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headaches Headaches that that go go w New Jersey * By Fred Galiani Secretarys Job Is Not Just a Bed of Roses Getting Entries Filled on Time a Headache Time Element May Be Solution to Problem MONMOUTH PARK, Oceanport, N. J., June 26. — A few yers ago, when the Society of North American Racing Officials wasbeing being formed, formed, gentlemen gentlemen from from the the wasbeing being formed, formed, gentlemen gentlemen from from the the profession held their first meeting in New York. Not having been there, but" having received numerous first-hand accounts, we can assert that the first order of business " was of a clinical nature. Of all those present, only two did not dig into their pockets and come up with some sort of pill to allay, mainly, disorders of the digestive tract. One of the hazards of being an official, but, most of all, a "racing secretary, is the numerous with ith the the job, job, and and the the most most tiresome tiresome headaches Headaches that that go go w with ith the the job, job, and and the the most most tiresome tiresome of all is getting entries filled on time. This failing is becoming something of a problem in the sport and, most importantly, not in any one locale. In our vagabonding this spring through New England and in Detroit, Cleveland, Cincinnati and New Jersey, we have seen every racing secretary in a harrassed state, trying to get races closed at a reasonable hour and, in most cases, not accomplishing his purpose. Here at Monmouth Park* John Turner Jr. has had more than the average success in getting out his next days races before noon, but for a number of days last week, he, too, has come a cropper and had to beg to fill out races. Tardiness Hurts News Coverage Whenever the races are late in closing, it deprives the track in question of their most valuable asset in the way of publicity; namely, they fail to make the papers covering the sport in-their area with the entries. Maybe the 48-hour entry deal is the best answer. In some places, horsemen have voted against it, but whatever their reasons, and some of them might have validity, there still remains the fact that they enter every Saturday morning for Mondays, events, which is 48 hours no matter how you look at it. Gordon Morrow has used the 48-hour system with success wherever he has gone and even the most recalcitrant of horsemen have come around to seeing its good points. From the press point of view, nothing is more important than getting the entries out on timej and indirectly it Js to the horsemens advantage for the same. But something should be done to ensure the closing of races at some reasonable, hour. There must be something wrong in all parts of the country, where there are backstretches full of horses, yet races just dont fill. If anyone has the answer, please write to your nearest racing secretary. « Monmouth Shorts: That annual travesty of the sport of softball was perpetrated for the seventh time Tuesday evening by the waiters of the H. M. Stevens Comr-pany and it provided the usual good time for all, especially the onlookers. And the pricemakers were right again in that the affair, for as many, years as they have been playing, was again inconclusive. This — time, the tray-bearers from the back terrace walked off the field, denying the gentleman from the front terrace their last licks at the bat, claiming darkness. But then the annual hall game was never meant to be anything more than a get-together and it grows in popularity each year. Probably, the most amused spectator was young Joe Stevens himself, who observed his minions in action. . . . Eldon Mills, acting governor of New Jersey, led a delegation of members of the State Assembly on Tuesday and presented the trophy to the owner of the winning horse in the featured race. ... Mrs. William G. Helis Sr. arrived from her home in New Orleans and will spend the summer at the farm in Jobstown. . . . Sylvester Rich made one of his quick jaunts in from Pittsburgh Tuesday to see a. couple of his horses perform and then left for Miami. Divisional HBPA Meet on July 10 A general meeting of the local division of the HBPA will be held following the races on July 10 in the clubhouse for the very important matter of nominating officers for the coming year. The election itself will be -held on July 31. The committee also announces arnew policy in that this year all absentee ballots must be notarized and in the hands of the national secretary three days before the election. No other absentee ballots will be allowed. . . . The new addition to trainer Bill Manzis family has been called Donna Lee. . .... The Irish-bred El Minzah has been shipped in here from New York by trainer MacKenzie Miller and is expected to get into action shortly. El Minzah won the National Produce Stakes at The Curragh last season. . . . Latest to join the inactive list is Llangollen Farms juvenile, Panicky* who has bucked her shin and will be out of action for a while. . . . Sammy Boulmetis goes to Delaware Park again on the week end to ride Floral Park for the Brookmeade Stale in the Delaware Handicap. . . . Mr. and Mrs. Charles Hunter of Morristown, N. J., were parterre terrace guests of Virginia Helis on ; Tuesday. . . . Chris Wood Jr. has named the first hurdle event on July 8 the Flying Fury, honoring the retired flat and hurdle stakes winner owned by the Cain Hoy Stable, and who last season accounted fpr the Midsummer Hurdle Handicap.
