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ON THE WIRE By Huah J McGuire ASCOT PARK Cuyahoga Falls Ohio May 4 This compact six furlong track on the outskirts of Akron comes to the half ¬ way mark of its 41day spring meeting bloody but unbowed after a series of adverse situa ¬ tions that might have prompted a lesshardy organization to throw in the sponge At the very outset of the sea ¬ son a legal battle had to be won before the track received racing dates This vas fol ¬ lowed by almost con ¬ tinuous atrocious weather which left the track something less thai perfect This condition of the racing strip prompted Ohios Governor Prank J Lausche to order an investigation to ascertain if abnormal conditions had been responsible for some accidents We arrived at the course this morning to learn that the area had been fortunate to escape a predicted tornado but had more rain coupled with a sharp drop in temperature general to this area areaA A A A ARacing Racing is a hardy sport and we venture that it has been conducted under climatic conditions less favorable than prevailed here The annual meeting at Charles Town in December now is taken for granted It can be rough at Lincoln Downs in March We have witnessed racing during snow ¬ falls at Rockingham Sportsmans Park Bowie Canada and elsewhere We learned that at the current meeting here at Ascot there was some talk of jockeys considering refusing to ride but settling for a card of races at four and a half furlongs to avoid riding around a turn that was reported to be hazardous hazardousA A A A AIf If racing is a hardy sport certainly the Jockeys must be equally as hardy and their decision to ride and not disappoint the patrons was commendable From this dis ¬ tance it would appear to us to be the de ¬ cision of the jockeys as a group that should govern any disruption in racing due to Ascot Carries on Despite Setbacks SetbacksPioneered Pioneered Changes on Ohio Circuit Gold Cup Victory Plate Top Events Eventstrack track conditions While some riders may be foolhardy the majority should have sound judgment in such cases They have had experience which should ell them how hazardous a track is under various con ¬ ditions They should know better than any ¬ one else the risk involved and they should make the decisions After all they are the ones who risk themost themostDespite Despite its size or lack of it Ascot Park has been a pioneer in the installation of several improvements In this northern Ohio area Ascot boasts it was the first track to use an electric starting gate the photo finish camera a totalisator the tel ¬ autograph system of paying on winning tickets It was also the first oval to in ¬ augurate in the area a traditional race that has been run 12 or more years consecutive ¬ ly The Ascot Gold Cup at two miles will have its fourteenth running later in the meeting This endurance test will carry a purse of 14000 which is a sizeable amount for a course of its dimensions dimensionsA A A A ACrowding Crowding the Gold Cup in importance is the Ascot Victory Plate a handicap at a mile and a half and this will have its thir ¬ teenth running this season This is en ¬ dowed with a prize of 5000 so it will be seen that while such races as the two above are not commonplace they have en ¬ dured throughout several years On more illustrious racing circuits than this and for more valuable prizes it is generally a prob ¬ lem to get together a field of horses capable of carrying on over the distances of the Gold Cup and Victory Plate Contested over a sixfurlong oval these races become quite a spectacle if for no other reason than the horses pass the grandstand so often oftenA A A A ARacing Racing secretaries throughout the coun ¬ try invariably encounter occasions when their job becomes a chore due to an in ¬ ability to fill races for the following day Just now Raleigh Leigh who holds that post here is in the unenviable position of finding horsemen unwilling to send their charges over the racing strip in its present condition This is not just an immediate situation but dates back to the period prior to the opening of the meeting and since that date Horsemen have been unable to get their horses ready for racing due to their inability to get proper workouts for their charges As a result races have to be written for whatever horses are avail ¬ able and there is a continuous search for racing material to fill races of any descrip ¬ tion tionA A A A AThe The old adage that good breeding will assert itself wherever horses are assembled seems to be holding true at this course It is a far cry from the big special races throughout the major tracks of the coun ¬ try to the features offered at this course but at present it appears that a son of such a distinguished sire as Count Fleet is mak ¬ ing a strong bid for local championship honors The sevenyearold gelding Dash ¬ ing Count is from the Distraction mare Dashing Dee and he turned back with ease his rivals in the mile nd a sixteenth Ascot Special last Saturday This tally followed two previous victories at this meeting and two scores earlier in the year at Charles Town He is owned by Virginia McKenney and trained by William W Smith He was bred by John E Hughes HughesA A A A AIn In Brief Veteran track official Eddie Morgan who has served in various capaci ¬ ties at many tracks throughout the coun ¬ try is a patrol judge here his first appointment to t tthe the local staff Jockey Louis Syfrig injured in a spill here was reported in fair condition over the week ¬ end There was just an odd trace of snow in the air here this morning Starter Ed ¬ die Anthony was compelled to start several races here at the drop of a flag when a wheel on the starting gate was wrenched off earlier in the meeting
