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j i Connors Corner By "CHUCK" CONNORS Tom Foo! Hailed by Paddock Gang Order Imposing Pedestal for Hero Will Shoot at Mark in Brooklyn AQUEDUCT, L. I., N. Y., June 29. The paddock gang, the members in .good standing, that is, met this morning and fol 1 j i , j j 1 j . , lowing a onei discussion, ordered an imposing pedestal on which to set their hero, Tom Fool. The Greentree Stable four - year - old, by his Carter victory on Saturday, stamped himself as a versatile performer and one who ranks up well on the list of the greats of today and yesterday. Tom Fool, in annexing , the Carter, by the way the richest sprint stake in the country, if not in the world for that matter, toppled the old marks and set a new one that could stand for some time. Tom Fool carried to victory the highest weight assigned to a starter in the 55 years that the stake has been on the agenda and at the same time equaled the track record for the distance, seven furlongs. The hallowed memory of the greats . of the past such as Roseben in 1907 failed in the attempt, he under 135 finished second to Glortfier. Naturalist and Osmond, who raced for the late Joe Widener, carried 132 in successful quests. The Brooklyn, over the mile and one-quarter distance, is the next objective of the four-year-old son of Menow and Gaga and the boys are already trying to outguess the veteran Jack Campbell in their weight assignments. The span from seven to ten furlongs is quite a piece as the boys down on the farm would say and over the longer distance weight exacts its toll where it counts in the late stages. Discovery picked up 136 when he was a five-year-old to account for the Brooklyn, while old Exterminator as a seven-year-old carried 135. Assault, the little Texan, as a four-year-old, carried 133 in a smashing triumph of the stake. Tom Fool, however, is shooting at a mark that has stood for 40 years, and at present appears to have a royal chance of success. Whisk Broom n. was returned from England by the late Harry Payne Whitney and turned over to Jimmy Rowe, when racing was regaining its foothold in New York following the passage of the Directors Liability Law. This enactment was the clincher, enacted after the Hart-Agnew law, that brought racing to a standstill and closed the tracks for two years and was what its name implied. Whisk Broom II., with Joe Notter in the saddle, accounted for the Metropolitan, Suburban and Brooklyn. Tom Fool has two of those stakes to his credit, the Metropolitan and the Suburban. The Brooklyn is next and the boys are sanguine that he will become the second horse in history to account for all the big three handicaps in one year. Whisk Broom n., through his three triumphs, gleaned ,625. Tom Fool in the Metropolitan and the Suburban took over 6,200 and the Carter was worth an additional 1,700. That is not at all bad for a few minutes of electrifying speed. Who said inflation had turned the corner? Moe Mendelson, the doughty little colonel, who was a racing man all his L life, was buried yesterday afternoon. Moe had been associated with the sport in various capacities for 50 or more years or from the days that he was Crafted from his post in front of the old World Building on Park Row, he sold newspapers, to work as a messenger for the press box crew at the turn of the century. Later he was a clerk or outside man on the lawn. He is survived by a sister who makes her home in the Bronx. Moe was 63 at his death and had a wide circle of friends in racing the length of the Eastern Seaboard. Frank J. Kearns is on the sidelines, a victim of virus-pneumonia but hopes to be back in harness tomorrow. . . C. T. Chenery was on hand Saturday for the running of the Carter and reported that he has 12 foals at his Doswell, Va., farm. Bryan G., who went amiss some time ago, will stand at the Chenery nursery next spring. Ogden Phipps was more than pleased over the showing of his Bassanio in an overnight handicap. . .Danny Arnstein, who races under the nom de course of the Starle Stable, left for bis lodge inCanada for a week or two of fishing. . .Ben Cohen, of the Pimlico directorate, was an interested Continued on Page Forty-Three Connors Corner I By C. J. CONNORS. Continued from Page Fire spectator over the week end. He predicted bigger and better things for the old Hilltop course at the fall meeting. . .Mrs. Alfred Roberts was on the ailing list and canceled her plans to witness the running of the Carter, in which she was represented by Eatontown. The horse will be shipped to Arlington Park by trainer Jim East to start in the Myrtlewood Handicap. The steeplechase set were notified that the stake offerings for the timber toppers at Saratoga Springs close on July 1. . . . Nate Herzfeld, the top man at Tropical Park surveyed the Week-end scene and reported that Tropical Park will be ready for what he hopes will be a banner meeting. . .Louis Prima, the band man, overlooked another publicity dodge. He failed to nominate The Preem for the Dwyer Stakes and thus passed up another golden opportunity. . .Harry Rubens, of the Pinkerton force, has authentic proof that he has been around for some time. His picture is readily discernible in the blown-up picture of Man o War-John P. Grier finish, hung in the lobby of the clubhouse. Tempus Fugit, he said... The TV audience is evidently interested in the triple dead heat finish of the Carter of 1944, judging by the response. The first mail this morning contained 80 requests for the picture from such cities as Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia, Buffalo, Rochester and other towns. . Trainer Jim Ryan plans to race Royal Governor over the grass course at Chicago during the Arlington Park meeting. The recent training moves on this fellow are good . . .The heavy rains of the night helped the Aqueduct strip serving to bind it together. The first shower fell at 4 a. m., lasting for a half hour and another at 5 a. m. for a similar period. The rains also helped swell the size of the infield lake, which has shown signs of drying up, due to the warm weather. . .The four-motored airplanes which land and depart from Idle-wild Airport, a half mile or so from the backstretch have no effect on the horses, according to their caretakers. The men report that in many instances the animals evince curiosity, instead of fear of the thunderous noise, as the machines at frequent intervals fly over the track. Donn pens from Gulfstream Park that the mosquitos infesting1 the Miami area are fourth columnists and saboteurs imported from New Jersey. However, he concluded the insects are not interfering with the work of resurfacing the racing strip at the Hallandale course. . .Arnold Hanger, who has a draft of horses in training at Belmont Park, relayed word that business again interfered with pleasure, but that he will be at Saratoga Springs for a considerable stay. F. Skiddy von Stade, of the Saratoga Springs Association, returned from a weekend visit to the Union Avenue course. He reported everything promising and that the demand for cottages is as big as ever, since the adoption of the "tote" that is... Jack Skirvin plans to attend the yearling vendues at Keeneland during July. . .Trainer "Buddy" Jacobson, who saddled The Squaw for his winning effort the other day, is a nephew of Hirsch Jacobs . . . George Cas-sidy reported that the starting gates to be used during the Saratoga Springs meeting are in process of refurbishing, and will be hauled by tractor, over the back roads to the upstate resort, along about the third week in July. Schooling exercises there will be started shortly after the gates are assembled -and placed in position.
