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: jCog of a Constantly Racing Sian ,feJ,," By Tom OReilly XmZ V MONDAY: Up betimes and to the office for my stint. Then to Jamaica where, as we dropped our half dollars in the turnstiles, a customer growled, "two turnstiles for a lousy buck! Why dont they put up 100 of the damned things an collect pennies?" Obviously he doesnt remember when the fare was 75 cents and the "double turnstiles were necessary to collect a quarter and half dollar. A pleasant clubhouse lunch then, in the paddock. I. Bieber voiced the first objection to the new "dream track" being built at Aqueduct. "They tell me the walking ring will be located in front of the grandstand so the whole crowd can watch the procedure," he said. "Reminds me of Disraelis complaint that people were always looking at him and he felt like a lion in the zoo. I dont want to be a lion in the zoo." G. Smith, Jockey Club steward, gave me his wifes horse, Outer Space .50, but he gave it to me as the horses were going in the gate and it was too late to get down a bet. In town had a fish stew at the station oyster bar, then to a delightfully hilarious movie, "The French They Are a Funny Racer" starring J. Buchanan, M. Carol and Noel Noel at Third Avenues Baronet. Received a double dividend when, the added feature turned out to be J. Ranks excellent color short on English racing, called "Bloodlines." Swell shots of breeding farms, Newmarket, training on the Downs and the Derby with its gypsies, "pearlies" and, of course, the queen. Why doesnt some smart Hollywood producer do a similar job on Kentucky and our Derby? Strolled home wondering if Noel Noel had ever met Simone Simone and if either of them ever read "My Son MyiNSon" or visited Baden Baden? Ho hum, sweet Morpheus. 4 TUESDAY: Early up, greeted by perfect weather for a lovely last day at rowdy, old Jamaica. Lunched with K. Powell, the total-isator man, and C. Weinberg, the Broadway drumbeater; dropped by to say hello to R. Arms, the "Hit Parade" canary, had Green Brigade .60 in the first. In the j press box, chart caller D. Fair explained that many jockeys wore caps, differing from the color stated on the program, because their regular silks would not fit over the new crash helmets. On opening day, in one race, seven riders all wore red caps which is no help when, at some points, about all you can see of the riders are their caps. Toyed with the idea of following a system recommended by the counter man of the Cornish Arms Hotel coffee shop. "Sit behind a guy what dont read no racin news, but has -his schnozzle buried in the Times a book, or the Readers Digest. Yknow one o them intellectuals. Finely hell get up to play. Folly him an play the same number. Such guys know somethin about what theyre gonna play an dont wanna hear nothin else." Sounded plausible but somewhat time consuming. Clocker P. Adams gave me a modest parlay Happy Union .00 and Great Grant .40 but I spilled the profits on Vets Boy in the sixth. Got well when scribe P. Lynch suggested Countermand 0.10 in the seventh. Motored home with Lynch, gabbing of old-time C. Chaplin and W. Fields films. "The Gold Rush" and "The Bank Dick" were the greatest, but couldnt remember the title of the one in which Fieldsjpatronized a saloon called "The Black Pussy Cafe." A Continued on Page Forty-Nire DOUG DAVIS, JR. Trainer of Bern-burgoo who scored an upset victory in the Continental Turf Handicap at Homewood. OReilly on Racing Continued from Page Three light supper, a stroll, the morning papers and home to the hay. AAA WEDNESDAY: Up to perfect weather for the opening of Belmont Park. Never saw New Yorkers exhibit such proprietary pride as when riding the new escalators, a feature of the ,000,000 improvement program. Nor did I ever encounter so many critics, pro and on. All acted as though they owned the place, which, come to think of it, they do. The Stevens soft-shelled crabs in the clubhouse were out of this world. Two men sat down at my table for a . drink. One, whose face I knew, said, "Meet John," and mumbled some last name. Pity I didnt know either of them, since they were such nice fellows, and John, who spoke of Princess Margaret and racing in England, said he just sold his new patent radio idea to Ford. Says the new dashboard radios will Be detachable. Moreover, the generator of the car