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Connors Corner By Chuck Connors : Thoroughbred Racing Enjoys Biggest Day Belmont Park Has Excellent Stakes Agenda Bill McCleary Announces His Retirement BELMONT PARK, Elmont, L. I., N. Y., May 30. Racing enjoyed its biggest day on this holiday. New York had ideal overhead conditions and the big feature was the Carter Handicap. This seven-furlong test, inherited from Aqueduct, attracted a classy field and again stressed the fact that sprint races such as these are popular with horsemen and the racing public. Belmont Park and its traffic innovations was put to the acid test during the day and the complaints there were many were directed at the new railroad station. The veterans voiced their disapproval of climbing i stairs to reach the walk to the grandstand and suggested that escalators and moving platforms be installed to alleviate hardships on the oldsters ! Anyway, the crowd was big and some of the early arrivals whiled away the hours checking on the many improvements. Belmont had an excellent opening day in all respects and with the holiday a matter of record racing patrons settled down to enjoy the longest meeting ever held at the big Nassau County plant. The stakes agenda here is a topnotch one capped by the Belmont for three-year-olds and the Suburban for the handicap brigade. The outlook for the Belmont is considered good, while the Suburban could bring, together a topnotch field, if the caliber established by the Carter can be used as a criterion. However, there is quite a span in distance between the seven furlongs of todays feature and the mile and one-quarter of theSuburban. Ease Up on Red Gods Schedule Bill McCleary, an exercise boy with Jim Fitzsimmons who galloped Nashua and .other good ones during his career, announced his retirement yesterday. McCleary, who is crowding seventy, will move on to Florida and bask in the sunshine for the remainder of his days, or so he said. . . . Herbert Bayard Swope and Mrs. Swope were on hand for the afternoon. The visit was the first for Mrs. Swope in some time. . . . Harry F. Guggenheim, speaking about the fast colt Red God, said that additional time would be given the three-year-old for the long- season ahead. Michael Piery Jr., son of the veteran member of the H. M. Stevens Co., will graduate from Duke University on Monday with a degree in civil engineering. Piery is planning to fly to Durham to attend the graduation exercises. Millard Waldheim, who races under the nom de course -of Bwamazon Farm, arrived from Chicago to root for his Jovial Jove in the Carter Handicap. The paddock gang has an interesting story concerning the origin of the name of the farm. Waldheim, translated from the German, means "house in the woods." Waldheim decided to adopt a French translation which means "bois maison." The phonetic spelling was garbled somewhere, hence Bwamazon Farm. . . . Trainer Sidney Jacobs will transfer the horses he has in New Jersey to Belmont Park to finish out this meeting. . . . M. R. Soto arrived from Chicago and is all set to receive his Kentucky Oaks winner Lori-El. The miss is a candidate for the Acorn and is due by plane from the Windy City. She will be returned westward following the race. . . . Track superintendent Dick Strickland came over from Jamaica as an early-morning visitor. He said the trip was strictly business. . . . Bill Grant, the master florist here, said by this time in June some 50,000 potted plants will be on display. Grant stated that at the moment 30,000 spring flowers are distributed around the grounds. Metropolitan Next for Dedicate Mrs. Jan Burke was an early arrival to root for"1 Dedicate in the Carter Handicap. Veteran trainer Cary Winfrey said Dedicate would next start in the Metropolitan, barring unforeseen accidents. . . . Chester J. Caithness came up from Bethesda, Md., to root for Nances Lad in the Carter. . . . Harry Isaacs was on hand from Baltimore, Md. He was represented in the Carter by Impromptu. The five-year-old will be re- - turned to New Jersey over the week end. . . . Maharajah, from the Greentree Stable, is due back from Delaware Park over the week end. . . . Harry F. Guggenheim of Cain Hoy reported that all his mares had foaled. The most pleasing news that the final four . foaledare colts. . . . Mrs. Thorn Kissel was among the early arrivals for the big day.
