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Aqueduct By Chuck Connors I Racing Fans Take Air .Raid. Drill in Stride Aqueduct Important Cog in Defense Set-up Vets Give Favorable Report on Summer Tan AQUEDUCT, L. I., N. Y., June 16. Within walking distance of this racing ground is one of the busiest airports in the world, Idlewild. The big rambling airport serves as a base of operations for flights across the Atlantic, to South America, the West Coast, to Africa, the Near East and other far-flung lands. Planes, four motored ones, roar in and out at frequent intervals and many of them cross and recross this racing ground at all hours of the day and night. What effect has the noise from the motors on the horses stabled here? That was the question brought up at a recent meeting of the paddock gang and the answer was in the negative. Trainers who have made this ground their headquarters for years pointed out that their charges tire used to the noise and, even during the quiet of the night, evince no interest in the planes. However, new arrivals, from other quiet scenes, show traces of nervousness but quickly settle down, quieted no doubt by the actions and nonchalance of their sta-blemates. Anti-Aircraft Detachment on Backstretch Aqueduct is an important cog in the ring of antiaircraft batteries that surrounds metropolitan New York. A detachment of Uncle Sams aerial gunners is. garrisoned here, plus the latest in guns used in that type of warfare. The men are rarely seen by the public who cram this place on racing days. The boys on the backstretch have a nodding acquaintance with them as they pass to and fro along the stable roads.. The soldiers make one public appearance during the racing season and that is on Independence Day, when they act as a color guard. Yesterday, during the air raid, the soldiers were not on view, but that does not mean that observers, radio men and others were not at their posts. The air raid went off in excellent fashion, according to observers. The public reacted to instructions and for the 10-minute interval obeyed the laws. The ones who suffered the keenest disappointment were the boys who had mapped out their plans to spend that 10 minutes at the mahogany. Alas, the emporiums were closed, as were the "tote" machines, soft drink, sandwich, hot dog, and other concessions. Well, the clock watchers were on their toes and when the electrically operated timepiece on the centerfield board registerd 2:15, the outpouring from the grandstand shelters were reminiscent of a subway jam. The boys and girls did not wait for the all clear. Anyway, they could not hear it if they stayed under cover. The quiet that pre vailed among those-seated in the stands was shattered on the minute as everyone went back to the study of past performances and programs. The all clear was more or less drowned out in the hubbub of voices that rose swiftly and steadily on the minute. The drill was a success, even to the horses in the paddock stalls awaiting the third race. Something new for the record showed up this morning, when no scratches or jockey changes were reported for the afternoon program. . . . Trainer Jim Fizsimmons brought the Belair Studs Nashua over from his headquarters to introduce him to the paddock. The three-year-old was making his first visit here this year and Fitzsimmons decided that it was time that he made his reacquaintance with the surroundings that he will face in his starts here. . . . Gene Mori of Garden State Park is in Florida looking -over the improvements at Hialeah. . . . Joe Mergler, assistant to Frank A. Bonsai, is in charge of Westward Ho, owned by Breckenridge Long, for his Shelvin Stakes engagement. . . . Trainer Sherrill Ward yesterday said that the attending veterinarians reported improvement in the condition of Summer Tan, owned by Mrs. John W. Galbreath. Guggenheim to Miss Delaware Oaks Davy and Pearl Mandel celebrated their forty-fourth wedding anniversary yesterday. Little Davy, to celebrate the occasion, missed out on the Double. Mrs. Mandel is hospitalized, but the medics report improvement in her condition. . . . Trainer Eddie Holton left for Indiana on a business trip. . . . Harry F. Guggenheim, master of Cain Hoy Stable, planed out to California yesterday. He will pass up the Delaware Oaks in which he will be represented by Lalun. That filly will be returned to Belmont Park after her engagement, according to trainer Loyd Gentry. . . . Jack Needles of the Belmont official staff came over for the afternoon. He will go to Baltimore over the week end to visit his granddaughter. . . . John A. Morris deserted the business marts to witness his Jamaica Rose perform in an overnight race. Jamaica Rose had early bloom but faded in the heat of the stretch run. Abe Le Vinson dropped in for the afternoon and reported that his Tidewater, a stakes winner, will be shipped to Monmouth Park for an engagement at that track. ... Track superintendent Lennie Litwak has turned marksman. He dug up1 a Davy Crockett rifle and went a-shooting the pigeons that nest in the roof of the grandstand. Whether the adventure was a matter of cleanliness for the patrons or pigeon pot pie for the Sunday dinner at the Litwak household was not learned. . . . Drewy Goldsborough, as in the past, is