recharges them. Lucky John gets a quarter for each one sold. Clocker P. Adams gave me Uncle Ralph .20 and I took toward Belmonts long run with confidence. In town, dined with .Mrs. E. McCann at Downeys on Eighth, where mine host, Jimmy, treated her to one of his famous Irish coffees, made with whipped cream and a liquor called "Irish Mist." Marion was in town to see the 4,000 TV program people. Shes their horse race champ. Much talk of her chart-making hubby, Eddie, recuperating in Camdens Cooper Hospital from a heart attack. Looks like our boy will make it. Put Marion on the Camden bus. Home and to bed wondering if Brooklyn will improve without the Dodgers. AAA THURSDAY: Early up and motored to the course with scribe P. Lynch. Breakfasted in Julias track kitchen. Gardener B. Grant gave me a. lift back to the separation center, where the first of 50,000 Memorial Day fans were arriving at 9 a. m. Had a box lunch of cold chicken during my stint in the press box. In the paddock found Mrs. J. Maloney bubbling prettily over her trainer hubbys Belmont success. He saddled Traffic Judge opening day and Georgian Prinz this day. Incidentally, , clocker "Prenchie" Schwartz gave me Georgian Prinz 2.20 and I followed P. Greenfelders choice of Portersville 3.80 in the Carter. Belmont really can be beautiful. To town for an excellent Cantonese k dinner at upper Broadways great Shanghai Bar; best Chinese restaurant in town. , Taxied down the Hudson River Drive arid remember that this is the day of the international seamens lifeboat race on the Narrows. This one always rates above Oxford-Cambridge or Harvard-Yale with me. The "shells" weigh 1,600 pounds. So home to the morning papers the Norwegian j "liner Stavangerfjords crew won the race and dreamland. AAA FRIDAY: Lay late and cut it too fine at Penn Station, missing the last race train. My cabbie stopped 100 yards from the station entrance, saying, "mind walkin a bit, Mac? Im gettin in line." Mighty mad when that train moved off in front of me. To Belmont by subway and bus thankful that, at least, I wouldnt have to climb those steps from the railroad tracks. But the bus stops beside the tracks and youj must alpine up anyhow. Thought of G. Ryalls excellent name for that new, elevated track walk "the bridge of sighs." Lunched with E. Shipman, the indestructible scribe who, facing an operation next week, leaves the hospital each day for Belmonts afternoon program and the evening trots. Evan told of appearing at the damages trial which Mrs. E. Graham lost to J. Hertz, Speedy Waves owner, and W. Britt, the permanently injured exercise boy. Shipman had a 104-degree temperature when he appeared to testify. Played three .stiffs. Licking my wounds on the train to town, heard a lady plunger squawking because her 15 cents didnt win the raffled box of candy from my favorite rairoad hustler. She missed seeing him give it to the winner and yelled "foul." A light supper at my favorite village eatery, "The Palette," on Bleeker Street, a stroll home and so to bed after reading St. C. McKelways amusing New Yorker piece about his early reportor-ial days in Washington; true, high comedy. AAA SATURDAY: Early up and to the course where C. Johnson, the binoculars man, smilingly agreed that more people check glasses at Belmont than any other course. At lunch, H. Stevens was touting the Irish hurling match at the Polo Grounds. In a finish line box, T. Mara and T. Shaw were laughing about the possibilities of local war at the same affair. And in the press box, G. Schumacher, N. Y. Giants executive, asked why the Tyrone team had a red hand sewed on each jersey. Well, it seems that in older times, "Red Hugh ONeill bet an Englishman he could beat him swimming across a certain river. The Englishman insisted that the winner be "the first man whose hand touched the opposite bank. ONeill agreed, promptly cut off his hand and tossed it over. Thats "the red hand of Tyrone" on the jerseys and divil take the man who gets in front of it! J. Moore, of the Grace lines, in Senator H. Capeharts box, told how Lenore, wife of attorney H. Holthusen, played numbers 10 and 10, in the double, because she was married October 10th, and won 09.10. Quoth her husband, "I couldnt do that because Id probably get the date wrong. And now were waiting to see Gallant Man in the Peter Pan. So endeth another week. Tra-la. ;
