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I Connors Corner ■ — : By "CHUCK" CONNORS Mr. Fitz# Reconsiders Statement Grandson Has Beginners Luck Sheilas Reward Training Again AQUEDUCT, L. I., N. Y., June 22.— James Fitzsimmons, -the sage of Sheepshead Bay, trainer for the combined Wheatley Stable and Belair Stud horses, and mentor to a host of - men and boys on the pPPttk * backstretch at Aque- , m - ■ " duct, once said that there is but one way to •■1 win a bet and 400 or " fl|N Wp more ways of losing Vi one. This statement * %jx x was made to a friend of * -J|| Jv long standing, who day - JsandjfrMa after day kept asking JggiflMiP -JH the veteran for tips on HHBiflH the horses. Well, in the past week or 10 days, the veteran was forced to reconsider his original statement and admit that there is such a little thing as beginners luck to take into consideration. Joe Fitzsimmons, a grandson and also a resident of Sheepshead Bay, expressed a desire to go racing at Belmont Park. Armed with a few dollars, the gift of his aunt, and as guest of his uncle, young Joe set out for the vast Nassau County course. Joe, un known to ms uncle, naa a up tnat was shared with his aunt. The tip was number 12 in the first race, numbers were the most important thing at the moment an4, the name of this heroic steed was to the youngster of no immediate consequence. Uncle Jim pointed out the mutuel ring where he could wager his two bucks and told the nephew to get in line, who wants to be bothered with a youngster tagging • along when there is important work to do. Young Joe, alas and alack, wound up in the Daily Double line. The talk and chatter that assailed his ears meant nothing to him. After what appeared an unduly long time, he eventually faced the man behind the grill. Proudly asking for number 12, he thrust the two dollars through the window. The seller looked up and said "12 and what?" Young Fitz, non- " plussed for the moment, repeated "12." The ticket slid out and the deal was completed. f Joe went in search of his uncle and proudly displayed the purchase and was greeted with anything but pleasantries when he was informed that he had bought a Daily Double. Well anyway, old dame fortune reached in and wrapped her arms around the youngster. The field, number 18, accounted for the first race when Fussby finished* in front with No. 12, No Contest, another fielder, back in the ruck. The second race saw Hasty Boy, number 12 dash through the stretch run to annex the honors. The Daily Double pay-off was 09.30, and whom do you think was the proudest guy on the race track? Young Joe? No, none other than his uncle, said Jim Fitzsimmons. Loch Kilroe, that postage-sized body of water in the centerfield, adjacent to the first turn, you can find it with the aid of binoculars, had something added over the week-end. Track superintendent Litwak came up with a brace of ducks, some say they are refugees from "Chicken Sadies kitchen, and deposited them in the water. Well, the well-laid plans for propagation and a hefty flock went a glimmering in a hurry. A stray dog wandered into the centerfield, saw the birds and reverted back to nature. Now there is but one and he cannot lay eggs. Ray Bell was among the afternoon visitors and reported that his The Pie King, a stakes winner in England, would not be brought to these shores until late in the fall. The Pie King will be trained for the Gimcrack Stakes, which Bell won in the fall of 1951 with Windy City. Bell will be in England for that race. . .Jim East came up from Monmouth Park, saddled Eaton-town in the secondary feature, picked up the winners position of the purse and then headed back to the Jersey scene. . .Louis Lazare reported that his good sprinter Sheilas Reward is back in training and will be started in several sprint offerings later in the fall. The veteran served 20 mares this spring and is not far from racing condition. . .Spencer Drayton of the TRA was out for a look-see and to talk over some . details with president Cyrus S. Jullien. Bill Hinphy came down from Boston, he has a draft of horses in training at Suffolk Downs, and conferred with Johnny Theall in preference to cam- Continucd on Page Thirty-Nine j 1 » v.. • . ** . . . .. . -oimors Corner By C; J. CONNORS - Continued from Page Four paigning some of the Joe Brown horses in New England . . . Mike McLanny, of the Coin Cushion Co., they supply the seat pads on the chairs, was on hand to inspect the new additions placed in the clubhouse on Sunday ... Earl "Greasy" Neale, the old footballer, deserted the track for Philadelphia and some golf over the week end Danny Arnstein was among those present for the big afternoon. . .Jimmy Donn, of Gulf stream Park, after conferring with Horace Wade on Sunday, left for Miami to help speed up and supervise the laying of a new racing strip at the track. Eddie Burke, the Miamian and master of High Tide Stable, was out to witness his two-year-old perform on Saturday. The youngster, Fabulist, did not race to expectations. . .Jamie K., the star of the Spring Hill Stable, was returned to his Belmont Park stall following his triumph in the Leonard Richard Stakes. . .His next yet. He is not eligible to the Dwyer Stakes ...The. Campana Stables Versify was returned to Belmont Park following her engagement in the six furlongs of the Regret Handicap at Monmouth Park . . . Jerry Brady, of Tropical Park, will head towards Los Angeles for a glimpse of the Hollywood Park meeting. . .Vince McCarthy, of the Saratoga Racing Association, will open his office for the Saratoga-at-Jamaica meeting in the near future. That 12-day session winds up the first half of the local season. The scene will be Aqueduct when the horses return from Saratoga Springs.
