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Connors Corner By "CHUCK" CONNORS Sixteen w-f-a Races on Calendar N.Y. Offers Two-Thirds of Total RumorsSurround Empire Gold Cup BELMONT PARK, Elmontt, L. I., N. Y., May 11. Last year a total of 30,069 races, spread over 3,635 racing days were run and 2,870,819 in p r i z e s Was distributed. That is a goodly number -of races and of the lot 760 were classified as stake, handicap or featured offerings and the monetary awards to this group were 0,-685,364. Breaking down the figures a shade farther, 16 races for three - year - olds and upwards, at weight- for-age, were conducted and of this number 11 were staged in New York. They were the Acorn, Belmont, Coaching Club American Oaks, Empire City Gold Cup, Gotham, Jockey Club Gold Cup, Saratoga Cup, Swift, Sysonby, Withers and Wood.. The Empire City Gold Cup, Jockey Club Gold Cup, Saratoga Cup, and Sysonby were for three-year-olds and over while the others were limited to three-year-olds. The other five offerings at weight-for-age scattered across the country, were the Black-eyed Susan at Pimlico,- California Breeders and Santa Anita Derby at Santa Anita, the Flamingo at Hialeah, the Preakness at Pimlico and the Kentucky Derby. The other derbys on the agenda were lumped as allowance events, for .non-winners were accorded weight concessions and in this lot are to be found the Florida Derby at Gulf stream, Louisiana Derby at the Fair Grounds, New Orleans, and the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park, Hot Springs. . AAA Getting back to the New York scene with its presentation of 11 events under weight-for-age last year, that is a top-notch percentage for other states to emulate. The status of the Empire Gold Cup, which was presented by the now retired Empire City Racing Association, is in doubt. There has been many rumors as to the future of this jrace, but nothing: definite or concrete has been released. The most persistent is that for the fall meeting: the Metropolitan Jockey Club, operators of Jamaica, would present a new offering along similar lines with a similar purse endowment. Other rumors were to the effect that The Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park would be changed to a handicap offering. This report has been denied on several occasions. AAA For this year the situation as to weight-for-age races is likely to remain the same as last with the exception of the Empire Gold Cup. Weight-for-age races have their supporters and dissenters, with both sides presenting their reasons. The situation will no doubt be the medium of arguments as long as racing is contested and the have nots will be in the majority. The original idea of weight-for-age races was a splendid one, but with the paucity of top-notch performers in the.three-year-old and. older ranks spread rather thin across the country, sometime, the offerings shape up as too much one sided and deteriorate into a walk over. AAA Charles R. Fleischmanri, who has over the years, visited most of the racing grounds around the world, came up with a new twist in names the other morning. This nomenclature would stump any chart caller and as far as the men who man the ..public address systems ouch. The name popped up on a program in France at La Tremblay last summer and, well, you go to work on this one, Lokifepsssht. The name intrigued Fleischmann and he went seeking information as to its meaning, origin and how come. The name he finally learned was the phonetic spelling of leau qui fait psssht. Which translated into New Yorkese is the imitation of the sound made by mineral water on decorking the bottle. Now you have it, but please dont come up with a monicker like that in the future. AAA Trainer G. P. "Maje" Odom will ship Buttevant, owned by John Barry Ryan, to Garden State over the week end to fulfill his. engagement in the Delaware Valley Stakes, a six-furlong sprint for three-year-olds. . .W. M. Macintosh, who has a draft of horses with Freddie Thompson, is on the ailing list according to recent advices . . Harry F. Guggenheim, master of Cain Hoy Stable, braved the elements Monday to root for his Armageddon. He is a good rooter, according to the result. . .How, owned by Herman B. Delman, master of the Dell Stable, is in foal to Roman, out in Kentucky. . .Mrs. Emily Church of Culpepper, Va., was a recent Belmont Park visitor and reported that a good looking Continued on Page Forty-Three ! i Connors Corner By C. J. CONNORS Continued from Page Four foal, a full brother to Vulcans Forge, arrived at the nursery recently. The colt is by Mahmoud, from Burning Bright. . . Jub-ling, a fast performer for the Chicagoan, Charles Wacker m., when that youngster was in the care of Jack Skirvin, is in foal to Hill Prince1 in Kentucky, . .Colin "Sandy" MacLeod came up from his ancestral acres in Virginia for a few days racing armed with a flock of Virginia ham sandwiches. . .Trainer Eddie Neloy will ship Jet Action, owned by the Maine Chance Farm, to Pimlico over the week end for the Preakness. A A A Marshall Cassidy was an absentee yesterday due to a Jocky Club meeting on taxation. . .Trainer Syl Veitch reported that Hedley Woodhouse would as usual handle Fisherman in the Preakness. The present plans call for the colt to leave on " Sunday and get his final gallops over the Pimlico strip for his engagement . . . A. W. Abbott, the Westchesterite, was on hand yesterday and reported that Blue Man was coming along nicely . . . C. V. Whitney, who is vacationing at bis Adirondack Mountain lodge, will be here for the week-end fixtures. . .John Barry Ryan, Jr., will join the benedict ranks on Monday, June 7. He will wed Miss Debbie Dixon of Newport, R. I., and the ceremony will be performed in New York. Mrs. Dick Handlen is resting comfortably at the Terrace Heights Hospital, Hollis, N. Y. She was admitted to that institution last week suffering from a heart condition. AAA Trainer Eddie Holton took over the training of the Starmount Stable horses of E. B. Benjamin of New Orleans to handle for the season. . .Trainer J. McTague over at Aqueduct received three, horses from New Jersey owjied by A. J. Colando to campaign here ... Dr. A. G. Catlett, Joe Kyle and Jack Kennedy will leave for Detroit on the week end. The first named two will serve as stewards of the Michigan Racing Association meeting while Kennedy will serve as state steward. . .Trainer Frank Christmas shipped Seebit, Early Light -and Close Play to Garden State for engagements... The next turf race scheduled is down for decision on Saturday, May 22. This is a mile and three-furlong test... Trainer Morris Dixon was undecided as to his plans for starting Lord Willin, owned by Arthur Godfrey. He reported that the colt is training steadily but growing at a rapid rate. . .Frank Powers of the "tote" department was bereaved by the death of his wife, Judy, who succumbed to a lingering illness. The funeral services were held this morning.
