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Between Races By OSCAR OTIS Improvement in California-Breds Culling Program Bringing Results Concentration of Bloodstock Seen HOLLYWOOD PARK, Inglewood, Calif ., June 19.— Col. Fred W. Koester, TJ. S. Army Remount retired and one of Americas best known equine authorities, has just completed a state-wide tour of every thoroughbred farm and he tells us he has come to a momentous conclusion as to the state of the industry. It is his observation that the breeding activity is almost at the end of a period of weeding out, that fewer, but better, horses are being raised, that know-how is on the upgrade, and perhaps more important, a lot of people who perhaps didnt belong in the industry are getting out, while others are cutting down their broodmare bands to proper size. This process of culling, which we predicted would occur more than five years ago, has been a painful one, has posed serious economic problems for a great many people, but has been a process which was nonetheless necessary in a free country where anyone is free to breed anything as long as his purse could afford it and his fancy so dictated. "I visited just about every farm following the close of Santa Anita as field representative for the California breeders," explains Koester, "and then went back to all farms which had consignments in the Fasig-Tipton California breeders sales scheduled for mid-July at Hollywood Park. The sales yearlings are better credentialed, and better all around individuals than ever before, and the most striking improvement was in the botton third. I saw fewer poor animals than in previous years, and there was Continued on Page Forty-Three l b 3 E fc r j b i , 3 1 j - 3 . k , t . r i 1 BETWEEN RACES I By OSCAR OTIS Continued from Page Three hardly a yearling nominated for the sale that shouldnt have been." "The improvements in the all over breed- ing picture stem from many factors, but t one has been the elimination of the man with little know-how," little background, » and little financial means. Othe factors include the culling of bands where the ; breeder has been over extended, and this culling has resulted in improving the aver- age, plus a general increase in better farm practices and administration. It seems to j me the industry in California has been go- . ing through a thoroughbred overhauling r and face lifting and that, within another : few years, we will be producing just about enough horses to our needs of western racing and our export market most notably, Mexico, Central America, and Japan. I am convinced that there is no one best place in California, or America, for that matter, to raise good thoroughbreds. AH areas have a lack of something or_ other which is desirable, and all have compensating factors for that lack. For instance, it used to be said that you couldnt raise good horses close to the ocean, but Ive found .that just the re-; verse is true. You can. Modern scientific feeding seems to more than make up for any climatic lack. In my long observa-, tions, buying horses for the Army from one end of the country to the other, the only factor which I could ever correlate with soundness and ability was that of altitude." On the farm side, there is little doubt ; that major breeding is concentrating to [ fewer farms, and that many so called small breeders, with only a few mares, find it ; more advantageous to board their mares at the great establishments and not maintain [. their own small acreages. As a matter of , fact, we dare say that almost 50 per cent ; [ of the breeding in the state is now centered [ , on not more than a dozen farms. There , have been only two new farms of conse-[ [ quence founded in California in recent ; ; years, that of Frank Bishop at Monterey, . and Elmer Houchin at Canoga Park. There ! have been a few transfers and consolidations, like the new Naylor place near . Riverside, which superseded his scattered [ operations in the San Fernando valley, or . the new Ellsworth showplace under con-[ . struction near Chino and which will replace , i his present operation, i . Another change is significant, namely, [ the concentrating of broodmares to a [ comparatively few sires, and while the l last time we looked, California still had [ well over 300 registered sires, only 19 had 10 or more registered two-year-olds for this year. There is a 20th, Teddys Comet, but he is not included in the California list because his first coast crop will oiot reach the races until later. And of these 19 sires, only four had as many as 20 registered juveniles. As the mid-year checkup period nears, success of sires as measured by two-year-old winners is providing an exciting race and the chances are the remander of the , year will be a race between Count Speed, wth 24 regstered and Khaled wth 31. As of two days ago, Count Speed had nine winners, Khaled six, and both were represented i by stakes winners and those placed in stakes. Others among the 19 with stakes winners include Radiotherapy, Heelfly, Atavastic and Russia H. Among the sires having a high percentage of winners to date are Kings Abbey, Mafosta, With Regards, Suncap, Trierarch, Toubo, Dogaway, Bull Root, and Free America, in addition, of course, to Count Speed and Khaled. It is obvious to this writer that the breeding industry is also concentrating into the hands of at once men of wealth and with a deep love for the sport. More and more breeders are moving onto their land, and living there, so they can personally supervise the farm operation and at the same time enjoy the gracious way of living which thoroughbred farm life provides. So called absentee ownership is thus becoming less common, and, for the men who maintain their regular businesses as well as engaging in a large scale bloodstock operation, they have moved their business offices to a wing of their homes. The John Hertz at Ama-rillo set the pattern for this type of living in California and Amarillo has been so successful under owner supervision that some Beverly Hills homes are now up for sale as their owners prepare to move to their paddocks. j ] Getting back to Col. Koesters appraisal i of the current trends in California, all for the better, it has been obvious for years that the situation in California has long been economically unsound that something would have to happen. As for blood, the quality has been steadily on the upgrade through purchases in Kentucky, in England and Ireland, and through development of Californias own stock. Col. Koester also remarks that any hope of reviving the Army Remount Bureau is "wishful thinking" and while he doubts if, under present mechanized conditions, the Army would be justified in expending funds on a remount or cavalry unit, be does feel that some j ] i government agency, most likely the Department of Agriculture, should interest itself in the horse. - "At the moment," says Koester, "insofar as government is concerned, the horse is an orphan without any official friends. It is an unfortunate situation, but I can nevertheless understand the Armys point of view on the matter. Dollar for dollar, it might get more for its money on planes and tanks for sustaining the horse breed. Although at times the horse has more than proved his worth over wheels, it is a question if the Army would still get its moneys worth in horse development, like it er not, it is a practical f*«t which we might as well face."
