view raw text
♦ ■ — ri England - Reconstruction at Ascot Completed; Visibility for Spectators Improved By CLIVE GRAHAM London Correspondent, Daily Racing Form LONDON, England. — The reconstruction work at Ascot race course has now been completed in readiness for next weeks fixture. The new straight mile track, laid down in 1948, has been set at an oblique angle to the stands, and visibility for spectators in the main range of stands will be greatly improved. The Jawn area in the two principle enclosures nas been trebled, but it has not -een possible to erect new permanent accommodations for spectators, although two luncheon rooms have been added. The paddock turn has been altered in order to prevent the scrimmaging which has occurred here in previous course is now 105 yards shorter. The mile and a half track has been improved by ironing out the elbow in Swinley Bottom approximately three furlongs from the start, and the starting gate has been moved forward 32 yards. The gradient on the new mile track is slightly less steep than formerly, a rise of 70 feet compared with 75. a * * The Duke of Norfolk pointed out, when leading a conducted tour, that these reconstructions form the first phase of an ambitious general plan, which will extend over the next 10 or 15 years. The next item planned is the rebuilding of the weighing room on a new site nearer the paddock. At present the jockeys on big days have to force their passage through the crowd back to their quarters after dismounting. The final alteration will be the erection of new stands in Tattersalls enclosure and in the cheap ring. These two rings now accommodate a crowd of 60,000, but there is shelter for less than half this number in rainy weather. When the new design is finished there will be ample accommodation English style for the 100,-000 visitors who attend the function on such occasions as Gold Cup Day and on the July Saturday when the 5,000 King I George-and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is run. An innovation, promoted by the Duchess of Norfolk, will be a railed-off playground for small children. This is the cheap ring, and children will be placed in the care of qualified attendants, leaving their parents free to study the horses. There is no restriction against admission of infants in arms and toddlers to English race tracks, but they succeed in getting themselves lost with unfailing regularity. Hence this suggestion by the Duchess, which will probably be adopted at other-English tracks. The value of Epsom Derby form was jolted when Cardington King, who had finished fourth behind Phil Drake, was easily beaten in a minor event at Manchester. The winner, Sonorous, had shown no evidence that he was any better than a second-grade eolt. He is owned by Major- Lionel Holliday, whose five-year-old Chats-worth made a magnificent weight-carrying effort in winning the Manchester Cup at one and one-half miles for the second year in succession. Last year he had topweight of 133 pounds, and now shouldered 136 pounds to victory. He was only the fifth horse in the 125-year history of the race to win the event a second time. Only Ison-omy, back in 1880, proved victorious under such a heavy burden. This success underlines Chatsworths claims to be considered among the top middle-distance horses in the country. Chatsworth seems to take after his sire, Chanteur n., in improving as he grows older. Chanteur n. did not reach his best form until five years old. There is no doubt that Pinza, had he stood training, would have been vastly better at four years than he was at three. There is an interesting discrepancy between colts and fillies sired by this French-bred stallion. The best of the colts are mostly coarse, heavy individuals, whereas the pick of his fillies are light and small one calls to mind Queens Beeches, Lark, Soft Lights, etc. . Amour Drake, unlucky loser of the 1949 Derby in the Volterra colors, has been only moderately successful as a stallion. The same applies to his conqueror, Nimbus. The Amour Drake stock received a minor boost when his two-year-old colt Romeo was an easy winner of the Whitsuntide Foal Stakes at Manchester. Other impressive two-year-old winners seen last week were La Fresenes by Court Martial , Empire Way by Honeyway, Mosterton by Mossborough, and Gilles de Retz by Royal Charger. AAA Apart from the Manchester Cup, the two most important events in a busy week [ were the Queen Elizabeth Chase at Hurst Park and the Zetland Gold Cup at Redcar. The three-mile steeplechase, worth slightly less than 0,000, attracted 13 of the best English and Irish chasers, including Gay Donald, Halloween and Quare Times. The nearness in date of this chase to the Belmont International no doubt robs the American steeplechase of some of its appeal to owners on this side. Victory went to one of the bottom weights, the seven-year-old Limb of the Law, a 9-1 shot. At Redcar, Blue Prince U., by Princequillo out of Blue Denim, by Blue Larkspur, credited his owner-breeder, Walter M. Jeffords, with a handsome Gold Cup and prize money amounting to. ,600. Ridden by Harry Carr, the American-bred four-year-old came with a rush in the last quarter-mile to win by. two lengths from the Northern colt, Barton Street, with Durante third. This is the third prize that the American colt has won since his owner sent him over as a yearling to be trained by Capt. Cecil Boyd-Rochfort. HARRY CARR — Rode Walter M. Jeffords American-bred Blue Prince II. to victory at the Redcar track.
