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- gJp-M Delaware Park Notebook By JOE HIRSCH Delaware Fosters Distance Racing Montchanin Series Highly Popular Ray Haight Expert Man on Horns DELAWARE PARK, Stanton, Del., June 15. Distance racing has always been a classic test for thoroughbreds, which is why why this this past past week- - why why this this past past week- weekends Belmont Stakes at a mile and a half is held in such respect by American horsemen. There is a tendency in this country for an overscheduling of sprint events, often not representative of a horses true ability and frequently taking more out out of of him him than than a a out out of of him him than than a a gJp-M longer race. In an effort to foster distance sport, Delaware officials for the past few years have been presenting the Montchanin Handicap, a series of races each Wednesday during the course of the meeting, starting at a mile and. a sixteenth with the route and purse increased week by week up to a mile and three-quarter event valued at ,000. AAA There is also a point award for the first four places and an additional ,500 goes to the owners of the point-high thoroughbred. The seasons first Montchanin, two weeks ago, proved so popular that racing secretary Gil Haus was forced to split the entrants into two fields with Winlochan Stables Adopt and Mrs. W. M. Jeffords Biloxi taking down top honors. Last week, W. Ziegler, Jr.s Requisition was an impressive victor. The competitive conditions of this series stir considerable interest in these parts and horsemen are looking forward to the outcome of Wednesdays test at a mile and a quarter. AAA Bryan Field, the vice-president and gen-v eral manager of this track, is a noted announcer in his own right, but it is Ray Haight who handles the "horns" at Delaware Park. The popular Haight has been closely associated with the turf since he was 14., He laid the foundation for a career by taking chart calls from his father Walter, a veteran racing correspondent for the Washington Post. When World War II. started, Haight joined a unit of the 82nd Airborne Division and participated in campaigns in Southern France and Italy. Upon his discharge from service in 1945 he renewed, his interest in racing by calling charts and after developing an aptitude for this difficult assignment he received and accepted an offer from the MRA oval in Detroit to be the track announcer. AAA Since then he has worked at both major Chicago courses, all the mile ovals in Maryland and for the past two years has been calling at Delaware Park. Like other announcers, Haight uses the colors of the jockeys silks for identification and spends a busy few minutes before each Continued on Page Eight Delaware Notebook By JOE HIRSCH Continued from Page Six event reviewing: the entries. Two-year-old races are notorious as cavalry charges and Haight has worked some fields at Arlington and Washington tracks in Chicago. While hes seen and called many a close contest, for sheer thrills he particularly recalls last years Preakness when Native Dancer just managed t score against Jamie K. . , . Another prominent member of a racing family at Delaware Park is Dixie Mitchell, whose brother Bobby also rides here and whose father, Homer S., is an owner and trainer with several horses on the grounds. The Mitchells hail from Adair, Okla., but they recently bought a farm in Maryland and wintered 20 head, this past year. Dixies father rode quarter horses in the West as a youngster and thats how Dixie got his start, too. 4 Of course he had the advantage of constructive criticism from the family, for Bobby, who is six years older and who also began riding as soon as he reached . aonoL sibboA aonoL 9.bbsA the legal age, was able to pass on several valuable tips on saddle skills, as was his father. Dixie began riding here at Delaware in 1952. He broke his maiden on June 6 of last year and calls Alan Clarkes five-year-old Jeannie C. one of the better horses hes ridden in his brief career. Dixie believes that learning to judge pace is the toughest task a young rider has to master, but has worked on this important attribute and is now able to estimate a workout time almost to the second. AAA Around the Track: Members of the Wilmington Advertising Club will take in a day a9iioL is bboA tesutwH aFI of sport Wednesday with the feature event named in honor of the organization. Eighty members are expected to be on hand for the pre-race luncheon and the afternoons festivities. President Max Leshem will present a trophy to the features winning jockey . . . Louie Lee Hag-gin, the noted horseman, is here to confer with his trainer Joe Kramer. The Haggin string is to leave for Chicago later this week . . . Danny Shea, who has a large stable in training here, departs for Michigan on Thursday where he will judge at the four-day Rose Point horse show, beginning Friday. . llolJ
