view raw text
Between I Races By OSCAR OTIS Northwest Breeding Shows Progress Growing Pains in Homebred Stakes Ed Heinemann Big Help to Breeders LONGACRES, Renton, Wash!, Aug. 29. The upgrading of the breeding industry in a given area often is a slow, laborious, and often disheartening, process, as the breeders of Washington State are beginning to dis-coven Of course, the point was proved in New Jersey and California many years ago, but this area is discovering, as if it were something entirely new, the fact that stakes for homebreds and one race a day for Wash- ingtbn-breds cannot do the job alone, and overnight. However, over a period of time, such stakes and overnights do serve to provide a foundation for industry building, and, as we see it, Washington is going through the throes of a reorganization of its breeding set-up which might be likened to the darkness just before the dawn. What happened is just this. With by far and away the richest and most impressive array of stakes for Washington-breds ever offered at Longacres, plus two-year-old overnight races, these races have not come up to expectations because, oh occasions where standouts appeared, few, if any, owners and breeders cared to race against such standouts. For instance, only four horses went postward in the ,000 Breeders Stakes. Under such circumstances, it has been reported that the Washington Jockey Club, operators of Longacres, are "put out" at the turn of events, but not Joseph Gottstein, club president, who remarks that, while he . might have been a trifle annoyed, which is the only human reaction, he realizes that his lush program offered as an incentive to Washington breeding is a long term one and that eventually it will work out. If the experience of California can be taken as a criterion, the long range future of breeding lies in eventual pretty much open competition, for, while Home breeding stakes serve for a time to build up the industry in a political subdivision, there comes a time when it can actually act as a drag. Santa Anita, for instance, has no stakes for California-breds, having abandoned them long ago. It does have a comparatively modest program for California foals, but, on the days these stakes are raced, an overnight race for California-breds is offered to conform to state law. And we might point out to Washingtonians that smallish fields and so-called lack of wide open competition is not confined to homebred races, but has a national counterpart when a Native Dancer, a Citation, a Count Fleet, or a Man o War comes along. Nor can we find fault with the owners who do not wish to race against "standouts" and therefore allow the "big horses" to win some stakes more or less by default. To seriously blame such horsemen, for failing to fill races is in the same category with baying at the moon or demanding a change in human nature, which is pretty much the same the world over. In other words, the progress of a breeding industry has to rise above these obstacles, which we deem as being temporary in nature as judged by our observations in both Jersey and California. They are essentially, we believe, growing pains, and, as such, are paving the way for progress which, when it comes, will no doubt be on the spectacular side. Washington-breds are, as a class, hardhitting and sturdy, and most of them wear well, a tribute to soundness. Hank H. is at once the leading Washington-bred of all time in point of money earned and longevity, insofar as class horses are concerned. A gelding, he is still racing in California and earning his share of purses. The last time we looked he had earnings of 30,700, being one of two Washington-breds with a bank account above the 00,000 mark. The other is Sirde, with 14,470. It is just our guess that the next big step in the improvement of the area breeding will be more extensive racing of good Washington horses, especially to the south in California and where they will be obliged to race in open competition. This in turn demands an enlarged hori- zon for Washington breeders, especially those who race their own stock. Far too Continued on Page Forty-Three BETWEEN RACES I By OSCAR OTIS Continued from Page Four many people up this way race only at" Longacres and Spokane in the summer and early fall. Then lay up for the re- mainder of the year. This practice is the result of a thinking process more than anything else, for to this tourist, Washington presents the picture of a self sufficient empire and people do not think nationally, let alone globally. This, however, will change in time, and a more national outlook would tend to stimulate breeding goals from a local to a widespread one. A great deal of Washingtons progress can be attributed to Ed Heinemann, field secretary for the breeders, who tours the state almost the year round as a consultant and advisor on industry problems. Because distances are so vast between farms, it is inconvenient for breeders to meet very often and mutually discuss problems, so Heinemann brings to their doorstep the latest word on such items as feeding, pasture, and technical techniques as developed anywhere in the world, especially Europe and Kentucky. Heinemann is a trained scientist as well as a practical horseman, being a star alumnus of Washingtons noted horse educational institution, the State College at Pullman. He got his practical apprenticeship by working on Kentucky and California thoroughbred farms. In addition to his personal calls, he keeps folks up to date with an authoritative story each month in the publication of the breeders, "The Washington Horse." One of the most promising new stallions, in Washington is Succession, a son of Beau Pere from Boudoir II., hence a half-brother to Your Host. His first crop to get tcr the races numbered only nine, but in that roster were Col. Bob and Call Call, the latter a smashing winner of the Washington Stallion Stakes, in which he set a new time record for .the event, 1:05 for the five and one-half furlongs. Succession is owned by our old friend from the San Fernando Valley, Ivan Stauffer, who moved to Spokane a few years ago and took his interest in thoroughbred breeding with him. Succession is, of course, a Louis B. Mayer bred and bringing as he does the blood of Mah-moud on his distaff to Washington may be one of the best lifts the industry hereabouts has received in many a year. Stauffers farm at Selah is smartly and scientifically operated, for the man got in his years of experience, some of it, as with all breeders, by trial and error methods, at his San Fernando farm before pulling up stakes and heading for the Northwest. While the matter is open to opinion, we feel in our own mind that Boudoir n. was one of the top three, if not the actual best, mares ever imported by Mayer. Constance, the dam of Lodge Night, had a more brilliant stakes record as a race horse, but as a producer, Boudoir n. always will be revered in the Far West if only for having given the turf Your Host.
