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Connors Corner By CHUCK CONNORS CONNORSE E verett Clay Relays Hialeah Word Monmouth Anent Jockey Facilities John Trader Clark Now Poloist PoloistBELMONT BELMONT PARK Elmont L I N Y May 6 Everett Clay whose ancestors or so he claims survived the onslaughts of the Seminoles a o w n Florida way way back before Miami Beach or Hialeah were discov ¬ ered by Yankee tour ¬ ists relays word in a roundabout way that Hialeah is now open as a public park The in ¬ ference as you should know stems from pro ¬ fessional pride for Clay is the number one tub thumper for that organization on a yeararouna oasis an firmly believes that everyone in America should be informed of what is going on down that way Clay on a stack of bibles and the trusty right hand stretching heav ¬ enward swearsthat 4500 people were pres ¬ ent when the gates were reopened for the eagereyed tourists to get a look at the flamingos that inhabit an island in the centerfield lake The 4500 count is Clays not the turnstile tally keeper or what have you Anyway Clay is headed this way with further data on the outpouring of tourists the birthrate among the flamingos the growth and development of the soy beans planted on the racing strip the lush ten ¬ der blades of grass on the turf course and the prospects for next year yearA A A A ArThe Belmont Stakes is sometime in the rThe future and by then Clay when he ar ¬ rives will no doubt have much addi ¬ tional data pertaining to Hialeah and the correct amount of rain that fell which is certain will not correspond to the reports brought back by Northern Yankees While speaking of returning tourists Amory L Haskell over at Mon ¬ mouth Park showed up the other day and started digging into an accumulated mass of work that had piled up during his absence His first directive was ad ¬ dressed to horsemen here there and evrywhere that the stakes for the sum ¬ mer meeting close on June 1 which by the way is some three weeks plus away He also pointed out that Monmouth Park should boast the best jockey facilities in the East They are airconditioned equipped with a television lounge li ¬ brary no funny books a sleeping room t and new steam room facilities This re ¬ minded Joe Notter the expatriate from the ranks that all that is needed now are a few jockeys who know the differ ¬ ence between six furlongs and a mile and a furlong furlongA A A A AThe The jockey ranks lists many names and the other day a list of the leaders was printed The top hand was Avelino Gomez with 102 winners out of 274 mounts and a percentage of 37 Below him were such as Tony DeSpirito William Harnatz Willie Shoemaker W Hartack Dan Small and Johnny Longden The paddock gang en masse started asking questions This Go ¬ mez who is he where did he come from and where does he ride The answer is quite simple Mexico City Gomez accord ¬ ing to the turf bible the American Racing Manuel was born in Havana Cuba in 1926 got his basic training at Oriental Park and that is that Looks like he found a cushy spot south of the border Anyway the chances are that when he grows up he might turn to polo For whom do you think is the latest recruit to that sport born in India and brought to the outside world by British army officers Well in case you are interested it is none other than the old horse trader from down Ken ¬ tucky way John Trader Clark Yep he while here last week sneaked into a store bought himself a lew mallets and helmets and laid out a practice field on his Tatten ham Corner Farm in Lexington Well we never did think that Tattenham Corner Farm was big enough to hold a polo field but we must be mistaken mistakenA A A A AAt At private terms Bill Winfrey acting for A G Vanderbilt sold the twoyear old Baby Spot to W C Teagle of New York The acquisition was turned over to J P Sammy Smith to train Jockey Jorge Contreras who finished out the Gulfstream Park meeting was an arrival and filed his application to ride Irving Gushen of the HBPA is due here today on business for that associa ¬ tion Jockey Ovie Scurlock packed his boots and saddles and checked out for Hollywood Park to ride at that meet ¬ ing He racked up one winner at the meeting before announcing his decision astride Peconic in Wednesdays opener Louis Lazare rejoined t e clubhouse contingent yesterday following an absence of several days He visited his son Norman at Hopkinsville Ky where whereContinued Continued on Page ThirtySeven iG v 10 Q flc c u l 10 Connors Corner CornerBy By C J CONNORS Continued from Page Four Fourlie lie has a farm given over to the raising of tobacco and cattle The farm life proved so attractive that papa Lazare decided to pass up the Derby and rest during the day watching television televisionA A A A ACharlie Charlie Block flew back from Miami for additional days of racing at Belmont Mr and Mrs E K Ludwig were among those present yesterday for the first time of the meeting Trainer Bobby Green recovering rapidly from recent surgery hopes to be discharged from the hospital next week He spends the better part of the morning telephoning Aqueduct where his horses are undergoing training and in the afternoon is busy on the phone keep ¬ ing cases on results Mr and Mrs Walter M Jeffords made their first ap ¬ pearance of the season in time to witness the success of Henryi in the second race Wednesday Morris Schapiro of Laurel was among those present yesterday He bade his son Johnny goodbye as the latter sailed for Europe and then took in an afternoon of racing E P Taylor came down from liis Toronto Ont home to wit ¬ ness his colors carried hi the Acorn Mike Morrisey a regular made his first appearance of the season He decided to remain in Miami to duck the cold weather but reported that he was submerged by the Mrs Dick Handlen wife of the trainer for the Foxcatcher Farm was admitted to the hospital yesterday suffering from a heart condition Charles E Wacker III of Chicago showed up yesterday for the first time Maurice Dancer Hyams and Pete Peroni checked hi from Miami where they wintered and then rested following the close of Gulf stream Park Jockey Larney Hansman is a patient at the Physicians Hospital Jackson Heights a victim of a fractured vertebrae He hopes to be out in a week or so Jockey Conn McCreary returned from Kentucky after attending the funeral rites for Koyce G Martin Trainer Bert Mulhol land of the G D Widener stable reported that Evening Out owned by Mrs Widener is responding to treatment fol ¬ lowing injuries sustained when she kicked through the screen door of her stall The filly will however be forced to miss sev ¬ eral lucrative engagements at this meet Trainer G P Maje Odom said that Buttevant owned by John Barry Byan would fulfill his engagement in the Withers on Saturday Harry F Guggenheim mas ¬ ter of Cain Hoy Stable was on hand yester ¬ day for the running of the Acorn in which he was represented by Dangerous Dame Mrs E S Moore mistress of Circle M Farm is headed this way from Lexington Ky for the remainder of this meeting Trainer Jim Ryan will ship Magic Words owned by the Rokeby Stable to Pimlico f or the Dixie Jockey Jack Westrppe will do the riding R J Kleberg planed to Washing ¬ ton on business but hopes tobe back for the week end and the Withers
