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REFLECTIONS NELSON DUNSTAN BOSTON Mass June 10 For three days this writer has been sitting in a chilly room listening to the open forums committee reports debates and discussions of an amazing group of men They are delegates to the an ¬ nual convention of the National Association of State Racing Commis ¬ sioners and they all hold what this writer has always considered the most thankless job in the sport The vast majority serve without pay and they often extract from their own hip pocket wallet to pay the bills that should rightfully be forwarded to the treasurer of their respective states They are serious men and they love the sport regardless of the prestige the appointment gives them Sit in at one of their annual gettogethers however and you will soon realize that horse racing is big business as well as sport and presents problems that take more time than a fourday convention permits They are hopelessly short of the funds necessary to do their job as thoroughly as they would like to do it and as successful businessmen they will take time out to come to Boston from Miami Seattle Toronto Mexico and other points to tackle the hot potato questions that confront racing and sometimes puts its future in jeopardy As for in ¬ stance the recent controversies between the horsemens and racing organizations organizationsA A A A AIt It would be next to impossible to comment on all of the subjects placed before the commissioners at con ¬ ventions In fact there are so many they cannot discuss and thrash out many that are of an important nature and should be fully debated This Boston meeting is not the first in which some delegates have suggested that funds be solicited from other organizations to defray the ex ¬ penses of the various committees and others When it was suggested this year Earl J Moyer of Nebraska took the Commissioners Debate Many Subjects We Must Not Be Subsidized Says Moyer Nebraska Commissioner Sound in His Views NASRC Tackles Too Many Complex Subjects floor to remind the body We cannot be subsidized or put in the position where we would be under obligation to the race tracks and others If we love racing then let us con ¬ tinue to do what we can with what we have Moyer is one of the bulwarks of the organization and a pin drop ¬ ping could have been heard as he gave his viewpoints on the future attitude of the commissioners when the horse ¬ men and track officials cannot settle their differences It was straightfromtheshoulder stuff and will be more fully discussed in a later column So will other points ad ¬ vanced vancedA A A A AThere There are many interesting angles to Saturdays Bel mont and one is whether Eddie Arcaro will be able to pass Earl Sande on the jockeys winning roster Sande who was regarded as one of the greatest jockeys of his years rode five winners of the race at one and onehalf miles Starting in 1941 Arcaro won with Whirlaway and made it a double when he scored with Shut Out in 1942 After a twoyear lapse he won with Pavot and then came back in 1948 to score with Citation A year ago he rode One Count for his fifth victory After thelPreakness it was evident that Arcaro held Jamie K in high regard and while he says he was not gaming on Native Dancer in that event he added that he was on a much improved horse and expected further improvement in the Belmont Last Saturdays sprint showed that Jamie K had all his speed and will be a dead fit horse when he goes to the post on the week end On the train from Baltimore to New York Arcaro made the statement that had Native Dancer made one mistake his mount would have been the winner He will be looking for that one mistake in the Belmont but whether Jamie K will make it is another question questionA A A A AOne One thing is fairly certain and that is that another stallion will join the long list of sires of Belmont winners this year Although the field is not definitely known there is not a horse in the race who represents a sire who has already had a winner Count Fleet sired Counterpoint and One Count Straight Face is a son of Count Fleet but being a gelding he is not eligible for the race even ifhe were sound This shows how varied a group of high class stallions we have in this country Polynesian a com ¬ paratively young sire has Native Dancer to carry his banner and last Saturdays Coaching Club American Oaks winner Grecian Queen added a feather to the cap of Heliopolis Jamie K has centered considerable attention on Crowfoot while Royal Bay Gem with the illfated Dark Star have been powerful factors in building the reputation of Royal Gem n the sure who was imported 4by Warner L Jones of Hermitage Farm Kentucky Ram o War is a possible starter in the Kent on the week end and he is a chestnut colt by Ramilliesf out of Crows Feet a daughter of Man o War Breeding pundits naturally study the pedigrees of horses who start in the Belmont and more so these days when breeders are giving thought to the yearling sales and the youngsters they will offer who are by sires credited with Belmont winners This race has always played a leading role in the breeders scheme of things thingsA A A A AIt It seems that the Kent is something of a blessing for Continued on Page FortyOne REFLECTIONS REFLECTIONSBy By NELSON DUNSTAN Continued from Page FortyFour FortyFourthreeyearolds threeyearolds who do not quite measure up in quality to those who will fight it out in the Belmont Stakes Dark Star who has gone to the sidelines for a long stay and possibly permanently was named for the Delaware race and so too Boyal Bay Gem Jsasmoothie Platan Social Outcast Fly Wheel and others Invigorator winner of the Peter Pan was eligible for both events and we believe his connections are wise in sending this small but game son of Brook field to Wilmington Boyal Bay Gem has been chasing Native Dancer all season and his owner and trainer believe he is entitled to one more chance at a distance where he may be at his best Like Invigorator he is not a big horse We believe he is entitled to another chance We see the sense of send ¬ ing Invigorator in a race where the purse is not as large but which he has a chance to win The schedule for threeyearolds is such a busy one that the lesser lights do not have to go on continually chasing Na ¬ tive Dancer and the few others now on the top rung of the ladder Invigorator re ¬ gardless of size might do all right for him ¬ self in the race his connections have se ¬ lected
