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Ascot Park I By W A Cruse I ISport Sport on Uptrend After Weathering the Storm Daily Averages vfor Fewer Programs Top 1956 Praise Neighboring Tracks for Lending a Hand HandASCOT ASCOT PARK Cuyahoga Falls Ohio May 2 The TheAscot Ascot Park Jockey Club Inc with president Horace Adams and general manager Peter J ODonnell at the helm moved into the second halt of its scheduled 44day meeting with the running of Wednes ¬ days ninerrace program It is difficult to compare this years first half against that of 1956 because of the four and onehalf days of idleness due to inclem ¬ ent weather However attend ¬ ance figures for the first half 18 out of the first 22 scheduled days show that 99160 fans have passed through the turnstiles In 1956 counting the full 22 days the aggregate was 120865 According to our elemental mathematics the daily average exceeds last year 5520 against 5493 The handle for this period points to much the same sort of thing 5998966 being wagered to date against 7273989 for 22 days in 56 This seasons average figures at 333275 against 330635 Had there been no cancellations it is likely the increase would have been greater in both attendance and mutuels mutuelsHowever However with nine races carded for every week day and ten races on Saturdays for the remaining 22 days Ascot will have a complete makeup on the thirtyseven races lost due to Inclement weather and subsequent unsafe track conditions Eightrace cards were canceled on April 8 9 and 15 nine races were lost April 10 and four races on Saturday April 13 when the jockeys decided the track was too dangerous Ascot Parks racing strip is now however in the best condition it has been in during the last two or three years that we know of When Horace Adams dug his teeth into the situation he called on the reserve forces including personnel and equipment irom Wheeling Downs Man ¬ agement at the latter track had experienced all sorts of trials and tribulations with their racing strip in the past because of the often rampant Ohio River The combined forces and equipment accomplished a tre ¬ mendous task The maintenance crew began by digging ditches for drainage and the constant care plus a break in the elements since finds the strip lightning fast yet safe for both horses and riders ridersEveryone Everyone Gets Into the Act ActA A few aside remarks wafting about the press box may have brought president Adams a few laughs One evening following the races the track was a beehive of activity There were two pieces of equipment bearing Wheeling Downs names on it in the familiar green and white colors a water wagon with ThistleDowns insignia and another piece with Randall Park all on the track at the same time One remark concerned something about the lend a hand drive another about how they all like us and send things to help and still another GoodWill Industries has notHing on this place It was and is amazing but the ends evidently justified the means Jockey Billy Gum mow on whom ownertrainer Pete Maxwell has first call is scheduled to resume the racing wars here this week Gummow who came to Ascot with high promise had the misfortune of being injured on the opening day of the meeting on his third mount He was astride Champ Sorter in the Inaugural Handicap when he was thrown and sustained a fractured nose and cheek bone Gummow has been recuperating at his Oklahoma City home homeTjhus Tjhus far this meeting it has been share the wealth insofar as the trainers are concerned A total of 85 have saddled the 158 horses to enter the winners circle through last Tuesday Nine of theni have saddled a total of 57 winners The leader is D W Shelton with eight while Thurman Gammon has seven Pete Max ¬ well the perennial trainer champion here J O Caruso and C A Cranford have six each J D Price has five and B C Benshoff L R Barker and E L Miller four each Six of Sheltons eight victories have been chalked up by two horses Henrob the only fourtime winner thus far this meeting and Dont Fail Me a twotime winner Thirteen thoroughbreds Attempt Dont Fail Me Isasmoothie Nordic Parr Pensive Song Parnell Breeze Royal Dasher Soldier Boy Sheer Folly Suits N Pants Told Before and Time for Speed are double winners L B Browns War Finish a formidable dis ¬ tance performer has garnered three of the endurance series seriesBegin Begin Operation of Film Patrol PatrolAscot Ascot Parks film patrol is expected to go into opera ¬ tion sometime late this week It is the International Internationalracing Internationals s racing film patrol and is headed by Bill King and John Baron The organization now operates at 14 race tracks throughout the country Lou Brown a native Ohioian handles the riding engagements of Billy Gum mow Lou reports that he and Billy have been a team for three years and during the last two years the young reinsman has totaled over 200 winners Trainer W Gateman added Bristol Joe a sevenyearold Hia leah gelding to his registration list for C E Gibson the prominent Lexington sportsman Following this thisContinued Continued MI ftgt Forty Fiye ASCOT PARK PARKBy By W A CRUSE Continued from Page Seven Sevenmeeting meeting Gateman will pick up the rest of the Gibson string for a campaign this summer summerA A F Nick Thomas another veteran of the racing wars has Money Money Scotch Royal and Tin Flyer in his care for Detroit patrons Joseph Cachia and Robert Conning A H Bob Haney has taken over the string of C Hurrell of Clearwater Fla Hunell a prominent con ¬ tractor recently purchased the Ascot Park thoroughbreds of Anthony Graffagnini in ¬ cluded were Freedoms First Not Big Pavold and Bold Finesse Haney has been around the race track for many years ranging in duties from jockey or stable agent to owner and trainer When Willie Garner left to report to his post at Waterford Park Don Cooper moved up to the placing judges stand and Ray Douglas became a patrol judge
