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" -- 1111 " ; , y j New Jersey Report I By FRED GALIANI Opening Records Set at Monmouth Wagering Hits ,606,223 Mark Walter Blum to Ride for Rutchtck MONMOUTH PARK, Oceanport, N. J., June 14. Records popped like clay pigeons on opening day Saturday as North Jer seys swank racing plant opened what has all the earmarks of a record season. Both wagering and attendance marks were toppled. A crowd of 23,-476, bettering by far the 21,726 that turned out on a corresponding Saturday opening day in 1953, wagered with equal fervor, and when the last race had been run, the machines had handled ,606,223. This was an increase of 42,834 over the ,463,389 bet in 1953. The racing strip was extremely fast, with a couple of track marks threatened and the six-furlong standard lowered to 1:09 when Mrs. R. L. Gerrys Master Ace scooted home under a feathery 106 to defeat White Skies. In view of the Garden State Parks smashing success with their spring meeting and the opening figures at Monmouth, new standards may well be set during the current meeting; Starter Eddie Blind tells the story of a race in which Nick Shuk rode a horse for a newly turned trainer. The horse didnt win, but he turned in a good effort, and as they came back to the unsaddling area Nick said to the trainer, "Id like to ride this horse back." "You neednt bother," answered the trainer, "a groom will walk him back." Thomas Brogan, chairman of the Racing Commission, was on hand for Saturdays opening, the lone representative of that body. . . . Mr. and Mrs. Milton Berle, regulars here last, season, were right on time for the first days races in the parterre box area. . . . Sterling Young, eastern manager of the Jockeys Guild, left after viewing a . few races Saturday Mrs. William Helis Sr., her daughter Virginia and grandson Billy, arrived the last part of the week from their New Orleans home and will stay for the summer at their Jobstown farm. Virginia was present Saturday and reported that the last foal by Attention arrived that morning at their Helis farm. The youngster is out of the Hash mare, Hashette. Attention, the sire of Spartan Valor among others, died this past winter. Apprentice Walter Blum, one the top apprentices in the country, checked in , this morning and will ride out the meeting. Sol Rutchick has leased Blums contract for the session from Hirsch Jacobs. . . . Appian Way, Straight Wire and a non-started three-year-old, all owned by George D. Widener, arrived in the care of Jack Creevy and Fenton Whalen. ... Joe Culmone, who ran up a good percentage of being in the money at Delaware Park, will operate on this circuit from now on. . . . Mr. and Mrs. Jack Delaney, owners of Del Brier Farm, were on hand; Jack sent Marsh Marigold, dam of Master Fiddle, to be bred to Oil Capi-tol and Terminal Leave to Grand Admiral. . . . Jock Barshack says that he received a telephone call from Fred Moos, stable agent for the Mrs. Ada L. Rice stable, who is in the Columbus Hospital in Chicago. Moos will undergo an operation this week and will not be able to report here until later in the session. Opening-day patrons coming here by bus from Atlantic City just about made it. The vehicle left the Shore City at 10:30 a. m. with the bus driver making his maiden voyage to the track. As time wore on, the journey got longer and longer. The driver went wide on the turn and wound up in Asbury Park. Now all this time the patrons, who were quite familiar with the route, hopefully and repeatedly offered proper directions. After all, they didnt want to miss the double. But the driver stood his ground and a bunch of disgruntled passengers, including Ralph Shoemaker, of the. Atlantic City and Garden -State publicity department, arrived at 1:45.
