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- 1 Weighing In By Evan Shipman ; Riding Standards High in Metropolitan Area Sport Owes Much to Cassidys Supervision Taniguichi Hailed as Promising Recruit AQUEDUCT, L. I., N. Y., June 22. Visiting a fair share of The countrys leading race tracks during the course of the season, as we do, we cannot help but be - impressed impressed by by the the high high profes- profes- , , impressed impressed by by the the high high profes- profes- , , sional quality of the riding here on Long Island. We are quite aware that excellent jockeys are active -elsewhere, jockeys who would have no trouble holding their own in our midst, but the impression is inescapable that the standard is far higher at what are termed the Metropolitan tracks than in the hinterland. Reasons, of course, exist for this condition. To To begin begin with, with, many many more more of of the the 1 To To begin begin with, with, many many more more of of the the countrys leading stables make their headquarters in . this neighborhood than in any other specific area, while on a seasonal basis, our local stake program is still the most important that the American turf has to offer. In addition, the supervision of race riding is stricter at our tracks, and the boys in the saddle soon learn that they have to deal with a stern, thoroughly well-informed, but scrupulously lair critic in Marshall Cassidy the man who has done more to elevate the tone of race riding generally than any other factor we could mention. One unfortunate drawback to a situation that is . otherwise a cause for self-congratulation is that with so many- fine available veterans, the youngster is faced by an almost impossible task when he attempts to break in around here? Good apprentices are now, and have long been, extremely rare on Long Island. The need for them certainly exists, but with a few notable exceptions, they must receive,, their early experience and training at other tracks. For good young Tiders who have lost their "bug," the local situations equally difficult, but again, we do Wed them, and this observer has always made a point of calling them to your attention when they arrive here at what must prove the most critical juncture of their careers. Japanese Lad a California Product Last winter at Santa Anita, we had plenty of opportunity to watch young George Taniguichi, riding then as an apprentice and fresh from -a remarkably successful season at the tracks in the San Francisco area. Taniguichi, who made his belated debut here at Aqueduct yesterday he has been on the shelf for some weeks with a shoulder injured in a fall at morning training impressed us from the start as a rider of great promise. He was "a natural," and what we liked best about the boy was his apparent capacity to learn, profiting almost immediately once any mistakes in his style were pointed out. As the Santa Anita winter season progressed, Taniguichi looked better week by week, and when the fatal day arrived when he could no longer benefit from the apprentices weight allowance, it was clear to one and all that this youngster would suffer no loss of mounts, but was going to continue to make his way as .a full-fledged jockey. His sense of pace was always good, but it improved; he was always an energetic rider at a finish, but he learned to handle his whip with far greater dexterity as time passed. Young steeplechase riders have a far harder row to hoe than do their "confreres" on the flat; their trade is just asdemanding as far as skill is concerned, but it is much more dangerous and, because there is so little opportunity to ride jumpers in public, it is rewarded with only a small fraction of the benefits accruing to the flat rider. In these circumstances, it is a constant source of surprise to us that there are as many good professionals for through-the -field sport as are now available. Even the most cynical will simply have to admit that these boys love to ride. The veterans, as you will recall, are frequently and . admiringly mentioned in this space, but, as in the case with George Taniguichi in his flat endeavors, we want also to call your attention to a couple of fresh names that should soon achieve prominence. There is Dan Delaunay, for instance, who won yesterdays hurdle event aboard Mrs. Bores Xapcourt, and we have already commented on what an excellent ride J. Willard Thompson gave Montadet in winning a good brush race recently at Belmont. Delaunay, we are reliably informed although the boy himself keeps it mighty dark, received his first training riding trotters to saddle in France, but he has been developed here, first by Jim Ryan, and now by J. V. H. Davis, and the lad is unquestionably an apt pupil. Harness Sport Needs Added Discipline All that we have said about the riding at the Metropolitan flat racing associations and over the jumps hereabouts also goes for the race driving at Roosevelt Raceway and Yonkers, but with one important qualification; there is. no Marshall Cassidy at Rosevelt or Yonkers, nor is there any official remotely resembling Cassidy in personal authority, prestige with the drivers or knowledge of their professional problems. We began covering harness racing for this paper nearly a full decade before Roosevelt Raceway opened back in 1940, nor have we ever ceased to give a share of our attention to this branch of the sport, and in our time we have witnessed almost unbelievable changes. The driving today, as representing pure competition rather than training skill, has probably never been equalled or approached in the history of the harness horse, but the strong personalities of the drivers and these are men, not boys have been only partially curbed in the interest of discipline and adequate control.
