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REFLECTIONS y NELS0" mnstan LEXINGTON, Ky.f June 29. Probably no other section in niis country so eagerly awaits week-end racing results as they do here in the Blue Grass. On Saturday night and through Sunday breeders met to discuss the great race run by Tom Fool in the Carter Handicap at Aqueduct, and Royal Vales scintillating per formance in the Sussex Handicap at Delaware Park. Picking up 135 pounds, Tom Fool ran seven furlongs in 1:22, which equaled the track record set a year ago by Northern Star. This performance will go down in history a3 one of the greatest seen in recent years on Long Island and was another notch in the fiareer of Tom Fool toward the honors: as the handicap champion of the season. His closest rival for these honors at the moment is Royal Vale, who lowered the track record of one and one-quarter miles at Delaware Park to 2:00. In this race, Royal Vale carried the steadying impost of 130 pounds, while Post Card, whom he defeated by a neck, was toting 113. Royal Vale met a small but good field and the two horses out of the money were One Count, last seasons Horse of the Year, and Count Turf, who won the Kentucky Derby two years ago. In their respective victories on the week end they have greatly increased the interest that will be manifest when they meet again". Both are eligible for the Brooklyn Handicap at a mile and a quarter on Saturday, July 11, and there will be considerable interest when John B. Campbell releases his weights for that event ori Monday, July 6. There is as much interest in a meeting between these older horses as there is in another get-together between Native Dancer and Jamie K. AAA Directly ahead is one of the most important week ends in the annual racing schedule, with important events being featured at Delaware Park, Monmouth Park, Nar- Kentuckians Impressed by Tom Fools Feat Keenly Await Next Duel With Royal Vale Good Field Now in Making for New Castle Morris Pessimistic About New Race Course ragansett Park, in fact, right out to Hollywood Park in California. The appearance of Native Dancer in the Dwyer will prove a magnet to New York fans, but the 00,000 New Castle Handicap at Delaware Park is certain to fill the Wilmington track to the rafters. This is the richest race in America for fillies and mares and while we are not sure of the eventual starters, it seems safe to say that Marta, who recently won the Top Flight Handicap at Belmont Park, and Kiss Me Kate, last years winner, will be among those who answer the bugle. Ben Whitakers three-year-old filly, Grecian Queen, who .is now making her bid as the champion of her age and sex, is a possibility and there are others on the list such as the Greentree Stables Hows Tricks, Joe W. Browns Parading Lady, C. V. Whitneys Ming Yellow, George D. Wideners No Score and still others who will make this a highly interesting race among members of the weaker sex. In Chicago, they also have a fine program and we understand there is a possibility of Jamie K. starting in the Warren Wright Memo-riol as a tune-up for the 00,000 Arlington Classic on July 18. AAA John A. Morris gave a talk before the Thoroughbred Club of America here last Friday night and then answered some rather challenging questions from those in the audience. Morris did not "duck" and we were relieved when he referred to the possibility of a new track in New York State in a forthright manner. When asked about it he grinned in an embarrassed sort of way and then called it "the 4 question." Since last January, when Jim Butler of Empire City was interviewed by a New York sports-writer, there was some hope that a new track would eventually be built in Baychester or possibly on Long Island. Morris pointed out that the recent increase to 15 per cent in taxation under the Wicks Bill, placed an entirely different aspect on building. He pointed out that the tracks now received only four per cent of the take and that it would be impossible to finance and build a modern track under such a small return. Personally, we see very little chance, as Morris hopes, that there will be some reduction in the taxation and we also believe that it will be many more years before New Yorkers are given any assurance that a new track is to be built in the metropolitan area. New Yorkers cannot understand why other states can continue to build new tracks and make improvements annually while, with the exception of Belmont Park, New Yorkers are pushed from pillar to post on a Saturday or holiday. AAA Toward the end of his address Morris approached the subject of purse distribution and that it should not be broadened to take in the horse finishing fifth. J. Samuel Perlman, publisher of this paper, also spoke before the Thoroughbred Club of America many weeks ago and suggested that a study of the proposal be made. The Pimlico track announced they would put such a plan into effect, but canceled their announcement when the board of directors of the Thoroughbred Racing Associations unanimously opposed the change and so advised all member tracks. Following the Morris speech here last Friday night, many breeders discussed the proposal and in the great majority they were opposed to the plan, just as many readers of this paper have written us to agree with the TRA. One prominent breeder, who asked that his Continued on Page Forty-Three REFLECTIONS By NELSON DUNSTAN Continued from Page Fifty -Two name be withheld, said, "There is no sound reason for the fifth horse being included in the purse distribution. The California plan of taking 55 per cent rather than 65 per cent for the winning horse and giving the 10 per cent to the third and fourth horses has merit, but we fail to see where anything would be gained by taking a small percentage of the purse and adding it on to the horse who finished fifth." Most of the breeders we have talked with feel the safme way about it. AAA As we are making the rounds of the breeding farms here in Kentucky it is surprising how many colts and fillies we have seen who were not accepted by either the pedigree committee or the conformation committee of the Breeders Sales Company. We noticed in yesterdays paper an ad of that company and which was captioned, "We Do Not Sell Yearlings We Sell Selected Yearlings." The majority of the yearlings who have been rejected will either be sold privately or at the Keeneland fall sales. The whole idea of these inspections is to honestly endeavor to offer the cream of the yearling crop at the July sales. In this way the breeders are building confidence with the buying public for sales in the years to come and, any way you look at it, it is good business. This years crop is the smallest ever offered at Keeneland and it has been possible to narrow it to three afternoons and one evening sale. This gives trainers an opportunity to get here, make there selections and return to tracks in other parts of the country. Saratoga will operate somewhat along the same lines this year in that they will stage only five nightly yearling sales within one week and then hold the others for another sale to be staged at Meadowbrook, Long Island, early in the fall. We have seen impressive year- lings in every year that we have come down here and it is just our impression that the youngsters we have seen are as high in quality as the Keeneland market has ever offered.
