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Connors Corner By "CHUCK" CONNORS Showing of Champions Is Costly Cause Exhibitions, Minus Pool Grecian Queen Awaits Alabama SARATOGA, Saratoga Springs, N. Y., Aug. 17. Native Dancer is headed west to Washington Park and the American Derby, Tom Fool is idled until the fall season on Long Island and, with these two defections from the scene, Grecian Queen, the belle of her division, will enamour Saratogas racing patrons in the Alabama, which is down for decision on Wednesday, August 26. The influx of champions was a costly one for the local association, for Tom Fools two visits to the starting boxes were styled exhibitions. However, the association reached down in the till and paid off the winners and placed horses portion of the purse, which was rather high for a couple of public workouts, or so said some of the directors. Saturday, Native Dancer spread-eagled his opposition in the Travers. Straight and place betting was presented and, when it was all over, a minus pool deficit of ,598.15 was presented for collection. The 15 cents was probably luxury tax. Native Dancer, in many of his three-year-old engagements, proved to be an expensive attraction for he ran up a tab in minus pools of 4,000, five or take a few hundred either way. Whats the difference, its only money? The cost of entertaining champions thus runs into serious folding money, and what if the fare was caviar and champagne? The public likes it and today the public must be served, contrary to the opinion of a railroad man of past memory, named Van-derbilt. The Alabama is one of the ivy-wrapped traditional offerings of this association. It was first run in 1872, and over the years has been won by the best of the fillies. Grecian Queen will seek to emulate the feats of such heroines as Beldame, Tradition, Maskette, Ocean Bound, Flying Fairy, Cleopatra, Nimba, Top Flight, Vagrancy, Vienna, But Why Not, and others of modern day memory. From here her task appears not too severe. She has whipped, with few exceptions, the best of her own age and older, the absentees did not engage her, and thus her credentials are in proper order. The Alabama carries an endowment of 5,000 and, if successful, this, added to what she has won this year, will make it possible for her owner, Mrs. Ben F. Whit-aker, to stake her husband to a few dimes to look for another oil well or two. Anyway, the Alabama wUl not starve for lack of overnight entries. The owners of fillies are not capricious when it comes to starting in filly races, for, as the paddock gang members point out, who knows what fillies will do on any given racing day? The coughing scourge has let up and many of the early victims of the ailment are back in training. That, however, does not mean that their names will be seen in the overnight entries, but it is a good omen for the fall season starting at Aqueduct. The old saying about the ill wind holds true in this instance for the Long Island tracks will benefit. Trainer Jim Ryan returned from a quick visit to the farm in Pennsylvania and reported that everything was in good order... Fred "The Flying Fishman" Larisburgh planed out for Atlantic City to cool out following the downfall of his idol, Freddie Fish, on Saturday. . .Leslie Combs, master of Spendthrift Farm, near Lexington, Ky., left for White Sulphur Springs, Va., for ,a rest following a couple of hectic weeks in this area . . . Straight Face, winner of the Flamingo at Hialeah Park for the Greentree Stable, was placed back in training. The colt resumed galloping and hopes are entertained that he will be ready for the late fall events. Mr. and Mrs. William J. Ziegler are arrivals and will remain for some time. They spent the past week cruising off the Long Island coast. ..Edward Kilroe, of the Queens County Association, was on hand over the week end for the closing of the stakes offerings for the fall meeting of that association. . .Horace Wade planed in from Detroit, handled the chores Of broadcasting the Travers, and then hied himself back to Hazel Park. During his off moments he tossed off a couple of stories on the prospects for the Florida Derby. . .Herman C. Delman, the New Yorker, showed up and then decided to remain over for several Continued on Page Forty-Three . - . ., -- - , t-- - - .. , ., ... x i 1 - - - - - -. Connors Corner By C. J. CONNORS Continued from Page Two days. . .Alec Gordon, the auld Scot, headed" back to Lexington and chores in readying yearlings for winter racing. . .Dr Charles ! A. Poindexter, who has several horses in : training, checked in from New York for a ! few days racing. Jerry Brady, of Tropical Park, left for j New York on business matters, but hopes to be back for the week end . . .1. J. Col- lins, the Ohioan, trained in, bought a couple of yearlings, paid off a couple of ;hat wagers and flew out again. He, earlier in the season, announced that he would not purchase any yearlings, hence the hat transactions. . .Danny Arnstein, master of the Starle Stable and one-time boss man of the Burma Roal detail for Uncle Sam, headed back to Gotham to find out about his taxicab business ... . The local money changers reported an influx of Canadian money over the week end. The swap proved beneficial to the locals. Railroad men reported that five extra cars were hooked onto the train from New , York on Saturday to accommodate the Broadway crowd. . .Trainer Bill Post reported that Valadium, owned by Harry LaMontagne, and Me, owned by Mrs. C. O. Iselin, were operated upon by Dr. Wright. The surgery in each case treated a twisted uterus, and they are now eligible, following their retirement from the racing wars, to join the matron ranks as broodmares. . . Phil T. Chinn, the old Colonel from Hickory Farm out Kentucky way, headed bacli for some fried ham, hot cakes and corn pone, shortly after the auctioneer banged his gavel for the last time at the yearling vendues. . .Frank Coltiletti left for Atlantic City, where he will saddle Armageddon, owned by the Cain Hoy Stable, in a grass race at that track. The July issue of Irish. Racing and Breeding features Royal Serenade, winner of the Hollywood Gold Cup, on the cover page. Needless to say, Royal Serenade is an Irish-bred by Royal Charger from Pasquinade. . .The Pie King, the Irish-bred youngster that Ray Bell will fly oyer here late nex month, was a ,000 yearling. The under bidder on the colt was the former jockey Harry Wragg, who secured Royal Serenade as a yearling for ,800 and later sold him to his present owners, Alberta Ranches, for something like 2,000. Jockey Benny Green returned from out-of-town engagements and accepted mounts during the afternoon. . .Jockey Ovie Scur-lock returned from Rockingham Park, where he rode Mr. Midnight, owned by the New Orleanian, Joe Brown, in the White Mountain Stakes at that track. . .Trainer . Joe Nash was treated at the Saratoga Hospital for a couple of broken ribs. He was kicked by the plater Big Mister. . .Hash , Weinstein returned from a trip to Puerto Rico and took over the training of the . horses he has here. . .Clean Up King, once ; the pride and joy of Jules Schwartz, the . clean-up man, is en route to Puerto Rico i for racing purposes.
