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New England Notebook I By JOE HIRSCH Mass OGold on Comeback Trail v Handy, Mercier Make Good Team HBP A to Fete Dr. H. Wi Lindy ROCKINGHAM PARK, Salem, N. H., June 29. The appearance of River Divide Farms Mass o Gold here on Monday , was was only only the the second second , was was only only the the second second outing in two seasons for the six -year -old son of Fighting; Step, making a dramatic comeback from the dreaded effects of a bowed tendon. In 1950 Mass o Gold was a promising juvenile, carrying the colors of the Dixiana Stable with considerable distinction. tinction. Rollie Rollie Shepp, Shepp. tinction. Rollie Rollie Shepp, Shepp. who has been the River Divide Farm trainer for the past 19 years, saw the colt run in Chicago and was impressed. So when the chance came to claim Mass o Gold at Hialeah that winter Shepp urged his boss, R. J. Dienst, to wrife a check, even though the price was- unusual 0,-000. This ranks with the top money claims of all times. Mass a Gold raced well as a sophomore for the Ohio sportsman, who is the president of Beulah Park, vice-president of River Downs and an official of Ascot Park. As a four-year-old he competed against the best in the Widener and Gulf-stream Park Handicaps in Florida. In May of 1952, he met Spartan Valor in the Valley Forge Handicap at Garden. State and injured himself as he stumbled leaving the gafe, finishing fifth. Mass o Gold raced once again after that, then had to be retired. After a long rest at Diensts River Downs breeding farm, he started again La the winter of 1953 in the Inaugural at Gulfstream but could barely finish the six furlongs and again was seat to the farm. Fired last spring, there was real doubt that he would ever race again. But Shepp and Dienst never gave up hope and gradually the horse regained some strength in his leg. This spring he appeared to be ready. Shepp wanted to scratch him out of the sloppy going yesterday, rather than take a chance of permanent injury. But he was unable to declare and Mass o Gold went evenly around the oval finishing unplaced but in good condition. The slop was a stern-test for the leg and Shepp believes his horse is ready for a full campaign. A successful comeback kould be a just reward for so much patience and effort. The team of. trainer George Handy and jockey Norman Mercier has been accounting for victories at a noteworthy rate during this meeting, and the pair are in the spotlight again tomorrow. This time the stage is Monmouth Park where Mercier will ride Maurice Sims Blessbull, trained by Handy, in. the 0,000 Select Handicap. Blessbull has been rated by experts as one of the best sophomores to come out of New England in. the past several years. The Bless Me gelding set a new mile record at Suffolk Downs last month, circling the oval in a sparkling 1:35. He has beaten everything here in his age category and two weeks ago attempted to take on the older handicap horses in the 0,000 Invitation Mile staged by Lou Smith: Apparently it was a bit early for such, a venture and Blessbull wound up fourth behind Park Dandy, Larry Ellis and Andre. However, neither Handy nor Mercier are discouraged and believe their speedster can. go with almost any thoroughbred of his age up to a mile distance. Since the Select is at six furlongs Blessbull could do well if the Invitation Mile hasnt taken too much out of him. - But getting back to Handy and Mercier, the trainer is 30, one of the youngest in this area, has a pretty wife and two children, and makes his home in Providence. Handy is rated as a capable conditioner despite his age and lack of years on the turf. He seems to get the most out of his horses you. rarely find them out of the money and he has a future ahead of him. As for Mercier,. he too lives in Rhode Island, hailing from Pawtucket. Hes 22 and has been riding - for five years but never enjoyed the success hes known since he hooked up with Handy a year ago last spring. Mercier began his riding career with trainer Frank Kernak breaking yearlings on B. A. Darios Rhode Island breeding; farm. He spent one summer there, and then went to Miami that fall.. After riding: for Dario a short while he experienced some difficulties and was down for many Continued on Page Forty-Nine I New England Notebook By JOE HIRSCH Continued iron Page Six months. Resuming in the saddle he worked for Carl Rose of the National Breeders Association and finally met Handy. Its been a fortunate combination of efforts for both of them. Around the Track: Dr. Harry W. Lindy, head of the Michigan division of the HBPA, will be a visitor here next week. On Monday hell be a guest of the New England division committee at a Rockingham luncheon and on Tuesday the New England Breeders Association will also fete him at a dinner. . .Tony DeSpirito canceled his mounts for the day to have his gums scraped. . .Local horsemen are trying to contact Judge John C. Pappas in Greece so that the Suffolk Downs stable area may re- main open until the start of the Narragan-sett meeting. Apparently there have been a few crossed wires because that had been, the original understanding according to Max White, the chapter president. Now the Suffolk plant superintendent says he will close the barns unless he hears otherwise from Pappas. . .Jockey Bill Balzaretti fell from a horse during morning works and came up with a sore set of fibs. He took the rest of the day off. . .The HBPA will sponsor an outing for all horsemen at nearby Canobie Lake on July 11... River Divides Andre and Some Fun head west on. Thursday. Andre is pointed for the 0,000 Michigan Mile at the MRA track in Detroit while Some Fun. is scheduled for the two-mile Gold Cup at Ascot Park.
