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New England By Eli Chiat 1 1Lack Lack of Outstanding Apprentice a Novelty Hartford Cap Junior Edition of Preakness Armes Posey Harper in Tight Training Race RaceLINCOLN LINCOLN DOWNS Lincoln R I May 14 The New England racing season is now in its 10th week and there is one striking difference from other years That is the lack of an outstand ¬ ing apprentice rider or two This area of the country in particular lias always been the stamping grounds for the upandcoming young apprentice He was always sure of receiving his share of live mounts with the result that in short order another riding star was in the making And with this start he usually went on to a bright future in the riding ranks Last year it was David DeRoin and Dick Winant who made a show of the riding bri ¬ gade by their outstanding saddle work They finished onetwo in the final jockey standings at the end of the session and they also dominated the other meet ¬ ings iri Yankeeland except when veteran Henry Wajda got a hot hand and cut himself in on the deal Before that it was George Gibb and Allen Fairbanks And in other years Tony DeSpirito Bobby Ussery Paul Bohenko Carl Landers and a younger Wajda attracted the major attention of fans and trainer alike alikePlenty Plenty of Mounts Await DeRoin DeRoinDeSpirito DeSpirito has gone on to greater fame since he left these climes He has proven that he can hold his own with the best in New York Maryland and Florida Ussery is also making his presence felt on the Metro ¬ politan circuit Gibb and Fairbanks continue to retain their share of mounts here along with Winant Wajda Landers and Bohenko And it can be expected that DeRoin will not be lacking for mounts now that he has returned fully recovered from injuries received here on the opening day of the meeting BUt the apprentice group of riders that have shown their wares so far have not exactly startled any observers There are several here who may yet blossom out but at the mo ¬ ment they evidently leave much to be desired Their services are not sought after as in previous years And since they fail to impress owners or trainers they are not receiving the mounts which would project them into the limelight with the fans There is still a long way to go on the New England racing calendar and the possibility still remains that some youngster may find the touch which may project him into the fore ¬ front At least lets hope so soRacing Racing secretary Gordon Morrow appears ready to present a junior edition of the Preakness here on Sat ¬ urday when the first running of the 25000added Hartford Handicap will be presented So far he has been heartened by the definite commitments of C J Devines Boncrist Farms Backbone who is his high weight with 122 pounds Mrs Elizabeth Grahams Maine Chance Farms Ebony Pearl his third high height under 120 pounds and Dick Carrolls Deadeye Dick and Shulman Rosoff s Merrick Stables Wing Jet Added to the group of local stalwarts the mile and 70yards Hartford should taring down the curtain on this 58day session in brilliant style The presence of Backbone who won the Chesapeake Stakes for the most important victory of his career arid Ebony Pearl who was a factor in the Kentucky Derby for the first mile should lend considerable color to the race It also figures to give the race the boxoffice attraction needed to bring out the fans and from present indi ¬ cations one of the largest crowds of the meeting should be on hand At the moment Morrow is still hopeful that John S Kroeses Sir Robby surprise winner of the Withers on Monday will be added to the starting lineup on the week end MeAIoon in Charge of Tuna Tourney TourneyChitChat ChitChat Leo McAloon steward here and at Nar ragansett Park has been named chairman of the Atlantic Tuna Tourney which will be held this sum mer at Narragansett R I Leo reports that 169 boats from all points of the Atlantic will participate in the tourney which is the largest held in this country The former Georgetown football star who was also a foot hall official for 22s years says that over 25000 people line up on the shores of Galille to watch the tourney and in 1956 the record haul of an 867pound tuna was caught in the local waters It did not receive too much fanfare but the Rhode Island legislature recently enacted a bill to increase the mutuel take in this state from its present 13 per cent to 15 The state will take one per cent of the increase while the other Vz per cent will go to the tracks The new law becomes effective on July 1 the second day of the Narragansett summer meeting George Lobris capable assistant to publicity director Eddie Mack has his typewriter and cigars packed for the trip to Suffolk Downs where he serves in a similar capacity to Ed Sullivan He also pounds out the copy for Billy Ames at Narragan ¬ sett Park The honors for leading trainer at this meeting ap ¬ pear tobe a match between Guy Armes Dick Posey and R E Buck Harper Armes holds a slight advan tage with 17 winners Posey is a pair behind and Harper has 14 S H Babbitz Speed Rouser who sustained a fractured coffin bone during the running of the Pawtucket Handicap on April 12 was vanned to Herb Stevens at Anchor Farm Lexington LexingtonContinued Continued on Page FortyNine NEW ENGLAND ENGLANDBy By ELI CHIAT Continued from Page Six SixKy Ky where he will be put into stud service Speed Rouser is a sixyearold son of Beau Max Alley by Rolled Stocking Jockey George Gibb will have the mount on Dick Carrolls Deadeye Dick in the Hartford Scarborough Downs racing secretary Charles Smith advises that the minimum purse at the coming 42night session will be 1000 In addition fifth money will be awarded The main meeting gets underway July 21 and runs through September 6 Suffolk Downs only New England track with a grass course has an ambitious program of races scheduled for the inner course this year Besides the 10 000added Tomasello Memorial Handicap and the 25000added John R Macomber Memorial Turf Handicap racing secretary Arthur Hunt has programmed an Olym ¬ pian series of four events to be decided i over the Jawn These races will increase in both purse money and distances as the I meeting progresses Trainer E TGar jcia shipped El Greco Stables Norbob to I Wheeling W Va for a campaign at that point
