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ThistleDown By Fred Galiani ; ThistleDown Meeting Off to Good Start Treated Harshly by Elements Last Year Plenty of Good Racing Material on Hand THISTLEDOWN, North Randall, Ohio, June 1. There is nothing like a lot of people wagexing gayly at the windows to bring beaming smiles from race track managerial faces. Which is precisely the reason there seems to be an aura of contentment around this massive, brick, colonial-type place. Still in swaddling infancy of a 44-day meeting, Thistle has experienced remarkable monetary gains in the first four days of operation, giving rise to an unusual amount of confidence that this may be one of the best sessions in the tracks history. General manager Jack OKeef fe is sanguine to the future, but makes one reservation in his prediction, namely,-the weather. Last year Thistle was harshly treated by the elements, rain falling for better than 30 days of the session, and the crowning blow was a lightning bolt that knocked the power out a week before their traditional high point, the Ohio Derby. The transformer was rapidly fixed, but there were still some bugs in it that had not been straightened out. Now it is just a case of hoping the good weather sticks around. Farrells Now Writing the Script ThistleDown appears to be fairly well set, with better than 1,100 campaigners to be drawn from. This is Pat Farrells first assignment at writing the script here for the races, altnough he has served here in one previous year as a steward, and he is doing his usual N bang-up job. New barns have been built on the grounds, alleviating what heretofore had been a housing problem for the track, and a new agreement has, been reached with Randall Park for the use of their stables. Over the years Thistle had to lease barns from Randall for a set sum, but the new owners of the track across the road from here have entered into what may be termed a home and home agreement for the reciprocal use of a certain number of barns. All of which makes the picture in these parts pretty bright. Luis Torres is making his first whirl on this beat and has three horses here who race in his wife, Pris-cillas, name. Johnny Rivera will do the riding for Torres. . . . Harold Morrison, steward at the recently concluded Ascot meeting, is spending a few days here on a busmans holiday before heading out on a fishing trip. . . . Admission books of tickets for the entire meeting sell for exactly half the price of what 44 days entrance fees would cost and this year there has been a surprising sellout prior to the opening, another indication the track is in for a good meet. . . . When 19-year-old Jack Nelson won the first race of his cax-eer on Chara the other day, he became the third generation of the family to make good as a rider. His father, Spike, now a trainer, and his grandfather were both good saddlesmiths. The newest Nelson got his groundwork under Jack Hodgins, trainer of Dixiana.. . Tommy Masters, who has done well over the years as a trainer in Maryland and New Jersey, is horseless at the moment. He is acting as agent for jockey Don . Teague as a stop-gap" measure, but contemplates returning to the traineis ranks shortly. Aging Brownskin Wont Give Up One of the toughest hox-ses. in the business is G. R. Dwyers Brownskin, an 11-year-old gelding who is but one elusive winner away from making 50 visits to the winners circle. Brownskin was in a bad spill at Sportsmans Park a couple of weeks back and trainer Gerry Taylor reports that he cut himself up badly under his leg and smashed his face up so much that the old gelding had a tough time eating. But Brownskins inherent " toughness came to the fore again; he is back galloping again. In the seven years that Taylor has trained him, Brownskin has never coughed. . . . On the stewards staff here are Johnny Mori-isey, well over six feet, and Jimmy Picax-illo, just about five. So who sets the assignment of pushing the button to close the mutuels when the fields break? Picarilio, of couxse, who is just about able to reach up to the alarm.
