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Connors Corner By "CHUCK" CONNORS Absence of Platers Felt at Spa Daily Programs Hit Due to Cough Tropical Officials, Dunne Confer SARATOGA, Saratoga Springs, N. Y., Aug. 26. The racing of platers, the cheaper type, at meetings such as here and at Bel mont Park, has been the cause of numerous arguments between horsemen, owners and trainers for many years. The arguments, as a rule, wound up in a draw and -led nowhere in particular. However, Saratoga Springs, for once, missed the lowly plater when the cough swept through the stable en closure and sidelined the majority of the juveniles. There is no accurate tally as to the number of juveniles that were victims of the virus; the" estimates range from 20 to 60 per cent of the total on hand; and that number was placed at 725. Saratoga has for many years stressed juvenile racing with the older division, such as three-year-olds, handicap and stake horses, plus jumpers and hurdlers, as the supporting cast; Seventeen stakes rounded out the agenda for this at home meeting of the Saratoga Association, and eight were for two-year-olds. These comprised the Plash, United States Hotel, Saratoga Special, Schuylerville, Sanford, Spinaway, Grand Union Hotel and Hopeful. That is a shade less than 50 per cent of the total number and a whale of an opportunity for owners of two-year-olds. When the virus made its appearance, these offerings for "the most part were reduced to shambles, for with one or two exceptions the best regarded , of the younger division were under the care of the. veterinarians. Thus, the cough played havoc with the overnight presentations, for, in addition to the stake offerings, races for two-year-olds were a salient feature of the daily program. The absence of the lowly plater was keenly felt, for, if his services were available, an overnight program of quantity could be fashioned in a hurry. Other tracks throughout the country, such as Arlington, Washington and New " Jersey centers, could easily weather the siege that befell Saratoga. They have on hand a sufficient number of platers to call upon if the cough waylaid the two-year-olds, and the pinch would not be so acute. That is one argument in favor of the plater, but on the other hand, if the cough had not taken its toll, well, the situation would be vastly different and the Saratogians would have seen some mighty promising two-year-olds in action. What brings on the cough? Trainers and veterinarians cannot point to any specific reason, but condemn a bug of some type as the carrier, and it flies around in the dust generated by movement, and that is that. Harry F. Guggenheim, master of Cain Hoy Stable, will fly to New York on business, but will be back for the Hopeful Stakes, in which his Turn-To looms as one of the choices. He also reports that Armageddon would remain at Atlantic City to fulfill additional stake engagements before being returned to Belmont Park. . . . Trainer Willie Post shipped the horses he had here to Belmont Park to await the return of racing on Long Island. . . . Johnny Bleake, who operated one of Saratogas famed eating establishments of other years, is a regular these afternoons. He plans to leave for Florida some time next month. . . . Frank Stevens checked out for New York, on business matters, but will be back for the final day. Nat Herzfeld, of Tropical Park, and Jerry OGrady planed up to confer with Francis Dunne relative to the stake assignments and other matters connected with that meeting. Mr. Herzfeld will later fly to Las Vegas for the opening of that track. . i . Eugene Cdnstantin, Jr., returned from a business trip to Dallas and will finish out the meeting. His horses in charge of Clyde Troutt will be shipped from here to Belmont Park. . . . Mrs. Tad Legere, general manager of the Fair Grounds, Columbia, S. C, reported that a lew stalls remain open for the winter season and that applications for these will be accepted. . . . Jimmy Lynch, of the W. J. Ziegler stable, returned from Toronto, Ont., where he attended the yearling sales. He reported that good prices were realized for the Roman, Continued on Page Thirty-Hint Connors Corner $ By C. J. CONNORS Continued from Page Four Bimelech and Count Fleet offerings, and that on the whole the sale was a good one. James McCue planed up from New - York and inspected the horses that - trainer Tom Waller has for him here. ... ? Jockey Dave Gorman is a firm believer in omens. Last Saturday morning he was notified that he had drawn a life-sized C doll from a church raffle, the toy was n presented to his daughter, and then he ? went out and won the Grand Union 2 Stakes on James Cox Bradys Artismo. . . . Eb Pons and Dominick LaBIescio, of : Rockingham Park, were on hand yester- . C day. They are doing missionary- work for the fall meeting. C Mr. and Mrs. Dan Chappell returned from a motor trip through Eastern Canada 3 which embraced visits to Montreal . and Quebec. . .There was great glee in the A. L. 1 Ostriker household the other night when 1 Blue Dandy accounted for the final race on the card. This was the first score for the j menage since, July 9... Word was received from Wellsville, N. Y., announcing the death of Mrs. William Duke, widow of the i international trainer who trained Coventry 1 and Flying Ebony, owned by Gifford Cochran to win the Preakness and Derby. Duke was prominent on the French tracks for many years before returning to his native land. Mrs. Duke was in her 94th yearand is survived by several children. William Duke, Jr., of the state tax department, left here to attend the funeral services. . .Francis P. Dunne, the commission steward, has a few more gray hairs in his thatch. The -other morning he was driving over to the Albany airport to meet Nat Herzfeld. The morning was foggy and when nearing the airport a plane loomed out of the jfog about 10 feet or so said Dunne in front of him arid just about level with the road. Anyway the brakes on his car worked. Trainer Ed Holton arrived from Aqueduct with a brace of horses for engagements the final days of the meeting. . . Harry Addison of Toronto, Ont., was a recent arrival and reported that his. brother Jack was on a fishing trip in Northern Canada and would not be here . . .Mrs. Thomas OBrieij of the Bronx is here doing some tall rooting for her son Charles who is doing all right in the mat-ter of winners. . .Jockey Eric Guerin, his ; suspension terminates Friday evening, will be here to ride on Saturday. Jack Campbell has designated Cliff Mc-, Cartney-and Jim Nef f to accept entries at . Belmont Park and Aqueduct, respectively, on Saturday for opening day at Aqueduct while entries will be accepted at the main office here. The entries will be released in New York and here the same time. For the remainder of the Aqueduct meeting entries " as usual will be accepted at Jamaica and Belmont Park at the usual places. . .C. V. Whitney planed over from his Adirondack P" lodge io witness his Ming Yellow race in . the Alabama. . .Dr. Kentner, of the Gray-; son Foundation, was an arrival this morn-; ing to study the effects of the cough which sidelined many two-year-olds here. . .Bryan Field, of Delaware Park, was. extended the best wishes of racing men in this area for a speedy recovery. He was operated upon yesterday for an appendectomy at Wilmington- Hospital, Wilmington, Del.... Harry Heiman, of Apheim Stable, was over from Utica for the final days of the !" meeting. j 1
