than a few feet, or normal for most race tracks. As we recall it, Churchill Downs has one of the shallowest supers in the nation, about four feet. But the principles there of race strategy are the same as anywhere else, and the matter of super elevation in connection with the outcome of a race remains essentially the same. This is one reason that many students of form will refuse to concede the point that a horse carried out on the final turn to lose say an estimated three lengths, and win, is automatically three lengths the best horse as the race was run. We admit that this is rather involved thinking, but it does prevail, and is the reason back of the seemingly odd thought that maybe Native Dancer would have Continued on Page Thirty-Nine BETWEEN RACES By OSCAR OTIS . Continued from Page Forty-Eight been better off in the Derby had he stayed where he was at the half-mile pole, on the outside of three horses. AAA Not so many years ago, racing was exclusively a mans game, but today, even the East has its share of women trainers, and exercise girls. In addition, women j are attending races in ever-increasing num-bers and are among the sports most loyal ! I fans. In recognition of this feminine side ! to racing, Garden State Park has an annual "racing clinic for women," which will be held on Monday at Philadelphias j Warwick Hotel. Ruth Chilton will be j hostess at the luncheon and act as moder- : j ] ator in the round table discussion. Her 1 1 guests will be feminine reporters and radio j I j and TV commentators who will meet the j gal personalities from the race track. In addition to the talks, Garden States newest I | factual film, "From Breeding Farm to Win- ners Circle." will be screened. It might I ] be added that the increasing attendance of j women at race tracks has been one of the ] motivating factors behind the improve- ment, luxury wise, of many of the nations tracks. The installation of escalators being ] one. In this respect, Garden State Park I i is one of the leaders, and the park has ! struck this writer as always being some- I ] what unique in that its grandstand side ] is actually more luxurious than the club- ] house.
