Judges Stand: New York Racing Moves to Aqueduct Today Find Starting Topweight in Queens County Impact of Unsound Tax Felt In, Daily Racing Form, 1954-06-14

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was was legalized legalized in in t J U D G ES S T A N D By CHARLes HATT0N BELMONT PARK, Elmont. L. I., N. Y., June 12. Aqueduct will be the rather rococo scene of New Yorks racing for the next 24 days, opening on Monday with the forty-eight renewal of the 5,000 Queens County Handicap at a mile and a sixteenth. Aqueduct is among the courses which were rebuilt shortly after the "tote" the he Empire Empire State. State. Senator Senator Dunnigan Dunnigan was was legalized legalized in in t the he Empire Empire State. State. Senator Senator Dunnigan Dunnigan estimated the public response would be such the new law would yield the commonwealth 0,000,000 annually, and everybody else thought he exaggerated, including the racing interests it appears. But the subway riders feel perfectly at home at Aqueduct, and we have seen the plant so jampacked some of the more agile patrons scaled the columns of the stands to improve their view. It is a phenomenon of American racing. AAA The Queens County has a well balanced field of 14, withFind deputizing for Native Dancer as the highweight under 122 pounds. He is no horse to take liberties with in races such as this, though he faltered in the recent Suburban. Find and Capeador appear to us fairly well matched, but the notion burgeons that the public will make the latter their choice with Arcaro in the stirrups, though there is a weight shift against him at 119 pounds. The four-year-old Bull Lea gelding might have b.een claimed for 0,000 last season, but has improved almost unrecognizably and is said to have excited some substantial offers. Another interesting entrant in the inaugural feature is C. V. Whitneys gallant little Cold Command. This son of War Admiral and Monsoon won each of his two latest races, back at Delaware Park and gets in the New York Racing Moves to Aqueduct Today Find Starting Topweight in Queens County Impact of Unsound Tax Felt in New York Santa Anita Bids for European Talent Queens County under 118 pounds. He is more sensitive to weight than most, owing to his slight stature, but is not out of his depth under this arrangement. These three seem the contention and the race has the academic interest it may turn up a rival for Straight Face in the 0,000 Brooklyn on July 10, last of the events comprising the "Handicappers Triple Crown." AAA From time to time someone complains a little bitterly about the visibility on the Widener chute, but Belmont Park nevertheless remains American racings "headquarters," the highest point of specific gravity for "name horses" during its meetings., It corresponds to Newmarket, The Curragh and Longchamp as nearly as any track in country can, what with, some 60 courses scattered across its 3,000 miles. Belmonts preeminence has not been threatened, and perhaps it never will. For one thing it is home to many owners of fashionable strings, some of them stockholders. For another its operation is not sordidly commercial. If it were the impact of the unsound tote commission would be more noticeable in its programs. New Jersey each season is luring an increasing patronage from Gotham. And New York legislators thus are in a position of being hoisted by their own petards. In bur view the crippling take, which in turn is said to be responsible for the rather dated facilities at other Long Island courses, explains the downtrend in New York racing. Dr. Strub hopes to give his lavish roster of turf course events internationl overtones next winter, and we understand they will be advertised from time to time in Sporting Life, Paris Sport and other Continental publications. A number of American tracks, interested in the promotion of international racing, have good will ambassadors abroad and they have been helpful. But this objective approach should supplement their efforts effectively. Fred Purner was a visitor for the Belmont Stakes and tells us that it will be possible to utilize the full mile and six furlongs of the Anita grass surface at the next meeting. Eddie Arcaro, Johnny Longden and other knowledgeable riders like it, because it is not too sharply banked, so that the horses do not tend to fall into one another around the turns. More importantly we take it that the public also approves enthusiastically, for Purner remarks "I really think the installation of the .turf course was the most successful move we have ever made in our efforts to merchandise Santa Anita racing." The .club now is at work on the course, and hopes also to remove some of the traffic from the main track mornings by providing a more adequate training strip. Steam shovels and so on now are engaged in this project, at 5 an .hour each. Also there is to be some remodeling in the press section and it will rival any "tribune de-la presse" across the Atlantic in its appointments. In fine it will continue to be one of the most luxurious coures in America, though many others -are being remodeled extensively. AAA Turf ana: The fact "Dancer" has progressed to 137 pounds in handicaps at a mile and a sixteenth does not suggest to us he has much future in this division. . .Results of the paddock sale here can only be bracing to Continued on Page Fifteen JUDGES STAND By CHARLES HATTON Continued from Page Fifty-Six. Kentucky yearling salesmen. Rico Hombre, who had won for ,000, fetched 2,700 at this auction. . .Endeavour II. has sired a clever two-year-old filly in William Haggin Perrys Trying. . .Belmont is as you might guess another of the tracks publishing no program "ratings". . .Hyvania does not run so resolutely as his dam Vagrancy, and appeared on the point of turning it up in the Jolly Roger. . .Belmont does not admit children. . .Neville Dunne is on a tour of eastern tracks... The training track here buzzes with animation mornings and is an excellent surface for legging up exercises. . . The fact Sunshine Nell comes of the immediate family of Mar-Kell and Mark-Ye -Well makes her an interesting proposition for the stud when she has concluded her racing career. . .Remarkably the circumstance the turf course here twice crosses the broad Widener chute appears not to have mattered to any horses competing over it.


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Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800