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Surveying American Scene Finishing Mark Noticeably Missing Buyers of French Jumpers Satisfied By Godolphin Darley Paris Correspondent Daily Racing Form Should we offer a sug ¬ gestion we would like to draw attention to the fact there is no conspicuous mark to indicate the finishing post The foreigner certainly does miss the red and white disc which crowns the win ¬ ning post and is turned crossways to the track As old fashioned as the red and white disc may be a tradition along with the blowing of the bugle it nevertheless is most effective Personally top we have found that it is not an easy job to spot the exact mo ¬ ment the horses cross the line while one is concentrating on them fighting out a close finish with only the mirror to reflect the end of the race Any newcomer I must experience at least the same sort of difficulty even when the finish is not too close The 12 French jumpers sold last Tues ¬ day by auction at Belmont Park now be ¬ long to American racing and chasing We understand that all the members of the syndicate which undertook the importa ¬ tion of these jumpers are thoroughly sat ¬ isfied and have expressed their willingness to repeat the venture When Mrs Ogden Phipps decided with her friends to help the sport and particularly chasing by import ¬ ing a number of readymade jumpers her idea was to give every owner and trainer in this country an opportunity to acquire them after seeing them landed here and at auction regardless of possible cost of the operation operationA A A A ASuch Such a selfless venture for the welfare of the sport is one of the most sporting undertaken by any group of raceloving people at any time The results fulfilled the purpose and 12 experienced jumpers of proven quality are now in the hands of some of the most capable trainers in the United States Without Mrs Ogden Phipps gesture and the aid of her friends and also the cooperation of S Bryce Wing acting as president of the syndicate American chasing would still be prepared for the worst no one daring to solve the problem A A A ATwelve Twelve new jumpers competing on American tracks will not actually correct the situation However as they come out and justify their importation they will popularize the idea of flying over ready made turf racing and jumping prospects As far as the sales went we must compli ¬ ment Pete Boswick for bringing the 12 French horses into jbhe sales ring in fine condition and the John McCabe Agency for its fine handling of all the details involved from purchase time until the horses went under Humphrey S Finneys hammer in the ring ringA A A A AThe The total of 129500 fetched at the auc ¬ tion conducted by FasigTiptpn Company is 5000 above the amount paid in France by the syndicate for the purchase of the 12 horses So the actual cost of the venture is the outlay after purchase until reselling In other words the new owners purchased the animals without the expense of transporta ¬ tion etc etcA A A A AMoreover Moreover the new owners have taken over horses selected by one of Americas most experienced horsemen Joseph F Flanagan and they may well expect their purchases to make a good accounting accountingA A A A AWe We hear that Gamelle is entered in sev ¬ eral stakes at Belmont and her new own ¬ ers hope to start her very shortly On the other hand the mare Eole HI was shipped the day after the sales to her owners stud farm where she will be allowed to accli ¬ matize before being put to hard work The problem of getting the importations ready for racing is entirely a matter of handling and judgment suiting each horse Opinions range from racing the imports immediately after landing or waiting upon them for some 12 months monthsA A A A AQuoting Quoting a leading French trainer accus ¬ tomed to shipping horses either for racing or for breeding in other countries John Cunnington says It is not so much a question of acclimatizing the horse as it is to adapt a new trainer to the foreign horse When horses are shipped and remain with their usual trainer in a foreign coun ¬ try there is often no problem at all allA A A A AOne One detail which differs entirely in France and which is almost unknown over here in the States is shoeing French plates are restricted to certain requirements and most do not have tips or blocks As we feel allowed to give an opinion it would seem that some of the articulation injuries so often the lot of the American race horse are due to the common use of plates of any type and structure For racing over turf especially when the going is hard it would perhaps be preferable to shoe the French horse as he is accustomed to be and so avoid possible if not probable change in the horses action
