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BETWEEN RACES * °XAR °™ HOLLYWOOD PARK, Inglewood, Calif., June 16.— The Kentucky Derby was a smash hit on television, and the weekly TV series being disseminated nationally from New York, a series which started with the Gotham Stakes, "have an extremely high" rating according to figures made available to this writer by Dr. Leon Levy, of the Atlantic City race track. The good doctor, as most everyone knows, was identified with CBS radio for ever so many years, and while he made up his mind to retire from business a few years ago, but cant quite keep from being active in the development of this exciting new medium of communication, television. Says Levy, "I think the ratings for the Kentucky Derby and the New1 York series are very excellent, particularly the ones from New : York. I believe this rating shows an increased interest in this type of programming. There was no special spot check made of the Preakness, but when the regular survey comes through I will advise you of the figures." The actual figures as supplied by Dr. Levy were: Derby, 32.7 and the races from New York, May 2 and 9 only, 11.4. We asked Marty Lewis, West Coast editor of TV Guide, to •interpret these figures for us, and he remarks., "The Derby rating as you have given it means it had a national audience of better than 32 million and was right up with most any top show on the TV lanes, such as the I Love Lucy show." It is our personal guess that the continuity of the Derby telecast — it was the third, if we remember correctly — had a part in its growth, and that the New York series, when better established, also will show a steady upswing. AAA While on the subject of TV, we have an interesting first hand report from a turf enthusiast who has just returned from visiting friends in Des Moines, Iowa. Now, High Ratings for Derby, New York TV Shows Report Creation of Turf Interest in Iowa Prestige Laden Del Mar Futurity Draws 87 Apprentice Prospect Ranks at All Time Low the only time that race people ever hear of Des Moines is early in May when Sec Taylor, veteran sports editor of The Register, shows up at Louisville to cover the Derby for his paper. Still, our friend reports: "I was amazed during my stay to discover that Native Dancer, Dark Star, and Sammy Renick are well known in Iowa. People seem to tune in on the telecasts who have never known anything about thoroughbred racing and what is more, they seem to like what they see. These national telecasts are building up a reservoir of good will, to borrow a phrase from Wendell Wilkie, in areas in which there are no thoroughbreds racing and pretty much remote from any major thoroughbred tracks. Most of these people had no idea what a horse race was even like before TV brought the New York series into their homes. It is true that this interest created in Iowa will perhaps not be translated into a higher gate attendance at the nations major tracks, but to the best of my observation, it did give them an insight and something of an understanding into what racing really is, and, because of this, the telecasts may lead to one of the turfs goals, a more widespread public acceptance of racing and at least a partial breakdown of unreasoning prejudice against the sport, a prejudice which I believe is based a great deal upon ignorance and hearsay." AAA Californias top prestige stake for two-year-olds, the Del Mar Futurity, has 87 youngsters remaining eligible, according to a tab released today by Surf and Turf. Club officials, and the list of thoroughbreds with their respective owners indicates that the Del Mar club has every prospect of presenting one of the great two-year-old races of the year on the entire American turf. The Futurity, since its founding in 1948, has been one of those rare races which has been exceptional from the very beginning. We also believe it was the race which "turned the tide" in California toward a true improvement of the breeding picture out this way in that it proved that two-year-old stakes racing, properly presented, could be just as popular with racing fans as handicaps for older horses, which in turn led to the establishment of the Del Mar Debutante for fillies and which also in turn, at least in part, led to the creation of the fine series of stakes available to juveniles here at Hollywood Park. It is worth repeating that Del Mar decided upon a two-year-old fixture for its summer meeting as a prestige stakes more or less through desperation because it couldnt hang up the added money in 00,000 blocks for handicap horses, such as was possible at Santa Anita and Hollywood Park, and the two-year-olds seemed the only answer. AAA While the Del Mar Futurity is an open race, it has been won only once by a non-California-bred, namely, Star Fiddle. Nevertheless, it has proved a lure for powerful stables to include Del Mar in their West Coast campaigns and from its competitive fields have emerged many of the best handicap horses of the present. Last year, for instance, Chanlea and Decorated finished second and third, respectively, behind Hour Regards, who raced the six furlongs in new record time for a two-year-old, 1:09%. Hour Regards has turned out to be a sprinter, albeit a good one, but both Chanlea and Decorated went on to become worthwhile three-year-olds. Incidentally, Calumet Farm has kept eight eligible for this coming renewal, Continued on Page Thirty-Nine BETWEEN RACES By OSCAR OTIS Continued from Page Forty-Eight a certain indication, that this stable will race at the beach in August, while other outfits represented include Mrs-. John D. Hertz, Clifford Mooers, La Jolla Farm and General C. H. Ma. AAA Horses and People: With the graduation of jockey John Burton from the ranks of apprentices, the Far West is almost completely lacking in any seasoned "bug" boys. ... It is the worst dearth in more than 15 years. . . . Ira Drymon makes the observation that year-round feeding of fresh alfalfa along with the standard ration of hay and oats may be one of the compensating factors which enable Califomians to raise good thoroughbreds in paddocks of comparatively with Kentucky small size. . . . Paddy Pendergast has named one of the most promising two-year-olds in England, "Pie King," for his old friend, Ell-wood B. Johnston. The youngster won at Ascot today. . . . TRA. president John A. Morris will include both Longacres and Centennial Race Track on his official swing of the West Coast. . . . Morris will preside at a TRA board of directors meeting here on .July 9, an occasion which will mark the fljfjsappearance on the board of its newest member, Jim Stewart, of Hollywood Park. . . . Most everyone looks for Stewart to take an active interest in TRA affairs and from our chats with him, this meeting we have the notion that he is a constructive thinker on racing affairs and will have much to contribute to the welfare of the turf in general and the TRA in particular. . . . Jimmy Jones remarks that if Las Vegas offers a 00,000 stake, as hinted, this fall at its inaugural meeting, the devils red silks will be represented. ... If Las Vegas can get a stable like Calumet for its first season, we dare say the meeting will be "made," artistically speaking from a quality of equine point of view.
