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. O N T H E WIRE By HUGH J. McGUIRe THISTLEDOWN, North Randall, Ohio, June 15. There would seem to be no point in making a secret of the fact that mutuel . handle handle at at this this course course handle handle at at this this course course has fallen below that of last season. This condition prevails also at other tracks in the Midwest and it .is our opinion that too much pessimism is engendered by the decline. We know of no other business where it is necessary to have an annual increase in order der to to survive survive nor nor do do der to to survive survive nor nor do do we believe that racing is basically threatened when wagering falls below figures established at previous meetings, an opinion that is not always shared by track management. It is not too far to remember when the handle for the average off-day of this era would have been considered excellent for a Saturday or holiday. AAA Just where to pinpoint the cause of the decline in wagering here is an unsolved problem. The first week of the meeting found rain and generally inclement weather responsible for an understandable drop but that period has passed and the figures remain below those of last season. Meetings such as this generally gain impetus as they advance and we join all concerned in the hope that the situation will right itself. Meanwhile it has been found necessary to economize and some of the minor purses have been reduced. General manager Lou Pondfield tells us that the agreement between management and the Horsemens Benevolent and Protective Association calls for a distribution of purse money on the basis of 46 per cent of the tracks share of the mutuel handle. To date the track has been paying 62.4 per cent in purses which is an intolerable portion, a fact realized by both management and the horsemen. AAA In its program of reducing purses the ThistleDown management with the cooperation of the local Horsemens Benevolent and Protective Association, has taken a course which appears commendable in that the reductions are made at the bottom. While it might be necessary to further cut purses in the future the first reduction applied to the lowest grade of racers that appear on the programs here. Purses reduced are those for horses running at the minimum claiming price of ,000 and then only in the shorter races. The reduction calls for a drop from the ,800 minimum purse to ,600. In the event that a race of higher value in the condition book fails to fill the substitute race may also carry the lower purse value. Stakes and advertised allowance features have not been subjected to reduced purses. Hope for Pick-up in ThistleDownPlayl Purse Reductions Made at Bottom Large Number of Juveniles at Track There are some differences of opinion on the matter of purse reduction as to where the cut should apply but almost everywhere it has been agreed that the program of "Better Purses for Better Horses" is fair and sound economically. Better horses dp bring better mutuel handles but, and more importantly, we think they also attract better attendance figures. It would appear elementary that if purse reductions re- moved the incentive to run the best horses . available, the subsequent decline in attendance would eventually be reflected throughout all segments of the sport. It is , not too long since racing in this area was : at a low level and the efforts of the man- agements of various tracks to elevate it have been most commendable. Removal of ; the incentive to program races with the best horses available would be a step in the ! wrong direction and would undo the gigantic strides that have been made to elevate the sport to a high level. AAA One of the first things we had pointed out to us from several sources here was that there was on the grounds a considerable number of two-year-olds who were above average. This must be taken as a healthy sign for young horses from a very important segment of the sport. The truth of the statement was reflected in the nominations for the Susan Stakes, a dash of five and a half furlongs for juvenile fillies. Of course, nomination does not guarantee participation in the stake but that there were no less than 52 nominations is in itself a good indication that there is no shortage of top racing material in this division. The Susan is to be run on Saturday next and it is endowed with a prize of ,000. It is the first of five added-money features to be offered at the meeting and this running will be the stakes second. AAA Prominent among the Susan nominees is Tom Girdlers Gambetta, a miss by the foreign parentage of My Babu Rough Shod n. She was conceived abroad and brought to this country in uterus and her tally in the Debutante Stakes at Churchill Downs confirmed her owners confidence in her ability. Joe Rosens Palatine Stable has named Royal Indian, a miss who scored in an added money race in New England. E. H. Lanes Miss Deck has the Debutante Stakes at New Orleans to her credit. Mrs. Joe Tomlinson of Toronto, whose Rock I Drill won the initial Susan last year, has named Motor Crane and Wagon Drill. Juvenile fillies such as Top Fair1 who won at Keeneland and Churchill Downs and scored here Monday, and Mig Alley, a winner in Florida, are among the possibilities i . , : ; ! I i tp face the starter in the Saturday head-liner. AAA Members of the distaff side are catered to also in the Imp Handicap which is to be contested Saturday, June 26, and this six-furlong dash for three-year-olds and upward attracted 31 nominations. The Imp, named for a mare who might be the best horse bred in Ohio, carries a purse of ,000. An interesting nominee to the Imp is Garnett Y. Bookers Mad Hare, a seven-year-old daughter of Hairan who took major honors in the race last year and who holds the local track record for a mile and a sixteenth. Hamars Wolf Gal who cut quite a swath in Florida racing in 1953 with victories in the Florida Breeders and the Hialeah Juvenile Stakes, adds quite a note of color to the Imp. A local favorite and one with some background is Mrs. Mary Hunters Pinelet who won the Susan Stakes. She could have a capable running mate in Cajole and this r"r is trained by Lloyd Gentry who enjoys considerable success with his charges. AAA In Brief The offices of general manager Lou Pondfield and racing secretary Fred Burton have been transferred from the grandstand mezzanine to the older building east of the grandstand. This structure formerly stood in the stable area but has been moved closer to the grandstand and completely remodeled Former jockey Willie "Smokey" Saunders is training a string of horses here. . .Mutuels manager Bob Sloan journeyed to his Baltimore home over the week end. He reports Mrs. Sloan recovering nicely from recent surgery . . . The mare Marcia P., owned in partnership by Lou Pondfield, Mack Lesnick and J. Fred Colwill, has had her colt foal by Double Brandy and was bred by Greek Ship who stands at the Crown Crest farm in Lexington. Marcia P. is a daughter of the good race mare, Her Grace. AAA Scheduled to make his saddle debut here soon is Richard Hall, a son of call-taker Norman Hall of thismewspaper. Young Hall will be 17 in July and has been galloping horses for about three years. He has received the approval of the starter and is now eligible to accept his two qualifying races under the rules of Ohio. These races are tests of the ability of new riders. Hall weighs in the neighborhood of 90 pounds and is a younger brother to Curtis Hall, a rider with the stable of Ray Janet. Part of his tutoring was obtained under the guidance Harry Trotsek and Doug Davis, Jr. . . John H. "Trader" Clark of the Clark Horse Agency, Lexington, was a week-end visitor and saw his Cykie finish third in the first race on Monday. Cykie is trained by the veteran Joe Mooney. . .Patrons here were very orderly during the test raid before the first race on Monday. The grandstand was cleared within a few minutes without incident.
