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Connors Corner By CHUCK CONNORS Rams Play Havoc With Program Preakness Conversations Start Deplore Absence of Determine DetermineBELMONT BELMONT PARK Elmont L I N Y May 8 The paddock gang sent out a hurry up call paging old Doctor Sykes the rain maker of legend ¬ ary fame of Belmont Park You will prob ¬ ably rememb er the doctor for a couple of decades ago lie was unveiled by the late Joseph E Widener to keep the rains away from gorgeous Belmorlt Park and thus permit the sun and soft breezes to develop the flowers and shrubbery to their well advertised beauty and perfec ¬ tion Whether the doctor fulfilled his part of thp contract aided and abetted by the weatherman is something else again but if memory serves right the overhead con ¬ ditions were a shade better than passable Belmont Park for the second Saturday of its sixweek meeting evidently is in the bad graces of old Jupe Pluvius Unlike the first Saturday of the meeting which was considered clear with a fast track the rains came last night and played havoc with a program that the top echelons of the Westchester Racing Association had arranged to present to the turnstile patrons and the vast television audience stretching from coast to coast coastThe The Withers occupied the attention of the regulars and the steeplechase set was regaled with the International Steeple ¬ chase This event engaged some importa ¬ tions from England and Ireland plus some trained arid developed here The brogues of the Irish and the accents of the Britishers were drowned out by the rains and the roar of the invaders from the Bronx and Brooklyn Under better overhead conditions plus a little more tub thumping the International could have no doubt been developed into a big ¬ ger and better extravaganza The With ¬ ers over the years was regarded as a topnotch race not a prep for the Bel ¬ mont when the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness were looked upon as overnight races Today it is different and the Withers as far as the public owner and trainers are concerned is just another race on the program The Belmont management acquiesced in this belief when the timehonored stake was moved back to the fourth race and the International Steeplechase placed in the honored spot for the benefit of the radio and television audiences By now it is all water over the dam and the regu ¬ lars following the running began to discuss the impending Preakness to be staged at Pimlico two weeks hence That race over the old hilltop course brings up some in ¬ teresting facets that were missing in the Derby and at the same time the loss of the principal in the cast Determine whose winning effort his size and good perform ¬ ance had intrigued a lot of New Yorkers will be felt The world loves a winner and John and Jane public according to recent talks became enamored over the little colt from California Well maybe he might come on later as a handicap performer but in the interim sometimes absence does not make the heart grow fonder fonderJockey Jockey Eddie Arcaro before leaving for Pimlico reported that he would be back here on Monday to ride The veteran James Fitzsimnions had representatives for the Belair Stud and Wheatley Stable active on three fronts over the weekend His charges appeared under colors at Belmont Garden State and Pimlico Jess Higley who journeyed to Pimlico to ride for James Fitzsimmons was sche ¬ duled to return here on Monday Jockey Sidney Cole fulfilled engagements at Garden State over the week end A draft of the Maine Chance Farm horses will be added to the sale to be conducted on June 10 Frank R War ton of the Illinois Racing Board was among the visitors yesterday He plans to remain over for several days Jack Addison of Toronto who has a draft of horses in training here is on hand for a couple weeks of racing racingR R N Pinky Blackburn will plane out to Los Angeles on Monday to make ar ¬ rangements to ship the horses owned by John Du Blois Wack which are destined for the sales ring here Bill Travers who was among the missing for a year due to serious illness made his appearance yes ¬ terday and then promised to be a regular from now on The horses owned by the estate of Mrs John Fiorita of the High Ground Stable she died during the final days of April will be disposed of no doubt in the sale to be conducted at Belmont i i Contiiwed gt e FortySix r v v Connors Corner CornerBy By C J CONNORS Continued from Page Four Park Herbert Carp of St Louis was a first time visitor yesterday and was im ¬ pressed with the massive racing ground He was escorted around the track by Mau ¬ rice Bernstein from the Seventh Avenue haute monde mondeTrainer Trainer Tommy Root shipped Wrinkled Hose to Kentucky The miss is owned by W M Wickham Freddie Corcoran showed up from Miami for a few weeks stay Wallace Gilroy came down from Connecticut to witness Eternal Will make his seasonal debut against Native Dancer and some others Captain Patrick Har bord of the Curragh Bloodstock Agency was on hand for the afternoon A J Sackett who over the years campaigned some representative horses with Max Hirsch made his first appearance of the season Humphrey Finney stated that due to the number of entries on hand and additional requests coming in the sale of horses in training set for June 10 at Belmont Park may comprise two days instead of one If such is the case the sale will be started on June 9 9John John Barry Ryan showed up early for the Withers in which he was represented by Buttevant Ogden Phipps was on hand to root for his Privacy in the Withers The starters in the International Steeple ¬ chase attracted a representative gallery to the saddling enclosure This prompted George Washington Slim Sulley to re ¬ mark that the Irishers were right at home in the weather conditions Mrs John R H Thouron deserted the Dixie for the more glamorous International during the after j noon Lou Eilken was an arrival today from Los Angeles and he will serve as as sistant to Pat Farrell during the Arlington and Washington Park meetings this sum ¬ mer merSincere Sincere regret was expressed by horse ¬ men over the passing of Bob Odom In addition to his ability to develop and train horses he was one of the better amateur golfers in the country and re ¬ peatedly shot in the low sixties J M Roebling braved the inclement weather and showed up for the afternoon Ar ¬ nold Hanger who is in Kentucky is expected this way for a few days visit Mrs Charles Shipman Payson came out early to witness the Greentree repre ¬ sentatives in the Withers The paddock gang glanced at the skies and then be ¬ gan to show signs of worry as to whether the turf race would be held on the grass or contested over the dirt track They based their worries on the rains and the sogginess of the turf
