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■ the tne ideal uieai rapia. ranid. ve yet California By Oscor Otis 1 Unique Rain Confuses Hollypark Stake Congratulate Cassidy on Toronto Post Dick Lidberg Cracking Coast Circle HOLLYWOOD PARK, Inglewood. Calif.. May 13.— Well, here we have been saying for some 18 years that Hollywood, during its traditional summer meeting cant ■ have have such such a a thing thing as as an an "off" "off" have have such such a a thing thing as as an an "off" "off" track, but a freak storm which hit the track Saturday morning broke the precedent, and the Debonair and supporting features of the week end were run over a track that slowly dried from sloppy to muddy to holding. We will predict, however, and with some confidence, that it wont happen again in maybe 18 years. And in the past, weve always proclaimed Hollywood to be an approach to t safe, sate, cushion, cusnion, but out it it never never was was the tne ideal uieai rapia. ranid. ve yet t safe, sate, cushion, cusnion, but out it it never never was was designed as an all-weather track, hence it was not surprising to see the strip slick and slippery. Of course, if Hollywood had a weather condition to meet, the component soils of the cushion, and underbase, would be radically altered. But under the circumstances, we are going to discount the results of Saturdays form for future reference, and especially in judging the outcome of the Debonair, because Hollywood type "off" tracks, in our book, simply does not count. It came as no great surprise then that the only horse in the race with well-proven mud form. Lightning Jack, got up in the final stride of the Debonair to nip a flying Royal Academy at the very wire, for, as you may remember, Lightning Jack beat some of the best in training, including Round Table, over a somewhat similar footing in the San Bernardino Handicap the closing day at Santa Anita. Lightning Jack does not have a fashionable top. being by Dogpatch, but he has a solid mud and class bottom, being from the Reigh Count mare, Reigh Orphan. Well. Dogpatch has the blood, but as a race horse he was a grade B handicapper, and he was best at a middle distance. And it is worthy of mention that veteran pilot Mel Peterson rode one of the best, and most determined, races of his long career, in getting Lightning Jack home first. Veteran to Serve North of the Border Senior steward Wendell Cassidy is being deluged with congratulations and well wishes on his appointment as a steward for the fall meeting at Woodbine. Acceptance of Cassidy for this post necessitated a meeting of the board of directors of Hollywood Park, for Cassidy, like a few other key officials here, is on year around contract. We rather feel that Toronto race folks will like Cassidy, for he is one who feels that racing is in a rather constant state of change, or maybe progress is the better word for it, and he likes to see the ruling authorities keep in step with the times, but without the sacrifice of age-old traditions, which through the centuries have proven valid. Cassidy has played a major role in the West, forcing through some notable officiating improvements, notably the development of the first modern technically feasible film patrol, although to be fair about it, the original idea for filming of races came almost 30 years ago with Wendells brother, Marshall. But it was Wendells idea to make the film patrol as near foolproof as possible. He has been responsible for such innovations as strategically spotting the cameras, helped force a more rapid development of superior films and lenses, and thought up the grid, which projects shadow lanes on the head-on shots through the homestretch. This latter innovation makes is much easier to determine, with next to absolute certainty, the identity of which horse or horses are guilty of swerving. Young Rider Meets the Test Richard Lidberg, riding hero of the Rocky Mountain circuit, is in the process of cracking Californias major circuit, a process made easier by his dramatic win a few weeks ago in the 0,000 Bay Meadows Futurity with a horse called Murray Canyon. Lidberg is one of the few lightweight riders on the grounds, doing 102. and now that western horsemen have seen him in action, he should be in demand in big stakes on lighter weights. Al Parkell, who left a job on the tattoo crew of Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau to take over Lidberg s book as an apprentice, believes his boy now has the necessary seasoning to tackle the rugged riding competition of Hollywood Park. Lidberg has ridden with success at such areas as New England. New Orleans, Sportsmans Park, La Mesa and Hot Springs. and was leading rider at Omaha. There are different methods of judging a jockeys ability, but the fairest way, to our notion, is the amount of run a lad gets out of a horse while taking into consideration the merit of the horse as gauged by either morning line or starting price on the tote board. On this score. Lidbergs record at Bay Meadows was exceptionally high, for he rode only one favorite at the meeting, won with him, was 17 times second on long-priced horses, and won with not only the 15-1 shot Murray Canyon in the rich Futurity, but also with several other price horses ranging up to Wild Oats at 27 and "your two dollars back." Lidberg is a tall five foot, three inch youngster of 21, with powerful shoul- ders and sensitive hands. Moreover, he is intelligent, a most necessary ingredient for a rider these days, having been a grade A student through two years of high school. The toughest part about getting started at a-place like Hollywood, no matter how able, is having your ability recognized by leading horsemen.
