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REFLECTIONS By NELSON DUNSTAN BELMONT PARK Elmont L I N Y May 6rrWhen we left Louis ¬ ville and headed for Lexington Ky last week end the storm that had been predicted did not come but on Monday the skies let loose and drenched the Blue Grass country ¬ side and it was a rain that breeders had hoped for At Mereworth Farm it was raining so hard our car pulled to the door of the barn so we could see the yearlings that were brought within a few feet of it Prior to that we visited the Hermitage Farm of Warner L Jones Jr the Almahurst Farm of Henry H Knight and the Spendthrift Farm of Leslie Combs n In the near future we will return to Lexington to visit the many farms we could not possibly cover in a day and a half of looking There are many promising youngsters at all of these establishments but it is still a bit early to start talking about the colts and fillies who will comprise the new racing crop of 1955 The breeders we did talk with however were happy for a drought is serious in any locality where horses are foaled and raised One year of drought is bad enough but two years of such a Condition can border on ruinous The breeders had spread fertilizer on the land reseeded the pastures and old Jupe Pluvius aided them by sending down the rains so necessary for growth of grass The mares and their foals were romping kneedeep in the paddocks and it was a beautiful sight to behold beholdA A A A AIn In this paper on Derby Day we had a story on the changing aspect of pedigrees in this country In the early years it was often an imported sire with daughters of the great Lexington prominent hi the pedigrees of candidates for the Derby and other leading events For many years that pattern has been followed but with the victory of Drought Is a Feared Word With Breeders Pedigree Patterns Changing With Time Derby Could Become Only 750000 Event Fountain Honoring Col Bradley to Come Determine last week end we sensed another change in it and that was a winner by an imported sire out of the daughter of another imported sire Determine is by Ali bhai out of Koubis a daughter of Mahmoud That has been the pattern for the past three years A year ago Dark Star was the winner by a short head over Native Dancer and an examination of his pedigree would show that he is by the Australian sire Royal Gem n out of Isolde by the imported Bull Dog The 1952 winner Hill Gail the Calumet horse was by BulL Lea out of Jane Gail by the imported Blenheim n The winner in 1951 was Count Turf who must be considered American in that he was by Count Fleet out of a Pompey mare Ex ¬ amination of the pedigree of the winners of the Derby during the past 20 years convinces us that imported horses regardless of their source are good for the breed in this country We were once discussing this subject with the late William Woodward and he said I am a firm believer in the importation of foreign sires and mares to this country The good ones help us and the bad ones are soon gone and forgotten A A A AEarly Early in the week it was broadly hinted and there is fact behind it that Bill Corum and his fellow officials at Churchill Downs are considering raising the Kentucky Derby added money to 150000 While there is some op ¬ position to 100000 races the fact remains that we have over 20 of them in this country The idea is that the value of a race should be in keeping with its standing on the stake schedule The Kentucky Derby draws the larg ¬ est throng to any horse race in this country and it also draws the largest mutuel play of any one race It is fitting we believe under the present setup for the Derby to be placed above all other events in value At the same time we also believe that instead of a 250 entrance fee and a 750 starting fee there should be a new setup 1000 to pass the entry box and another 1000 to start In late years there have been many horses whose prices were from 100 to over 200 in the mutuel payoff They have no right whatever to be starters in a race such as the Kentucky Derby Check back for the past 10 years and you will quickly see what we mean If a horse does have an outside chance he cannot very well be omitted if his owner sees fit to pay the fee This last renewal was one of the roughest this writer has ever seen and when horses are shooting for a 100000 purse and the glory that goes with a Derby victory he should not be ham ¬ pered by those who have no right in the race raceA A A A AIn In Louisville our publisher J Samuel Perlman handed us a newspaper clipping and said Here is some ¬ thing to dig you teenth into It told how Nicolaus Koni internationally famous sculptor would be in Lexington to discuss a proposed memorial foundation to the late Col E R Bradley surrounded by figures of his four Derby winners When we arrived in Lexington we phoned every hotel in town but Mr Koni had apparently not arrived Colonel Bradleys brother died a year or so ago so we were somewhat puzzled as to who would be promoting such a foundation and where it would be placed We in ¬ quired at many breeding farms but although everyone had read the article no one seemed to know who was wasContinued Continued on Page ThirtySeven REFLECTIONS REFLECTIONSBy By NELSON DUNSTAN Continued from Page FortyEight FortyEightbehind behind the proposal Colonel Bradley was one of our favorite people in racing and we can think of no more fitting monument to a great man in the breeding industry Since his passing we have lost many famous breeders and lately among them Ben Whitaker of Texas and Royce Martin of Toledo and Lexington Some day a story on the life of Royce Martin will be written for he was undoubtedly one of the most original personalities ever connected with horse racing He and Whitaker will be sadly missed by all who had the privilege of knowing them as we did ThreeDot Shorts Young Bill Woodward son of a great father is keenly interested in his Belair operations conducted under the management of Bull Hancock at Claiborne Farm His Ambler n may achieve the honor which his father missed by inches and that is a victory in the Ep ¬ som Derby Woodwards foals are a promising lot and a son of Nasrullah now a twoyearold is held highly by trainer Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons Arthur God ¬ frey was so besieged by his fans at Louis ¬ ville that a state trooper was finally as ¬ signed to the Veeneman box where God ¬ frey was sitting His Lord Willin is being trained by Morris Dixon at Belmont Park and his debut is not far off Among the famous breeders who visited the Blue Grass early this week was C V Whit ¬ ney who with his wife his brotherinlaw and sister Mr and Mrs Sam Peck and Mr and Mrs Winston Guest inspected all the stock at the Whitney farm Counterpoints foals are highly pleasing to Whitney Ivor Balding and Syl Veiteh Star of the show ¬ ing was grandpop Mahmoud and regarding him Whitney said So goes time but noth ¬ ing can detract from the position this horse will hojd in racing pedigrees in the years to come Herbert Haseltine the famous sculptor who created the status over Man o Wara grave is now working on a bronze likeness of Tom Fool and Counterpoint
