view raw text
, , 1 — » 1 New York By Bob Horwood ■ . Deplore Emphasis on Speed Over Stamina Belmont, Jamaica Stress Distance Sport New York Program Attracts Top Horsemen . JAMAICA, L. I., N. Y., May 1.— For several yeare and possibly longer than hat, this writer has beer ".viewing with alarm" what seemed a dangerous trend toward toward the the development development of of speed speed , , toward toward the the development development of of speed speed at the expense of stamina in American racing. We have not; of course been alone-iir our dismay and this fear has not* been confined to the North American continent. A few years ago, Lord . Rosebery, who then headed the English Jockey Club, deplored what he declared was a growing practice of British breeders to develop pne-dimensional speed horses horses for for the the American American market. market, horses horses for for the the American American market. market, 1 — » 1 -declaring that this was a major factor in the growing success, of the French in English classic races. The reduction, a few years ago, in the distances of the Arlington Classic and American Derby, two of our richest and formerly significant three-year-old races, emphasized this trend toward sheer speed as the ultimate aim of the thoroughbred. It seems riow that, almost unnoticed, there has been a strong swing in the other direction developing in the last few years. When only yesterday two young trainers, Johnny Nerud and Jack .Weipert, coincidentally spoke within a, few minutes of pointing horses for the two-mile Jockey Club Gold Cup to be run some five months hence on October 18, it seemed just a trifle odd. Reflection recalled -that Weipert had also mentioned in passing, "all those other distance races" in the fall, At the moment, we didnt give this passing, remark the attention it deserved. Pot of Gold for Routers Next Fall A look at the book reveals that there are no less than 50,000 worth of stakes at a 1»£ miles or longer on the agenda for Belmont Park and Jamaica in the. fairly brief span from October 1 through November 2.9; One of these, the 0,000 Ladies Handicap, is for fillies and mares. However* that leaves 00,000 in added money to shoot at for a three-year-old who doesnt really get to running until he has gone 1*4 miles. We feel that this is quite an emphasis on stamina. One of these stakes, the 5,000 Lawrence -Realization at 1Y» miles, is for three-year-olds exclusively, but that still leaves 75,000 in added money for genuine distance runners from three upward. These races are preceded by two 5,000 handicaps at iya miles and the 00,000 Woodward Stakes, a weight-for-age event at 1/* miles. There are also a 0,000 nine furlong handicap and a 5,000 handicap at a 1 3-16 miles at Jamaica. That brings the total in added money for stakes for males at distances from nine furlongs" to 2 1-16 miles between September 10 and November 29 to an impressive 25,000, with another 00,000 offered to fillies and mares. The Ladies Cap is preceded by the Beldame* at l*/8 miles; v It seems to us that this tremendous outlay for distance racing during the fall is bound to have far-reaching consequences. That it has already caught the attention of owners and trainers who are trying to develop horses for these races is evident, Nerud and Weipert being by no means the only ones to have noted the rich rewards being offered for stamina. The -leading non-market breeders, such as Greentree Stud, Wheatley Stud, Calumet Farm, George D. Widener, Mrs. Elizabeth N. Graham, Walter M. Jeffords and others, have been attempting to breed for stamina as well as speed, in short the classic type, for many, many years. Since the classic type is also the fashionable type, many leading market breeders have also been attempting to develop distance runners. But it is quite possible that many of the apparent failures in the form of costly yearlings of fashionable bloodlines who fail to live up to their pedigree, conformation and purchase price have disappointed for the simple reason that they were asked to display pure speed and precocity that they should not have been expected to possess. Blends With Two-Year Program - The trend toward distance racing for. older horses, combined with the emphasis on rich autumn distance racing for two-year-olds, seems certain to cause many owners and trainers to conserve their stock. And in many instances this could mean giving them the-chance to excel at the type of performance for which they were bred in the first place. So far as the racing public is concerned, they are being offered more and better racing of the kind that they enjoy most. And so far as New York is concerned, it seems to us that the public this year can look forward to the best fall racing it has ever known. This is the line-up of distance stakes: Sept. 10 Discovery Handicap 1 1-8 miles 5,000 Sept. IT Nashua County Cap 1 1-8 miles 5,000 Sept. 27 Woodward Stakes 1 1-4 miles 00,000 Oct. 4 Beldame Handicap 1 1-8 miles 0,000 Oct. 8 Manhattan Handicap 1 1-2 miles 0,000 Oct. 13 Ladies Handicap 1 1-2 miles 0,000 Oct. 18 Jockey Club Geld Cup 2 miles 5,000 Oct. 29 Long Island Cap 1 5-8 miles 5,000 Nov. 8 Roamer Cap 1 3-16 miles 5,000 Nov. 15 Gallant Fox Cap 1 5-8 miles 5,000 Nov. 22 Idlewild Handicap 1 1-8 miles 0,000 Nov. 29 Display Handicap 2 1-16 miles 0,000 50,000
