The Wilmington morning star., 1945-01-05
TURF ORPHANS
OFFER PROBLEM
Future OF Potentially
Great Runners Bypass
ed In Furor
BY CARL LUNDQUIST
United Press Staff Correspondent
Reg, U, S, Pat. Off.

united Press Staff Correspondent
Reg. U. S. Pat. Off.
NEW YORK. Jan. +UP)-One
little item that seems to have been
neatly by-passed in the current
Juror over the close-down of the
nations race tracks is what may
happen to all the little 1945 Whlrl-
aWay's. Seabiscuit' s, Twilight Tear,
and other potentially great three
year olds, who just observed their
turf birthdays on New Years day.
Col Matt Vim, the head OF
Churchill Downs at Louisville, KY,
who has a particularly sentimental
feeling for three-year-old horses
says that it is problem that mas
not occurred to him.
IT expect that the trainers will
have to decide what to do about
that" he said. THAT wouldn't be
for the race track people to de-
eide"
VIM. who once said that he
would operate a 10-cent Kentucky
Derby for the benefit of home town
patrons at Louisville, if necessary,
had no comment on what might
become of the blue-ribbon classic
of American racing which has been
run without break since Aristides
Numbered home in front in the
first derby in 1875.
But since without official govern
ment approval there appears to be
no chance for the Derby, the
Preakness, the Belmont stakes or
any of the other traditional races
for three-year-olds to be run that
leaves the current crop, consider
ed by most horsemen as an out
standing one, as turf orphans
This group includes the $4,000
Pericles, the famed mystery
horse belonging to William Helis,
the Golden Greek from New Or.
leans, who didn't race his prize
pet as a two year old, because he
was too big and because he had
primed him to become one of the
greatest three-year-olds Of all time.
With Stamina, racing spirit, stretch
speed and all OF the other re-
quisities of a real campaigner,
Pericles will spend the year Of his
"greatest earning power" in the
lush pastures of the Helis estate
near Jobtown, N. J.
The same goes for such sensa-
tional thoroughbreds as the unde-
feated Pavot and Free For All,
who were considered tops among
the tWo-year-olds.
Pavot, which won all of his eight
starts in 1914 for total earnings of
$179, O4O, had a fine start on the
all-time high money winning record
of the great Whirlaway, but his
owner, Walter M Jeffords has no
hope that the horse can break the
record without the benefit of three
year-old campaigning. The same
goes for Free For All, the John
Marsch colt which took all five of
its starts for total winnings Of $780,
SIS as two-year-old.
This pair probably would have
gone into the winter book for the
derby as co-favorites, but there
were a number of other stand
outs, all of which definitely will
lose out among the great thorough
breds of all time unless there is
resumption of stake racing by
spring.
Moreover, since race horses need
competition to remain in trim,
there is little doubt that the en-
forced idleness in lush pastures
may make these standouts soft and
without the stamina developed by
constant training and exercise. In
1916 or whenever racing is resumed
they re-enter the competitive field
they will be handicap horses but
without the benefit of their three
year-old records by which the track
odds-makers can assign them the
proper weights.
One suggestion advanced by the
track crowd appears to have con-
siderable merit.
This would invlove double
Kentucky Derby and other major
stakes in 1916, in which the current
three-year-olds would run in paral.
lei stake races along with the com.
ing crop of juveniles, which will
be making their turf debuts as
three-year-olds. If the Golden era
of sport has arrived by that time,
the interest should be sufficient to
take care of double purses.
coached his team from start to fin
ish. smoked three cigars, fidgeted
in his chair, got up, walked about