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— BETWEEN RACES By Oscar Otis HOLLYWOOD PARK, Inglewood, Calif.,4 May 24. — As we mentioned Saturday, this writer could not whip up any real enthusi- I asm asm for for the the 5,000 5,000 asm asm for for the the 5,000 5,000 Golden State Breeders Handicap, so suffice to say that Golden Abbey, under superb riding by Johnny Longden, stalled off the high weight and favorite, Stranglehold, to win the mile and a sixteenth dash for home-breds by a nose. It was a fitting "Au Revoir" for for Sir Sir John, John, who who is is — for for Sir Sir John, John, who who is is now en route to England to ride Blue Sail in the English Derby. Of greater interest was a racing rarity which marred the running of the fifth race when Gesticulator broke through the gate, had a six-length lead, when the official start came, and there was some question for a sixteenth as to whether there was a race or not. When it was all over, and Gesticulator had finished second, the stewards decided that Gesticulator was not entitled to be considered a starter and a refund was made to his backers, a sum amounting to 6,000. AAA As we saw the race, and read the stewards ruling, there was no gate failure, although there probably was human failure — by a split second. Gesticulator broke through the gate and was well on his way before the start, and the start was made after Gesticulator was in motion — by about five or six lengths, in fact. It was an unusual case, judged by any method, but considering everything, the decision of the stewards appeared to be a fair one. It was, indeed, a contest for everybody in the race except Gesticulator, although it could be argued he ran pretty well, but still couldnt win even with a head start. AAA Every television set on the track, and there were a good many, was in use during the Preakness running, arid while nobody could be sure of just what happened on the screen, there was a general feeling of disappointment when Correlation seemed to hang in the final stages and lost the ancient Maryland classic to Hasty Road. This writer watched the race standing next to Andy Crevolin, owner of Determine, who remarked, "Id sure like to see Correlation . return to California and race against us in the Westerner. Determine will make his first summer start here in the Debonair Gesticulator Beats Gate in Rarity * Preakness Disappoints Californians Juvenile Developments Make News Stakes on June 5, which will just keep him on edge for the Westerner on July 3." AAA Personally, we would like to see Correlation try his luck once more, specifically, in the Belmont before he gives any thought to coming home. The Lytle colt is a hard horse to figure out. Weve always had a keen admiration for him, and we would like to go on record now as believing that the Santa Anita winter stake racing will vindicate this opinion regardless of what happens from now until fall. His soundness has been a questionable factor, and the only one, in his career as a three-year-old. But as you might guess from Crevo-lins remarks,, he is confident as to the ability of thelittle iron grey and Crevolin, as well as a lot of other people, are looking towards Determines going on to even greater honors before the current season is over. AAA It is becoming evident more and more that the real news to develop here in the West at Hollywood Park, at least until the "Hundred Granders" come along later in the season, will be provided by the development of two-year-old prospects. A careful analysis on the basis of incomplete returns indicates the new juvenile crop is more ..than holding its own at the "tote" windows, a certain sign that Southern California racing patrons are becoming more sophisticated and certainly more conscious of that intangible thing called "class." Time vas, and not too many years ago, when race track managements demanded 12 starters a race, regardless of quality, and in this stand they were justified in a business sense. AAA As long as a majority of people would wager more on 12 cheap horses than, on a smart field of six, it was obviously the public showed a clear-cut preference for such cheap races. Nevertheless, as our colleague, Kent Cochran, has pointed out, there still remains a "two-year-old problem" at Hollywood Park, what with a lot of them on the ground, many pointing for stakes, and being thrown out of races, a factor which makes it hard for them to keep an exact schedule pointing toward a given stake. This is a problem, we feel, of the owners own making, for in general it has been the custom to trd!n two-year-olds in the spring rather than race them, wait until Hollywood Park for actual racing. AAA The net result of this has been a weakness in spring two-year-old racing in the San Francisco area, then a positive glut with the opening of Hollywood Park. However, the San Francisco tracks, or at least two of them, are taking steps to correct this situation, to make their year-round juvenile programs more attractive, which in turn will lead to more balanced programs. This corner does not hold to the school of thought which insists that the San Francisco tracks would be at a disadvantage by "building up two-year-olds" for Hollywood Park to cash in on and, therefore, San Francisco shouldnt "pull Southern Californias chestnuts out of the fire," so to speak. Rather, we have discovered that stakes winners developed at Santa Anita, Hollywood Park and Del Mar have gone north to become big drawing cards and the base for the San Francisco tracks publicity pitch. In any event, from the two-year-old racing to date, we feel that this years crop in the Far West is a strong one, and with good prospects unveiled from both California sires and dams as well as Eastern-breds, the latter mainly acquired by Western owners at the Keene-land and Saratoga sales. AAA There were three juvenile races of consequence raced last week, the richest being Fridays Junior League Stakes, a five-furlong dash limited to homebred fillies with the added clause that sweepstakes winners were barred. While at first glance this latter proviso might seem damaging to the prestige of the Junior League, actually it wasnt because so few sweepstakes have been raced in California this year in the two-year-old division. Santa Anita, as readers probably know, refuses to card them, and the spring racing season in the north offered only two, one for fillies, the other open. The winner of the filly stake, a dash called the Sub -Deb, was Jovie K., a daughter of Khaled — Jovianne, so in reality she was the only horse barred from the Junior League. In any event, a daughter of Mafosta named Foster Sister romped away with the stake and, so far as we can determine, provided Mafosta with his first stake winner. Foster Sister is something of a unique horse in California breeding in that she was bred by Dorothy P. Barrett, whose farm in San Mateo is in the middle of town, almost surrounded by housing, and which farm is under steady pressure of sub-dividers. So far Mrs. Barrett has resisted all offers to sell at prices ranging upward to ,000 an acre for her estate.
