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Beulah Park I By Dick Kumble Picturesque Track Tribute to Robert Dierist Has Been at Helm of Mile Course Since 1937 Also Known as Owner of Champion Decathlon DecathlonBEULAH BEULAH PARK Grove City Ohio May 13 Fit ¬ tingly Robert J Diensts office is located above the grandstand Race track supervisors repeatedly strive to satisfy the man in the street Here at Beulah Park in the land of rolling green countryside just 7 miles from the busy metropolis of Columbus you cannot tell where the clubhouse begins and the grandstand lets off Its all the same Magnificent brick and con ¬ crete structure which is presented entirely of permastone a touch of the modern in the sport of our de scendants Both buildings are sur ¬ rounded by carpetiike green lawns with nary a flaw m their architecture And the shadows of the tall elm and shorter pine trees lend an air to the race course that cannot be duplicated in its larger contemporaries that flank in all directions To appre ciate the glamor of Beulah Park one must promise himself a visit on a day when there is ho racing The spotless grounds the picturesque infield and the modern facilities that only hard cash has provided are all part of the composition Beulah Park survives its Xray treatment in the physical pink River Divide Farm Nearby Dienst at 69 years of age is master of the grounds and owns the River Divide Farm which is located a hop skip and jump from the main tracks clubhouse turn His silks were carried to glorious triumph after triumph by Decathlon the mambostepping sprint champion of this decade Dienst expanded his personal interests from his original business as a paving con ¬ tractor The native of Columbus maintained that de partment plus his wide racing repertoire until 1952 when he suffered a mild stroke and retired from the former strenuous activity His son Robert Y Dienst onehalf owner of Beulah Park has followed his color ¬ ful fathers footsteps in road paving with much success Young Bob a veteran of the European and Pacific theaters is proud of his youngsters The grandmother Mrs Robert J Dienst is at the races every afternoon She sure likes horses explained her husband His comfortable office has been decorated in good taste fails to approach the gaudy and is attractive with its walledmahogany decor decorMrs Mrs Ada Dienst and the elder Robert reside in the suburban community of Bexley in 1933 he purchased stock in Beulah Pafic when racing was legalized in this state He built his farm which was then located be ¬ tween two rivers spurring the monicker River Divide Today he houses five broodmares which all raced in his colors and also the stallions Brief Sigh Final Touch and Mass OGold Decathlon the household byword is residing in the lavish quarters furnished by John W Galbreath at Darby Dan He is a bunkmate of a horse from the West Coast named Swaps Dienst purchased Decathlon at the Keeneland yearling sales for 15500 from his breeders the Nuckols Brothers Dienst has been president of Beulah since 1937 when he converted it to the present distance of one mile and has wasted scarcely any time in keeping this plant uptosnuff Between seasons he travels with his large stable which is presently at Garden State in the care of Harold Young His regular trainer veteran Rollie Shepp is on the road to recovery Nfrom a cardiac stroke of last winter The River Divide outfit numbers more than a dozen head and the Diensts follow their colorbearers to Miami in the winter and enjoy a lengthy vacation As Bob Dienst puts it The only thing I do in the way of work is play around my track here in the spring and again in the fall Ive watched it grow from infancy and get my greatest pleasures when we race raceSpeed Speed Kings Book Filled Quickly QuicklyDecathlon Decathlon the sidewheeling bay horse has a fee of 3000 and Dienst revealed that his book was filled quickly The mixture of his sheer speed and the staying qualities of a dam are quite likely to produce future champions TheTlealthy bay is a son of the stallion Olympia whose progeny have begun to stretch their muscles farther each season His dam is Dog Blessed by Bull Dog and his lines vany the strains of Heli opolis Hyperion Teddy Gainsborough and Blue Lark ¬ spur In his final year of competition he raced nine times including eight handicaps was defeated but once by the Floridabred Oclirock in the Bristol and carried the immense package of 135 pounds something the current greats have not been asked Decathlon has raced 6 furlongs in 108 and 7 furlongs in 121 In the words of the eloquent Charles Hatton in the 1958 American Racing Manual Decathlon was a sprinter Inventing a step unknown to Arthur Murray we wonder how fast he would have traveled if he straightened his stride However his method might prove beneficial to others othersThere There is something about horses and the green of healthy grass After each race here on these warm May afternoons the grooms lead their respective racers however tired from their efforts across the center of the infield past the clear blue lake which lends a touch of nature at its best and through to the stable area which is located directly across from the grandstand The spirit of the breed prevails at Beulah as no other place in these parts After each race it is remarkable how many of the fans leave their seats immediately for the paddock for a closer look at trie combatanfe combatanfeContinued Continued on Page FortyThree BEULAH PARK PARKBy By DICK KUMBLE Continued from Page Seven SevenThese These are diedinthewool horse lovers many of the same faces happily trudge to the Grove City course daily This is the publics country club and the membership is growing each season All the manage ¬ ment asks is a fair shake with the weather and there have been no complaints the last few days daysThe The Beulah Park Jockey Club operates 19 afternoons at this session and returns on August 30 for 25 more The feature of the current semester is the 5000 Gov ¬ ernors Handicap scheduled this Saturday In the fall the Ohio Championship offers a tempting 15000 The former event is for threeyearolds and above and should attract a large field including some outside challengers with good credentials The track is located in Franklin County and actually inaugurated racing on April 21 1923 45 years ago Nobody hurries around here or does anything in haste There is an air of aged perfection the blend of skilled labor and sound management Let the credit fall in its place Robert J Dienst with a twinkle in his eye and complete command of the situatio h
