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■B ™" BETWEEN RACES * oxar ot/s EN ROUTE TO HOLLYWOOD PARK, May 19.— Youthful trainer Merritt Buxton has developed a philosophy of racing which should carry him a long way in the profession. It can best be demonstrated by the failure of Laffango to "train on" in his mid-spring three -year-old form, with with almost almost a a million million dollars dollars in in purses purses ■B ™" with with almost almost a a million million dollars dollars in in purses purses staring him in the face. When it became evident-that Laffango would have to be fired and turned out and further racing postponed until late fall, or perhaps next winter, the owners of the Trio Stable opined that the old turf adage was perhaps true, "Trouble always befalls a good horse, seldom a cheap one." But Buxton countered with the advice to count their blessings in that many stables had tried for years to get , a horse as good as Laffango, spent huge sums in such a quest, and failed. Laffango cost but ,600 at the yearling sales, and was acquired by Trio Stable for an unusual reason. The dam, Lovely Girl, by Vito, had nine straight foals by one stallion, and the colt that was to be named Laffango was by a new one, Errard. He has won upwards of 40,000 and demonstrated more than a measure of class by winning the second division of the Gotham Stakes. When Laffango is turned out following his date with the irons, he will be paddocked at the 16-acre Buxton farm at Laurel Springs, N. J. A special stall is under construction there for his exclusive occupancy. Laurel Springs is the home of one of Jerseys newest sires. Father Link, a son of Equestrian, owned by Buxton. AAA , Walter Donovan of Garden State Park remarks that the new Hollywood Park style theatre paddock, the first of its kind on the East Coast, has had one unexpected reaction in the field of public relations. It seems that in Laffango to Pasture at New Buxton Farm Camden Paddock Leads to Surprise Events Garden State Attendance Marks Shattered Del Mar to Adopt Dinner Stakes Idea the past, many turf movie pictures and even fiction stories have had ridiculous plots on "tampering" and almost without exception, the skullduggery occurred in the paddock. While it is true that seasoned racegoers take such stories and pictures in stride, undoubtedly some people reasoned that such portrayals were a true one of racing procedures. In any event, by putting the paddock procedure in front of the stand where everyone can see it, fans are presented with the true state of affairs. Still another change wrought by the theatre track side paddock is the wagering patterns of countless fans. In general, your race patron dislikes to back the horse of his choice until he has seen him at least walk, which, with the old style paddock, means after the horses are on the track. With the new paddock, the heavy volume of wagering starts earlier, making for less congestion, and this eliminates a lot of waiting in pari-mutuel wicket queues just before post time. AAA Garden State Park this year will surpass a long-desired goal of an average attendance of more than 20,000 per day registered at its 50-day season, ending late this fall. The topping of the 20,000 mark, and by a wide margin, is confidently predicted on the basis of spring attendance records to date. During the early part of the season, records were broken at the gate, despite one of the most prolonged periods of inclement weather in Garden State history. With the construction of the new stand and other improvements, slated during the summer in terim, Garden State Park will raise its sights on an attendance goal, and will put it first at 25,000, then 30,000. Garden States drawing potential is constantly increasing with the extension of turnpikes, and the new connection between the present Jersey turnpike and the Philadelpia extension of the Pennsylvania turnpike, which will open up, time wise, vast new areas in Pennsylvania hitherto considered out of Garden States orbit, except for the few people willing to make long drives and suffer severe traffic congestion. AAA Horses and People: Del Mar, with an emphasis on two-year-old races, will adopt the Dinner Stakes idea, developed at Keeneland, and now a fixture at Pimlico. . . . Tucker Slender he is tall and slender has gotten so big he has turned trainer and will make his debut as such at Longacres this summer. Slender was one of the best apprentice prospects this writer has seen in recent years, but it was obvious from the start that weight would be his undoing. . . . Garden State starter, George Palmer, has purchased a home at Alhambra, Calif., and will winter on the West Coast. . . . Jersey State stewart, Earl Potter, has acquired a farm at Pottersville in the Skeeter State, but he is no relation to Jonathan Potter, founder of Pottersville about the time Captain May was naming Cape May and Mays Landing for himself.
