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I Between Races By OSCAR OTIS Double Speed Shows His Speed1 Report on Ten-Day Suspensions Robineau Fayors Fingerprinting DEL MAR, Calif., Aug. 24. The carded feature here Saturday was the traditional Del Mar Derby, but in our mind, this handicap was overshadowed by the second running of the Graduation Stakes one of a galaxy of two-year-old sweeps which are gaining great prestige for the surf and turf course. The winner of the Graduation was Double Speed, a colt by Count Speed Pocket Edition, hence a half-brother to the winner of more than 00,000, the homebred Gold Capitol. The Graduation was his third start and his third win. He scored over the Del Mar strip in 1:10, time that is on the exceptional side for a two-year-old and left no doubt of his superiority when he had a margin of five and one-half lengths at the wire. Double Speeds owner, Mrs. John D. Hertz, was so pleased with the colts showing that she made the trip from the turf club to the winners circle to pose for the camera people, a hint that she not only thinks the horse ran a worthwhile race but may have a potential as a really good one. As for the Derby, as we said, it was a handicap, which makes a difference, with the winner turning up in another Calif ornian, the hard-hitting Apple Valley. The Lodge Night filly, Smart Barbara, turned in a corking race to be second, but it simply was not good enough. As for the highweight, Calumet Farms Chanlea at 122 pounds, our observation of a few days ago that he is slightly shopworn still seems to hold good. He just couldnt rally for a punchy final drive. Monday we commented at length upon a solution to some of racings problems occasioned by the jockey now and then who goes wrong, and before dropping the subject, we wish to make a report upon a controversial subject of some two years ago, specifically, the request of the Guild that 10-day suspensions or their equivalent be made mandatory for rough riding. Some states went along and adopted the rule, but others refused to have anything to do with the idea, feeling that all penalties were the absolute and sole right of the stewards, and that the stewards should mete out judgment as they deemed proper. In California, the state was split, with the stewards on Northern California tracks going along, in Southern California the officials sticking to the five days and fines. Bert Thompson, of the Jockeys Guild, informs that he now. has enough information on the subject to draw a solid conclusion, to the effect that where the 10-day suspension prevail, the accident incidence is less to a considerable degree than where the five days and or fines are used. "It stands to reason," says Thompson, "that a 10-day penalty is an actual deterrent to careless riding, whereas five days or a fine can often be shrugged off somewhat nonchalantly, depending upon the riders financial status. On the other hand, 10 days is a lot of time even for the top riders. I dont have to make any more issue of the point, for statistics do not lie, and the safety factor on the ten-day tracks is simply better." "Bud" Robineau, president of Centennial Turf Club in Denver, wires: "Your article under Del Mar dateline August 17, relative to fingerprinting at Centennial is not entirely consistent with facts. I did not discuss this problem with Harold F. Dwyer, pari-mutuel manager, and he did not make statement to me as you quote. I am entirely in favor of the TRPB program and have been fingerprinted, but inasmuch as Centennial did not make fingerprinting a requisite on employment applications, we are in no position to force issue. It is our present plan to include question as to applicants willingness to be fingerprinted in next years employment application forms." It is not within the province of this column to comment upon whether or not a track should have a fingerprinting program, but the point we made about an executive of Centennial refusing to go . along with the fingerprinting program was nevertheless well taken. As long as Centennial has a fingerprint program, and which Robineau, as president, has Continued on Page Thirty-Nine BETWEEN RACES By OSCAR OTIS Continued from Page Fhe endorsed and reconfirmed this endorsement in his wire, Ave do feel that the executives are normally bound to accept said program as well as the grooms on the backstretch. In other words, they should lead by example. If they do not, then the whole program becomes untenable. Our original item would never have been printed had it not been for the public fanfare in the Denver papers calling attention to the success and acceptance on the part of turf personnel of the fingerprint program. If these stories were in error, and the program was intended only for the few, and allowed an executive to think the original bid in the Denver papers for public confidence through general fingerprinting, it was ill advised and even misleading. Robineaus remarks that Denver at the moment is not in a position to "force the issue" is interesting as is his word that next year it is planned to introduce fingerprinting, or willingness to be fingerprinted, upon employment applications, and also that Robineau, as Centennial president, is personally in favor of the TRPB program. But, as these lines are written, we have received no word that the Centennial situation as originally reported in this column, has changed. Robineau is a fine executive and is a race track president who has the finest interests of racing at heart. He has done a remarkable job for Centennial in the face of circumstances which would be absolutely disheartening for anyone. Cen- tennial is slowly working its way forward toward an operation which will at once be efficient and which will elevate the stands of racing and in turn attract more people. Indeed, on our recent trip there, we believed we saw signs of much progress in the right direction. To return briefly to the subject of fingerprints, just to make sure we were not off base in the matter, we asked George Haines, mutuel manager at Del Mar, what the status was here. He replied, "Of course we are in favor of the print program, and weve only had a single refusal, this from an old-timer who objected on the principle of what might be termed regimentation. We didnt press the point because the man was okay, as a minute check showed." Al Hart, president of Del Mar said, "In my private business, distillery and distributorship everyone has to be fingerprinted, and it is a good thing for the industry." Says Bert Thompson of the Jockeys Guild, "You were wrong when you said Dr. Strub and the officials at Santa Anita were the first in line to be printed. Myself and the jockeys beat them to the inkpads to show how we felt about it. j i . j I i
