view raw text
REFLECTIONS NftsON BOSTON Mass June 8 Three Dot Shorts As president of the Jockeys Guild Eddie Arcaro sent a cable congratulating Sir Gordon Richards on his Epsom Derby victory with Pinza Alex M Robb of the Belmont official family has been reading everything he can find on the subject of grass which may mean that he is preparing for the day when a fifth course will be installed at the Elmont track Many Canadians will be on hand for Saturdays running of the Belmont Stakes Warner L Jones Jr breeder of Royal Bay Gem and Dark Star has withdrawn a yearling sister to the former and a halfsister to the latter from the sales so they may join his broodmare group In six years from 1947 to 1952 the 170 horses sold by Calumet Farm have won 2902000 Garden State Parks grandstand capacity is being increased 44 per cent and two additional escalators are being installed Ned Cronin sports edi ¬ tor of the Los Angeles Daily News is off the beam when he says Calumet is a stable that does not race in Ne York State Last year Real Delight won the Coaching Club American Oaks in the spring and MarkYeWell won the Lawrence Realization in the fall The Belmont Stakes is eight years older than the Kentucky Derby and six years older than the Preakness John D Schapiro of Laurel will witness the running of the Grand Prix de Paris on June 28 and needless to say will be on the look ¬ out for horses to run in the Washington D C Interna ¬ tional on November 7 Racing commissioners assembled here will join New England fans at the running of the Massachusetts Handi ¬ cap at Suffolk Downs on Wednesday Tom Fool who was the highweight of the field at 130 pounds will be absent Royal Vale Adds Zip to Massachusetts Belmont to Attract WorldWide Attention Lindheimer Is Pioneer of Grass Racing Builds New Training Tracks at Chicago Chicagobut but a surprise move on the part of trainer Jim Ryan will send Royal Vale to the post at 125 pounds Ryan scratched the English invader from the Brandywine at Delaware Park on the week end and shipped him to Boston for the richest of Massachusetts races It is questionable after this race whether Royal Vale will be seen in the East for some time as he is to be shipped to California for the 100000 Hollywood Gold Cup renewal on July 11 If that comes to pass there will be an interruption in his duels with Tom Fool who is slated to start in the Carter Handi ¬ cap on June 27 and the Brooklyn Handicap on July 11 the same day that the Gold Cup will be featured at the California track Tom Fool will be attempting a feat that has been accomplished only by Whisk Broom H who back in 1913 won the Metropolitan Suburban and Brook ¬ lyn The weight assignment probably will determine his Brooklyn status but he showed in the Suburban that he was in perfect condition for a try at this difficult triple tripleA A A A AThe The Belmont will attract nationwide if not worldwide attention this week end for the prowess of Native Dancer has not been overlooked in the turf journals of other countries There will be at least two other starters bar ¬ ring the unforeseen in Jamie K and Royal Bay Gem It has been decided to send Invigorator to Delaware for the Kent While the Vanderbilt colt will be favorite this one and onehalf miles test will be the toughest assignment he has yet faced In a race at this distance the pace al ¬ ways plays its part in the final outcome and it is a ques ¬ tion in this writers mind just who will go to the front in the early running and again whether Native Dancer will have to set his own pace Belmonts long stretch is ideal for the comefrombehind type and Jamie K and Royal Bay Gem are in this category even though the for ¬ mer gave a surprising exhibition of speed in the sixfurlong race on the Belmont card last Saturday The Norris colt who is trained by John B Partridge indicated that he will be razor sharp for the gruelling event Royal Bay Gem who makes up in heart what he lacks in size is also cer ¬ tain to be getting in his best licks when they turn for home Ben Lindheimers announcement that he will build two training tracks which will duplicate the main grass courses at Arlington and Washington Parks did not come as a great surprise to those who know of his interest in turf racing Lindheimer as far back as 1935 predicted that grass racing would some day be popular in this coun ¬ try and for that reason installed two of the finest courses at the Chicago tracks He was planning to arrange an in ¬ ternational race three years ago but when taken ill had to forsake the idea for the time being Now that he has regained his strength he is again concentrating on this type of racing on a major scale He believes as do many others that grass is the natural footing for horses and that it is not such a terrific strain on them as the dirt tracks Lindheimer stated I feel certain that the day is not too distant when we will see as many races on the grass as on the flat That is problematical for the short meetings at the English tracks are far different from the 30 to 50 day meetings in this country Whether a turf course could be kept in good condition with four or five races a day is a question We agree with him however howeverContinued Continued on Page FortyFive REFLECTIONS REFLECTIONSBy By NELSON DIJNSTAN f Continued from Page FortyEight FortyEightthat that grass events will increase in favor with the passing of years beside adding variety to our racing programs A A A AThis This writer is hardly a competent judge of the grass courses throughout the coun ¬ try but veteran trainers tell us that those at Arlington and Washington Parks are among the finest properly banked and with new grass when necessary these tracks have had years in which to settle The new training courses will be construct ¬ ed around the vast infield and will meas ¬ ure approximately seven furlongs In re ¬ cent years grass racing has become an integral part of the 67day coordinated meetings which now give Chicago a brand of racing that is on a par with any in this country At least six overnight grass races of 10000 each are carded three stakes of 25000 each and then the 50000 Meadow land Handicap which will be run this year at Washington Park on August 29 In Los Angeles last winter we interviewed Lind heimer and he told us that he was seriously considering an international turf race which would fit in with the other interna ¬ tional races at Laurel and those contem ¬ plated at Santa Anita Since then Atlantic City has come into the picture with two 25000 stakes over a grass course the first four horses in them to meet in the 50000 United Nations Handicap It would not surprise us if Lindheimer were to announce another important international event either this year or in 1954
