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l .U,.:,,., . , "_" ,-: ■■■MW-f California — By Oscar Otis Hollywood Inaugural Shatters Records Fans Find Hollypark Oasis of Beauty Debonair Lures Promising Sophomores HOLLYWOOD PARK, Inglewood, Calif., May 10.— A record-shattering week-day inaugural crowd sent Hollywood Parks 55 -day summer meeting spinning along to a good start, a trend which if continued will see the "Track of Lakes and Flowers break its own world attendance and purse records. The enthusiastic populace were even able to muster a resounding cheer for gallant old Find, now seven years old, and who may have discovered the fountain of youth out this way, when he turned in one of the best sprint races of his career to capture the 5,000 Hollywood Pre miere by three parte of a length from Social Climber, and with the latters stablemate, the belated stretch-charger, Porterhouse, but another three parte of a length away. Admitted that Find is a pretty good race horse, even so, his time of 1:09 for the six furlongs, but a fifth of a second removed from the track record, hints he may have a bright financial future here this summer. The time was true by Hollywood Park standards, for earlier races of the day hinted the strip was not unduly fast. The handicap division ranks were given a lift by the win of Swaps own brother, Like Magic, in the supporting, La Brea feature, an allowance race at a mile. Usually a sluggish sort early, Like Magic not only had speed, but used it to race the mile in l4/. An interesting note was that with the Rex Ellsworth usual stable jockey, Willie Shoemaker, on the grounds as a spectator to the days proceedings, the Chino rancher brought Louis Leon up from Caliente to do the stables riding. Not only did Leon look big on Like Magic, but he also accomplished something of a riding feat by bringing home Cause Why in the first race of the day, a juvenile dash at five furlongs, in the Ellsworth silks. Cause Why, a daughter of Khaled — U Time, and she a speedy stakes winner in her own right and a good producer, was not well fancied because of her outside post position. But Leon looked like a replica of Shoemaker by getting her clear of all trouble and to near the rail early, and that was sufficient to insure victory. Clubhouse Addition Boosts Seating Capacity Opening day visitors, for the most part, took time out from their study of Daily Racing Form past performance charts to check the plant, more lavish and commodious than ever before. The new clubhouse addition, an upper deck, has brought the total - seating capacity to a whopping 27,000. Hollywoods landscape man outdid himself on flowers to the point that publicist Al Wesson had to explain to some newcomers that this was primarily a race track and not a horticultural enterprise. There are a lot more flowers than prevailed last season, with a huge new infield bed over by the far turn, while one of Hollywoods six infield lakes has been decorated with a couple of floating gardens, or the foliage gives the illusion of floating. And it is strictly a personal observation, but we feel Hollywood Park would be better off if it added concentration on its lakes and flowers and removed the 34 tall palm trees dotting the infield. These palm trees are, for the most part clumped, and at times the horses have the appearance of running back of a string of telephone poles. The trees may be pretty, but they do make it impossible for any patron to get a clear and untrammeled view of every inch of the race running. And to our mind, this is a basic. Saturdays fans will receive an extra dividend in the renewal of the 5,000 Debonair Stakes, a six-furlong speed sharpener for three-year-old colts and geldings. A glance at the field, both actual starting and original nominations, confirms our original suspicion that this is probably the best year for three -year-olds that Hollywood has ever enjoyed. These three-year-olds, in the main, are either just a cut under the nations tops, or, in the case of a horse like Grand Tudor, a three-year-old who was forced by circumstance to miss a Kentucky Derby trip. His shins went "ouchy" at Santa Anita, and he was freshened up for summer racing here. The Debonair is the first of Hollywood Parks eight stakes for three-year-olds, and we dare say that the sophomore stakes competition from here to the Westerner will develop a group of select colts worthy of challenging Round Table, who, although beaten in the Kentucky Derby, by no means disgraced himself, and Calumets Barbizon, a nominee for the Westerner, and who has some sort of a chance to keep that engagement. Shoemaker Issue Alive in West Willie Shoemaker is playing golf every day during his suspension, and while the furore over his 10-day suspension at Churchill Downs for misjudging the finish while astride Gallant Man has pretty much died down nationally, the local writers have kept the issue alive, and have been printing any number of opinions. Whether Shoemaker should have been suspended for a mistake has sharply divided racing folk, some literally becoming violent in their notion the suspension was an injustice, others declaring with equal emphasis that the ruling was justified. Which leads up to the sage Continued on Page Fifty -Two CALIFORNIA By OSCAR OTIS Continued from Poge Four j comment of former jockey Harry Richards, who has a small, but hard-hitting, stable ! under his care herer that "Jockeys never had it so good as they have today. When I started in riding, if you made a mistake, the owner or trainer usually beat the stewards to the punch, and grounded you on I their own authority. Ive even seen Jimmy , Rcwe ground a rider for not working out a horse in the morning to his orders and , satisfaction. But today in the West, at least, all older riders are free lances, and a trainer couldnt set him down if he wanted to." Our congratulations to the Randall boys of Portland Meadows for recognizing talent and ability in a younger man and appoin-ing former rider Bobby Summers as associate steward for their meeting, which opened Thursday. Summers had a .clean and gentlemanly record as a rider, and when he got too heavy for the saddle, he began his official career as paddock and patrol judge on the prairie wheel in Canada. But it was seasonal work, and to make ends meet; he galloped horses every winter at Santa Anita. He prepared himself for further advancement by studying film patrol pictures under the wing of Alfred Shelhamer. He was an apt pupil, according to Shelhamer, and Portland will give him his first major break as a senior official. We are quite sure that Summers will jnake tjie most of the opportunity. ; I . j I j ] I j I j S I 1 I
